The 4 Mark "How Do You Know" Question: The Gulf & Afghanistan (Q1) (AQA GCSE History)

Summary of Question One 

• Question One requires you to analyse a source referring to the content and/or provenance of the source 

• You should include knowledge that is relevant to the source 

• You should analyse two parts of the source in your answer

• An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:

• In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics: 

Using a Source’s Content & Provenance 

• A historical source is made up of two sections: 

  • The provenance 

  • The content 

Provenance 

• Provenance is the background information of a source 

• The provenance can be found at the top of each source

• The provenance usually tells you

  • Who created the source

  • What type of source it is, for example, a newspaper article

  • When the source was made

  • Where the source was created 

• For the example question, here is a breakdown of the provenance of Source A:

• In this question, you should use the provenance of the source to:

  • Help you to analyse the source

  • Gain valuable or first-hand information about the question topic

    • For the example question, a political cartoon is useful in showing how the Western World were feeling about Saddam Hussein

Content 

• The content is the information presented in the source

• The content could be a variety of different types of sources such as:

  • A picture 

  • A photograph

  • An extract from a book 

  • A speech 

  • A political cartoon 

  • A letter 

• In this question, you should use the content of the source to: 

  • Show what you know about the question topic

    • For the example question, you should understand the context of Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the UN's reluctance to become involved

  • Answer the question

How to Apply Your Knowledge to a Historical Source 

• When applying your knowledge to a historical source you should:

  • Read the source carefully 

  • Read the source more than once, if you have time 

  • Focus on just the content and the provenance of the source 

  • Whilst reading the source, underline or highlight relevant pieces of text 

  • Annotate the source by attaching your knowledge to the content and the provenance of the interpretation 

• When applying knowledge to a historical source, many students forget to focus on the given issue in the question 

  • For example, if a question is asking you about the reactions to Operation Desert Storm and the interpretation includes reactions towards Saddam Hussein, you should disregard the information about Saddam Hussein

How to answer a “How do you Know” Question 

• You will find the source in an insert

  • An insert is an additional booklet to your answer paper. It provides key sources or interpretations needed to answer specific questions in the exam

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The source for the example Question One in The Gulf & Afghanistan, 1990-2009 as it would look in the insert

• Firstly, you need to read the question carefully 

  • Underline the topic mentioned in the question 

• Read the source in full, including both the content and the provenance 

  • The content and provenance can be used in this question

• Annotate the source by applying knowledge to the source where relevant to the question 

• Choose two parts of the source 

  • That is relevant to the question 

  • That you can apply knowledge to 

• Remember, this question is asking you ‘How do you know’ you must apply your knowledge to this question

  • If you do not include knowledge in this question you cannot achieve a Level 2 (3 - 4 marks) 

“How do you Know” Question Structure 

• Your answer should consist of: 

  • The sources' content and/or provenance 

  • Contextual knowledge 

  • Analysis of the source

• You need to identify a relevant feature from either the content or the provenance of the source 

• Support the chosen feature with contextual knowledge 

• Analyse the source according to the topic in the question 

• This should be repeated twice to achieve a Level 2 (3-4 marks)

Worked Example of a “How do you Know” Question