Two accounts of one event: how and why they differ

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to C. Card A, Account A, 'A plan that was set aside' (written by PencilGo for students, for practice, from US National Archives facts; it picks some true facts and leaves others out; it answers the question: what became of the plan at Versailles?): Wilson set out 14 points for peace in January 1918. At Versailles in 1919 the leaders of Britain and France set most of them aside. Britain, France and Italy mostly wanted to regain what they had lost and to punish Germany. The US Senate never approved the treaty. Card B, Account B, 'A plan that lived on' (same maker, audience and limits; it answers the question: what came out of the plan?): Wilson's points rested on nearly 2,000 reports by about 150 scholars, and they were broadcast around the world. His last point, a world organization for keeping the peace, went into the treaty and became the League of Nations. Card C, facts from the US National Archives, in our words: Wilson gave the Fourteen Points to Congress on January 8, 1918, while the war was still being fought. The speech was designed to undermine the will of the Central Powers to continue the war. It was broadcast and dropped behind enemy lines.

2. 1.

   Accounts A and B use true facts. What does account A stress that account B leaves out, Ari asks?

   • That the leaders of Britain and France set most of the points aside at Versailles
   • That the speech was designed to weaken the will of the Central Powers to continue
   • That the points rested on nearly 2,000 reports by about 150 scholars, so they were carefully prepared
   • That Wilson changed the points to please Britain and France before the treaty was signed
3. 2.

   What does account B stress that account A leaves out, Bo asks?

   • That the points rested on scholars' reports and the last one became the League of Nations
   • That Britain and France set most of the points aside, which is why the plan was set aside
   • That the speech was dropped behind enemy lines to weaken the Central Powers
   • That the Senate approved the treaty, so the United States joined the League of Nations
4. 3.

   Both accounts use true facts, so why do they differ, Jun asks?

   • They are about two different peace plans from 1918, so the two cannot be compared with each other
   • One of them must have a fact wrong, since two true accounts would match
   • They stress different true facts: one the points set aside, the other the League that followed
   • Account A is older, so its facts are closer to what happened
5. 4.

   Account A asks what became of the plan at Versailles. Account B asks what came out of the plan. How do the questions shape them, Kira asks?

   • The questions change the titles but not the facts each account picks
   • Each picks the facts that answer its own question and leaves out what the other uses
   • The questions are the same, so any difference between the two accounts has to be a mistake
   • Account B asks the better question, so its facts are more complete
6. 5.

   The accounts were written today for practice from National Archives facts. What does that tell a reader, Luz asks?

   • They are complete, since the two together cover the whole story
   • They are built from true facts but pick some and leave others out, so each is partial
   • They are unreliable, since PencilGo wrote them for practice rather than a historian writing them
   • They are primary sources, so they show what Wilson's advisers thought in 1918
7. 6.

   A student writes: 'The Fourteen Points failed.' How do accounts A and B bear on that, Milo asks?

   • B supports 'failed', since the Senate did not approve the treaty
   • Both support 'failed', because the Senate did not approve the treaty and the points were set aside
   • Neither bears on it, since both accounts use true facts
   • A backs 'failed' with the points set aside, and B complicates it with the League
8. 7.

   A student says the plan 'lived on.' Which fact supports that best, Noah asks?

   • Britain and France set most of the points aside at Versailles
   • The points rested on nearly 2,000 reports by about 150 scholars, so they were well prepared
   • The last point, a world organization, went into the treaty and became the League
   • The speech was broadcast and dropped behind enemy lines in 1918
9. 8.

   Which sentence stays within cards A to C, Pia asks?

   • The League of Nations was created in January 1918, when the points were first announced to Congress
   • The last point became the League of Nations, and Britain and France set other points aside
   • The League of Nations failed because the Senate did not approve the treaty
   • Britain and France set the points aside because Wilson had broken a promise
10. 9.

    Card C says the speech was broadcast and dropped behind enemy lines. What does that suggest about its audience, Ren asks?

    • It was written to explain the treaty signed at Versailles, so it was meant for the peace conference
    • It was meant for Congress, since that is where Wilson gave it
    • It was meant for Germany and its allies as well as Congress, to weaken their will to keep fighting
    • It was meant to persuade the Senate to approve the League, since the Senate later refused
11. 10.

    A reader says account B sounds hopeful, so it is biased, and account A is neutral. What is a fair reply, Zee asks?

    • The reader cannot judge, since accounts written for practice cannot be compared
    • The reader is wrong: neither account picks facts, they just report them
    • Both pick true facts, and an account is not neutral just because it sounds gloomy
    • The reader is right: account B leaves out that most of the points were set aside at Versailles