Question

a student finds two secondary sources about the civil rights movement:

1. a textbook written by a history professor. it cites government records and speeches.
2. a blog post written by a journalist. it is based on personal opinions and interviews.

which source is more credible?

○ the blog post is more credible because it includes personal opinions, theories, and hearsay.

○ the textbook is more credible because it cites government records and speeches.

○ both sources are equally credible since they discuss the same event.

○ the blog post is more credible because it was written by a journalist.

Explanation:

To determine credibility, we analyze the sources:

• A textbook by a history professor citing government records and speeches is based on objective, verifiable primary sources.
• A blog post by a journalist relying on personal opinions and interviews is less reliable as opinions are subjective and interviews may have bias.
• Credibility is not determined by the profession alone (journalist vs. professor) or just discussing the same event. So the textbook is more credible due to its use of authoritative, verifiable sources.

Answer:

B. The textbook is more credible because it cites government records and speeches.