Worked example
A performer remembers bright stage lights; an audience member remembers quiet music. Must one account be false?
Answer & why
Answer: No; they noticed different aspects.
The two observations can both be true.
Grade 4 · Social studies
Compare accounts of one event
Recognize that accounts may emphasize different experiences without automatically contradicting one another.
8 authored questions + worked example
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All questions
All 8 authored questions for this skill.
Question 1
A recollection was recorded fifty years later. What is a useful check?
- a personal experience
- No; they noticed different aspects.
- Claiming everyone felt the same.
- Compare it with other relevant records.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: Compare it with other relevant records.
Other evidence can help evaluate a later recollection.
Question 2
A letter describes one person's excitement. What should a summary avoid?
- a personal experience
- Claiming everyone felt the same.
- Check further dated evidence.
- No; they noticed different aspects.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: Claiming everyone felt the same.
One person's feeling does not establish every participant's view.
Question 3
A performer remembers bright stage lights; an audience member remembers quiet music. Must one account be false?
- a personal experience
- Check further dated evidence.
- No; they noticed different aspects.
- No; its coverage is limited.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: No; they noticed different aspects.
The two observations can both be true.
Question 4
A diary says a walk felt long; a map gives its distance. What kind of evidence does the diary provide?
- Check further dated evidence.
- Their roles gave them different experiences.
- No; its coverage is limited.
- a personal experience
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: a personal experience
Feeling that a walk was long describes the writer's experience.
Question 5
Two accounts give different dates for an event. What should a reader do next?
- No; its coverage is limited.
- The entrance was crowded at that moment.
- Check further dated evidence.
- Their roles gave them different experiences.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: Check further dated evidence.
Conflicting dates call for additional evidence, not a guess.
Question 6
A visitor saw only the morning session. Can that account alone describe every afternoon event?
- No; its coverage is limited.
- Compare it with other relevant records.
- Their roles gave them different experiences.
- The entrance was crowded at that moment.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: No; its coverage is limited.
The observer did not witness the afternoon events.
Question 7
An organizer describes planning; a guest describes attending. Why might the details differ?
- Their roles gave them different experiences.
- The entrance was crowded at that moment.
- Claiming everyone felt the same.
- Compare it with other relevant records.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: Their roles gave them different experiences.
Different roles reveal different parts of the event.
Question 8
A photo shows a crowded entrance but not other rooms. What can it directly establish?
- No; they noticed different aspects.
- The entrance was crowded at that moment.
- Claiming everyone felt the same.
- Compare it with other relevant records.
A hint
Check each observer's position, role and evidence before deciding what agrees or differs.
Answer & why
Answer: The entrance was crowded at that moment.
The image directly shows only the visible place and time.