R.M.S. Titanic
Historical Article
A Fireman’s Story/From a Lifeboat
Eyewitness Accounts
Feature Menu
Introducing the Selections
Informational Text Focus:
Evaluating Primary and Secondary
Sources
Writing Skills Focus: Preparing for
Timed Writing

R.M.S. Titanic
Historical Article
What choices doomed so many people to die during the sinking of the Titanic?

R.M.S. Titanic
Introducing the Selection
On April 10, 1912, the largest ship ever built started out on its first voyage to New York.
The Titanic never arrived at its destination.

R.M.S. Titanic
Introducing the Selection
The ship’s builder believed she was unsinkable—a gigantic lifeboat.
What went wrong?
Read “R.M.S. Titanic” to learn the truth behind the mammoth ship’s ironic fate.
[End of Section]

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
When you research historical information, you’ll find two categories of materials:
• primary sources
• secondary sources

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
A primary source is a firsthand account that has not been interpreted or edited by other writers.
Examples:
• letters
• interviews
• speeches
• eyewitness accounts

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
A primary source has the advantage of being a firsthand account of an event.
by Harry Senior
I was in my bunk when I felt a bump. One
In the eyewitness accounts of “A Fireman’s Story” and “From a Lifeboat,” you learn about the sinking of the Titanic from people who were actually there.

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
The drawback of a primary source is that it includes only one person’s viewpoint.
A primary source may be unreliable, especially if it is highly subjective, or based heavily on emotion or opinion.

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
A secondary source is based on other sources.
Information is interpreted, summarized, or retold by another writer.
Examples:
• encyclopedias
• textbooks
• biographies
• newspaper and magazine articles

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
A secondary source, such as “R.M.S. Titanic,” often covers the topic more broadly.
Secondary sources are generally more objective, or factual. However, writers sometimes include their opinions and feelings on the topic.
R.M.S. Titanic by Hanson W. Baldwin

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
As you evaluate a source, decide how much you should believe—and why. Ask yourself:
• How credible —or believable—is the source? How knowledgeable is the writer about the subject?
• Does the writer seem to have a bias —a prejudice about the topic?
Watch for words or phrases that give a one-sided view.
• When was the text written?
Recent dates may be better for secondary sources, but primary sources may be more valuable.

R.M.S. Titanic
Informational Text Focus: Evaluating Primary and
Secondary Sources
Into Action: As you read, record objective and subjective language in a chart like the one below.
Selection
“R.M.S. Titanic”
Objective Details Subjective Details
“Westbound steamers “Out of the dark she report bergs, growlers came, a vast, dim, white, and field ice” monstrous shape”
[End of Section]

R.M.S. Titanic
Writing Skills Focus
Preparing for Timed Writing
As you read the selections, you may notice differences in the accounts of the Titanic’s sinking.
Record these differences in your notebook.
[End of Section]

Vocabulary

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary ascertain v.: determine.
corroborated v.: supported.
perfunctory adj.: done with little care or thought; indifferent.
pertinent adj.: having some association with the subject.

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word ascertain is used in “R.M.S. Titanic.”
The dark, frigid night made it difficult to ascertain the damage to the ship.
Why do you think it was so difficult to ascertain whether the ship was sinking at first?

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
The extent of the damage might have been difficult to ascertain because
• the shock of the impact was so slight, many didn’t know it had occurred
• the large ship and latenight hours made it difficult to communicate information among the crew

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
What might the doctor hope to ascertain from this x-ray?
She might be checking the patient’s lungs for signs of pneumonia.

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Read the sentence below to help you understand how the word corroborated is used.
A survey of several sources corroborated the serious nature of the damage.
Professor Guzman corroborated the fact that
I had written the research report on my own.

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Our veterinarian corroborated the new study’s findings about nutritional supplements for dogs.
Did the veterinarian a) fill out important forms?
b) confirm the study’s information?
c) contradict the research?

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word perfunctory is used in “R.M.S. Titanic.”
The perfunctory nature of the inspections meant that little additional information was acquired.
What actions would you expect in a perfunctory safety drill?

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Dragging their flotation devices, sleepy passengers slowly lined up, which gave the evacuation drill a perfunctory feel.

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Which image shows what appears to be a perfunctory activity?

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
The sentence below may help you understand how the word pertinent is used in “R.M.S. Titanic.”
The investigating committee collected all the pertinent facts related to the tragedy and its aftermath.
Why do you think the investigators collected only the pertinent facts?

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Pertinent is another way to say . . .
applicable relevant related relatable important significant

R.M.S. Titanic
Vocabulary
Which equipment looks as though it would be pertinent to sailing?
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The End