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 Wilson changed the points to please Britain and France before the treaty was signed
   • That the points rested on nearly 2,000 reports by about 150 scholars, so they were carefully prepared
3. 2.

   The two accounts answer one question differently. Which question is it, Esme asks?

   • Whether Wilson gave the Fourteen Points to Congress in January 1918
   • Whether the Fourteen Points failed or lived on after 1919
   • Whether scholars helped prepare the points before Wilson spoke
   • Whether the Senate approved the treaty that contained the plan
4. 3.

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

   • They stress different true facts: one the points set aside, the other the League that followed
   • One of them must have a fact wrong, since two true accounts would match
   • They are about two different peace plans from 1918, so the two cannot be compared with each other
   • 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 are the same, so any difference between the two accounts has to be a mistake
   • 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
   • 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 unreliable, since PencilGo wrote them for practice rather than a historian writing them
   • They are built from true facts but pick some and leave others out, so each is partial
   • They are complete, since the two together cover the whole story
   • They are primary sources, so they show what Wilson's advisers thought in 1918
7. 6.

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

   • The points rested on nearly 2,000 reports by about 150 scholars, so they were well prepared
   • The speech was broadcast and dropped behind enemy lines in 1918
   • The last point, a world organization, went into the treaty and became the League
   • Britain and France set most of the points aside at Versailles
8. 7.

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

   • 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
   • The last point became the League of Nations, and Britain and France set other points aside
   • The League of Nations was created in January 1918, when the points were first announced to Congress
9. 8.

   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 to persuade the Senate to approve the League, since the Senate later refused
   • It was meant for Germany and its allies as well as Congress, to weaken their will to keep fighting
   • It was meant for Congress, since that is where Wilson gave it
10. 9.

    A student wants to test account A's claim that Britain, France and Italy wanted to punish Germany. Which question helps most, Tala asks?

    • How many scholars wrote reports for Wilson's Fourteen Points before he spoke to Congress?
    • What did their leaders say and ask for in the treaty talks at Versailles?
    • What did Wilson say to Congress about peace in January 1918, while the war was still on?
    • Did the Senate approve the treaty in the end?
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 is wrong: neither account picks facts, they just report them
    • The reader cannot judge, since accounts written for practice cannot be compared
    • 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