Which of the following is an example of a primary source?

Which of the following is an example of a primary source?

• A. A diary entry written by the author about their daily life
• B. A history textbook
• C. A biography
• D. A newspaper editorial about a historical event

Answer: (A)

Primary sources are original, first-hand records created at the time of an event or by someone who experienced it. A diary entry written by the author about their daily life is exactly that—a personal, contemporaneous account of their own experiences. It preserves the writer’s direct perspective without later interpretation. The other items come from sources that summarize, discuss, or recount events: a history textbook analyzes and compiles information from multiple sources; a biography narrates someone else’s life after the fact; and a newspaper editorial, while produced at the time, expresses a viewpoint rather than providing a direct, personal account of daily life. So, the diary entry is the clearest example of a primary source.

Primary sources are original, first-hand records created at the time of an event or by someone who experienced it. A diary entry written by the author about their daily life is exactly that—a personal, contemporaneous account of their own experiences. It preserves the writer’s direct perspective without later interpretation. The other items come from sources that summarize, discuss, or recount events: a history textbook analyzes and compiles information from multiple sources; a biography narrates someone else’s life after the fact; and a newspaper editorial, while produced at the time, expresses a viewpoint rather than providing a direct, personal account of daily life. So, the diary entry is the clearest example of a primary source.