Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
Name: ____________________ · Date: ____________
1. Which two sources were created during the period being studied?
2. Suggest one reason the recruitment leaflet may emphasise benefits.
WorksheetWise · Standard · 1097
History: evaluating historical sources
Read the model and complete the task.
Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
Name: ____________________ · Date: ____________
3. Does the diary prove wages were reduced? Explain.
4. Explain one strength and one limitation of the historian’s article for this question.
WorksheetWise · Standard · 1097
History: evaluating historical sources
Read the model and complete the task.
Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
Name: ____________________ · Date: ____________
5. How could the researcher investigate further without treating either personal account as the whole story?
Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
1. Which two sources were created during the period being studied?
A and B.
Award one mark each for A and B. Their age does not make their claims automatically reliable.
2. Suggest one reason the recruitment leaflet may emphasise benefits.
The owner wanted to recruit workers, so the leaflet had a reason to present employment positively.
One mark for recruitment purpose; one for explaining how that purpose can affect emphasis.
Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
3. Does the diary prove wages were reduced? Explain.
No. The worker expressed uncertainty about a possible reduction, not evidence that it happened.
One mark for “no”; one for distinguishing worry from an observed wage reduction.
4. Explain one strength and one limitation of the historian’s article for this question.
It compares several kinds of evidence and factories, but has no surviving wage book for this factory.
One mark for a supported strength; one for the factory-specific limitation.
Fictional source exercise, not authentic archival quotations. A researcher is studying a town’s factory work in 1880. Source A is a factory owner’s recruitment leaflet from 1880: “Our new machines offer steady employment.” Source B is a worker’s private diary from the same month: “The machines stopped twice today. We waited, unsure whether our wages would be reduced.” Source C is a historian’s article published in 2020, comparing surviving wage books and letters from several factories. No wage book from this particular factory survives.
5. How could the researcher investigate further without treating either personal account as the whole story?
Compare other workers’ accounts, letters, employment agreements or payroll evidence if available; check dates, authors, purposes and whether sources independently agree.
One mark for a relevant additional source; one for explaining comparison or evaluation.
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For English-medium practice in India. A4 paper is selected initially. Use short arithmetic sheets for revision and add your own lesson vocabulary to flashcards. These activities do not claim CBSE, ICSE or state-board alignment. A separate Hindi edition is available in the language selector.