Which of the following is NOT a primary source?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a primary source?

Primary sources are original materials created at the time of the event or by those who experienced it, giving firsthand evidence. Census data, collected directly by government agencies for a specific census, are examples of this original material. A biography, while informative, is a narrative built from various sources about a person’s life and is interpretive rather than presenting new, firsthand data. An encyclopedia entry also gathers information from many sources and presents it as a concise summary; it serves as a reference overview rather than reporting original evidence. Textbooks are designed to teach by synthesizing established knowledge, not to present original data. Because an encyclopedia entry is a synthesized summary rather than original material or direct evidence, it is not a primary source.

Primary sources are original materials created at the time of the event or by those who experienced it, giving firsthand evidence. Census data, collected directly by government agencies for a specific census, are examples of this original material. A biography, while informative, is a narrative built from various sources about a person’s life and is interpretive rather than presenting new, firsthand data. An encyclopedia entry also gathers information from many sources and presents it as a concise summary; it serves as a reference overview rather than reporting original evidence. Textbooks are designed to teach by synthesizing established knowledge, not to present original data. Because an encyclopedia entry is a synthesized summary rather than original material or direct evidence, it is not a primary source.

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