Video Transcript
Fill in the blank. Something written or a work of art
created about an event in World War II by someone who is not in the war is
considered what. Is it (A) a primary source, (B) a
secondary source, or (C) both a primary and a secondary source.
Before we answer the question,
let’s remind ourselves what we mean when we talk about primary and secondary
sources. A primary source is essentially a
firsthand account. The data collected from such
sources is called primary data. And that can come from interviews,
census, and observations. Then, once we’ve defined a primary
source, we’re able to define a secondary source as giving information about a
primary source. It’s existing information which is
collected and organized by others. Secondary data can then come from
websites, textbooks, or newspapers.
So in this question, we’re looking
to establish whether something written or a work of art created about an event by
someone who was not at the event is considered a primary, a secondary, or both
primary and a secondary source. And so the key part of this
question is that the person who’s creating this piece of work was not actually in
the war. If they weren’t at the event, then
it cannot possibly be a firsthand account. They can, in fact, only create that
account by seeking out a firsthand account from someone else. And so, for that reason, the answer
must be (B). This work must be a secondary
source only.
