Read the passage about what happened in Pompeii after Mount Vesuvius erupted.
There was found a skeleton with a bronze axe, having attempted to break through the wall next to him. It is not unreasonable to suppose that he was . . . unable to flee by means of the courtyard, where the volcanic debris was too abundant, had attempted to make his way through the opposite wall.
–François de Paule Latapie
Why is the passage an example of a secondary source?
The author is describing a firsthand account of the ruins of Pompeii.
The author is providing commentary on his discovery in the ruins of Pompeii.
The author is explaining what he experienced during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The author is presenting evidence about the damage caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The passage is an example of a secondary source because the author is providing commentary on his discovery in the ruins of Pompeii.
Read the passage.
This edition of the Columbus letter, printed in Basel in 1494, is illustrated. The five woodcuts, which supposedly illustrate Columbus’s voyage and the New World, are in fact mostly imaginary, and were probably adapted drawings of Mediterranean places. This widely published report made Columbus famous throughout Europe. It earned him the title of Admiral, secured him continued royal patronage, and enabled him to make three more trips to the Caribbean, which he firmly believed to the end was a part of Asia. Seventeen editions of the letter were published between 1493 and 1497. Only eight copies of all the editions are extant.
–"Columbus’s Voyage and the New World,” Library of Congress
Whose point of view is represented in the passage?
an admiral’s
an illustrator’s
a historian’s
an explorer’s
The passage represents a historian's point of view.
Read the two passages about the destruction of Pompei.
There was found a skeleton with a bronze axe, having attempted to break through the wall next to him. It is not unreasonable to suppose that he was . . . unable to flee by means of the courtyard, where the volcanic debris was too abundant, had attempted to make his way through the opposite wall.
–François de Paule Latapie
A cloud . . . was ascending, the appearance of which I cannot give you a more exact description of than by likening it to that of a pine tree, for it shot up to a great height in the form of a very tall trunk, which spread itself out at the top into a sort of branches.
–Letter to Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the Younger
Which statement best explains the difference between the viewpoints of the writers of the two passages?
The first passage is opinion, while the second passage is fact.
The first passage is relevant, while the second passage is irrelevant.
The first passage is subjective, while the second passage is objective.
The first passage is a secondary source, while the second passage is a primary source.
The statement "The first passage is subjective, while the second passage is objective" best explains the difference between the viewpoints of the writers of the two passages.
Read the statement.
The Mount Vesuvius eruption was one of the worst disasters in human history.
Why is the statement an opinion?
It is objective.
It is subjective.
It can be proven to be true.
It reports events and ideas.
The statement is an opinion because it is subjective. The characterization of the Mount Vesuvius eruption as one of the worst disasters in human history is based on personal judgment and perspective.
Read the statement.
The Mount Vesuvius eruption was one of the worst disasters in human history.
Why is the statement an opinion?
A. It is objective.
B. It is subjective.
C. It can be proven to be true.
D. It reports events and ideas.
The statement is subjective, so the correct answer is B. It represents a personal judgment or perspective on the impact of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, rather than an objective fact that can be proven.
Read the passage about Ötzi the Iceman.
Half an hour after Ötzi dined, the killer came along and shot him in the back from a distance of almost 100 feet. The arrow went under his left armpit . . . a wound that would have been quickly fatal and probably not treatable even in modern times, especially where it happened. By the angle of the wound, he was either shot from below and behind, or he had been bent forward when he was hit from above and behind.
–"Who Killed the Iceman? Clues Emerge in a Very Cold Case,” Rod Nordland
Whose viewpoint is represented in the passage?
A. the killer’s
B. the Iceman’s
C. a historian’s
D. an eyewitness’s