Two accounts of one event: how and why they differ

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to D. Card A, Account A, 'A turning point for liberty' (written by PencilGo for students, for practice, from UK Parliament facts; it picks some true facts and leaves others out; it answers the question: what did 1689 start?): The 1689 Bill of Rights set out rights such as free elections and freedom of speech in Parliament. William did not claim the throne by conquest. He called a Convention to settle things. The Bill became a model for later statements of rights, such as the US Bill of Rights of 1791. Card B, Account B, 'Change came slowly' (same maker, audience and limits; it answers the question: what changed in 1689?): The 1689 Bill of Rights mostly listed James II's own misdeeds. Parliament's role changed over a number of years after 1688, not at once. William and Mary swore a coronation oath in April 1689 to govern by the statutes agreed in Parliament. Card C, facts from UK Parliament, in our words: James II left for France just before William arrived in London on 18 December 1688. On 6 February 1689 Parliament resolved that James II had abdicated, and the crown was offered jointly to William and Mary. The Declaration of Rights was read on 13 February, and the Bill of Rights passed in December 1689. Card D, facts from UK Parliament and The National Archives, in our words: James II's Parliament first met in 1685. In July 1687 he dissolved it after it resisted exempting Catholics from the Test Act. Seven bishops were prosecuted in 1688, and his son was born in June 1688. William of Orange landed at Brixham on 5 November 1688, after an invitation dated 30 June 1688. In the 1800s, Whig historians made William their hero because he called a Convention rather than claim the throne by conquest.

2. 1.

   Accounts A and B both use facts from 1689. Which statement is true of both, Bo asks?

   • The Bill of Rights was written by William, not by Parliament
   • The Bill of Rights ended the king's power over Parliament at once
   • The Bill was passed in 1689, and Parliament's role kept changing for years after
   • The Bill of Rights was passed before William and Mary were offered the crown in February 1689
3. 2.

   A student says: 'James II left, so Parliament had to offer the crown to William.' What do cards C and D show, Jun asks?

   • The crown was offered to William alone, so the student is half right
   • James left and Parliament resolved he had abdicated, but the cards do not say it was forced
   • James left after the crown was offered, so the student has the order wrong
   • The birth of James's son in June 1688 forced Parliament to make the offer to William and Mary
4. 3.

   Account B says Parliament's role changed 'over a number of years.' A student says card C contradicts it because everything happened in 1688 and 1689. What is the reply, Kira asks?

   • B is wrong, since the oath of April 1689 shows the change was complete
   • Card C gives the offer and the Bill, not later years, so it does not contradict B
   • Card C does contradict B, since the Bill of Rights settled Parliament's role in 1689
   • Card C supports A over B, since it lists no events after 1689
5. 4.

   Account B says William and Mary swore an oath in April 1689 to govern by the statutes agreed in Parliament. How does that bear on accounts A and B, Luz asks?

   • It supports A and shows rights were secure, since an oath binds a ruler completely for the rest of a reign
   • It supports neither, since account A does not mention an oath
   • It supports B and shows the limit was not real, since an oath is just words
   • It fits A, as monarchs accepted limits, and B, as the limit was a promise and not a finished change
6. 5.

   Account A asks what 1689 started. Account B asks what changed in 1689. What does each question lead it to pick, Milo asks?

   • A picks the Convention and B picks the landing at Brixham, since each asks about William
   • The questions are alike, so the two accounts pick the same facts
   • A picks James's misdeeds and B picks the oath, since each asks about the king
   • A picks rights and later models, and B picks James's misdeeds and slow change
7. 6.

   Card D says Whig historians made William their hero. Why might a later historian read the same facts differently, Noah asks?

   • Later historians dislike William, so they leave him out of their accounts
   • Later historians read the same facts the same way but write longer accounts
   • A later historian may ask a new question, such as how much changed, and stress other facts
   • Later historians find new facts that show the Whig historians were badly wrong about William
8. 7.

   A student must write about Parliament's power in the 1700s and can use one account. Which choice is best argued, Pia asks?

   • Either one, since both use true facts and so must lead to the same answer for the report
   • Account B, since it covers how Parliament's role changed over the years that followed
   • Neither, since 1689 is too early to say anything about Parliament's power in the 1700s
   • Account A, since a turning point is the more important kind of event for a report like this
9. 8.

   A student writes: 'The Bill of Rights made England a democracy.' What do the cards allow, Ren asks?

   • 'Democracy' fits, since the Bill set out free elections and a king had to follow it
   • 'Democracy' does not fit, since William was a king
   • 'Democracy' fits from 1791, since the United States copied the Bill
   • Free elections were a right in the Bill, but the cards do not say who could vote
10. 9.

    Account A says the Bill became a model for later statements of rights. What does that show about 1689, and what does it not show, Tala asks?

    • It shows account B is wrong about slow change, since a model for others must have worked at once
    • It shows the Bill changed Parliament at once, since others copied it
    • It shows later influence, but not that the Bill changed England quickly
    • It shows the US Bill of Rights has the same text as the English one
11. 10.

    A student claims: 'In 1688 and 1689 Parliament, not William, decided who would rule England.' Which cards support it and which limit it, Zee asks?

    • Cards A and D support it, since William called a Convention and then Parliament met to decide the matter
    • C supports it with the abdication and offer, while A and D limit it, since William called the Convention
    • Card C limits it, since the crown went to William and Mary
    • No card bears on it, since the four cards report events and not decisions