Answers and Suggested Responses—
Chapter 1 History skills
Opening spread
1.1 Can we trust the evidence?
1
It means that it was made and probably worn during Anglo-Saxon times in England.
2
It suggests that the person buried had great wealth. The fact that it also included a sceptre
suggests that person was a ruler.
1.2
How do we form a point of view?
1
Responses will vary, depending on how much students already know about the Vikings.
2
Reponses will vary, but typical responses might include:
1.3
a
He would be loathed and hated and regarded as a savage.
b
He might be greatly admired for his battle skills and bravery.
c
He would be loved and admired.
d
It suggests that not everyone thinks the same way. Often, people may hold many different
opinions about an event or a person; none may be necessarily correct as each opinion may
not be based on ALL the facts.
How do we conduct an investigation?
1
2
a Responses will vary but will typically include points such as those below:
•
Make it clear what you are investigating.
•
Break your investigation topic into smaller areas of research, perhaps determined by framing
questions about the topic.
•
Locate sources to allow you to investigate the topic further (in libraries, on the Web etc.)
•
Take notes from these sources, and decide what (if any) source material you intend to
reproduce to support your opinion (e.g. text quotations, maps, images etc.)
•
Carefully document details of every source consulted for reproduction in a Bibliography or
List of Reference, or in footnotes or in-text references.
•
Collate and organise researched material in some logical fashion that best suits the needs of
the investigation topic.
Responses will vary, but the following may be typical:
•
Was Beowulf a man or a god?
•
Who was Grendel?
•
Why was Grendel attacking the Danish soldiers?
•
Why was Grendel so ugly?
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
1
•
What supernatural skills and strengths did Grendel have?
•
Why was Grendel’s mother involved?
•
How did Beowulf kill Grendel and his mother?
•
What happened after Beowulf killed Grendel and his mother?
1.4 Can we use someone else’s material?
a Copy another student’s homework and pretend its own’s own; copy and paste an extract from
an Internet/book article into one’s essay without acknowledging it.
1
b Because it is cheating.
2
Responses will vary, but most students will say they would be upset as they would see the material
as their own property. It would be even worse if the person publishing the material pretended that it
was his/her own material.
3
So that there is some recognised order in the way these details are set out. Otherwise, everyone
would follow their own rules and it would be very hard for others to follow.
Section 1.1: Can we trust the evidence?
Big Ideas
1
Responses will vary.
2
Responses could include:
•
It may be incomplete.
•
It may be too old or too primitive to draw any firm conclusions about.
•
It may be an opinion only, not fact, expressed by a person who lived during the time being
investigated.
•
It may be hearsay evidence (reported or recorded by someone living at the time who heard
about the event/person, rather than witnessing it firsthand).
•
It may have changed over time, so much that firm conclusions about the evidence in its
original state are difficult to make with confidence.
3
It may reflect the input of careful study and research by highly specialised experts in the fields (e.g.
archaeologists, translators, cryptologists etc.).
4
a Because then they were among the few who could read and write.
b They would be likely to describe them negatively. The monks’ point of view would be influenced
by what they saw happen to their comrades. They would be likely to use words and expressions
that painted the killers in a bad light (whether the Vikings’ motives for killing were evil or not).
5
Because both were found in the grave of a dead person reliably dated as having lived during
Anglo-Saxon times. If the dead person lived then, the artefacts found in the tomb must also be at
least that old.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
2
6
Using the code, students will come up with one of the following alternate messages, or
combinations.
A BAD QUEEN BANNED HER FEARS.
A MAD QUEEN CANNED HER TEARS.
A SAD QUEEN FANNED HER TEARS.
A BAD QUEEN MANNED HER BEARS.
A SAD QUEEN CANNED HER PEARS.
Each supposed interpretation depends on one interpreting the evidence that is missing (some
missing letters). However, depending on the letter/s chosen to substitute for the missing letters,
quite different interpretations can be formed. Use this example to prompt class discussion about
how such scenarios do occur when historians are trying to interpret historical evidence that has
gaps.
7
a They are both secondary sources, as each was created long after King Alfred was alive.
b Each wears a crown, though of quite different design. The crown shown in the portrait on the
left features a cross, suggesting its wearer was a Christian. They each wear an ermine cape
over a cloak, although the cape in the portrait on the left is more lavish. They each have
medium-length curly hair and a full beard. They each have a long prominent nose.
c No, because these are paintings, not photographs, and each was made after the king died.
Their similarities may be due to the fact that the later artist was influenced by a study of earlier
paintings or because both artists were inspired by a primary source/s (e.g. a coin or medallion
bearing the imprint of the king).
8
Responses will vary but could include (in no particular order, and not specifying any as a
preference or a dislike, as student tastes will differ):
•
the smell of wood smoke
•
the hard floor
•
having to fetch water in a bucket
•
the lack of modern conveniences
•
the fresh air
•
the use of natural materials
•
minimal wastage and pollution
•
lack of air conditioning
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
3
9
10
Responses will vary. Comments below are those that will typically inform thinking when considering
the evidence:
•
Source 1.1: Sutton Hoo helmet: primary source, found in the grave of someone with other
evidence reliably dated at around AD 625.
•
Source 1.2: Viking re-enactment: Secondary evidence; a re-enactment. May/may not have
been true in its reconstruction of appearances/behaviours.
•
Source 1.6: 11th century painting: Primary source for a study of the period around the Battle
of Hastings. Style of art makes it difficult to determine the reality, but it does suggest
something of the armour used.
•
Source 1.7: 19th century painting: Secondary source; this is more realistic than the primary
source shown as Source 1.6, but it is an artist’s interpretation only.
•
Source 1.8: Purse lid found at Sutton Hoo: primary source, found in the grave of someone
with other evidence reliably dated at around AD 625. Also held coins known to have come
from Gaul (what parts of the country we know today as France) was once called.
•
Source 1.9: extract from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: translation of a primary source. Needs
to be remembered was written by those whose point of view about the Vikings was likely to
be very negative.
•
Source 1.10: restored Anglo-Saxon home: secondary source, but one carefully
reconstructed by experts based on the uncovered remains of an Anglo-Saxon village
•
Source 1.13: paintings of King Alfred: both secondary sources, but have enough similarity to
suggest that they may have been based on primary source evidence (e.g. a coin imprint or
similar).
The nature of the class discussion will vary, depending on the cohort. The difficulty posed is that a source
of evidence (photograph) once thought to provide a visually factual representation of someone or
something can now be altered. This potentially removes any confidence we have that a modern
photograph may represent the reality: it may have been ‘touched up’.
Section 1.2: How do we form a point of view?
What do you know about Viking expansion and raids?
1
a Responses will vary: the question is intended to make students form a viewpoint. Some might
say they had no choice but to conquer because of the pressure on them to find more farming
land. Others might say they were simply doing something that, according to their culture and
social values (not ours), was necessary to restore their honour and/or reward their supporters.
b Because it might have been necessary to support friends/reward warriors, to honour a promise
made to another warrior, to revenge the death of a fellow warrior in an earlier raid.
2
a This extract is highly exaggerated. References to flying dragons and sheets of light (possibly a
description of a storm) help to paint the Viking raiders as horrible invaders, who are probably
not of this world. Such an article would help to reinforce fear among those who read it/heard it.
The article was probably written by a monk who had heard of or seen the dreadful things done
to his religious brothers and others. Hence, the author was probably biased against the Vikings.
This is reflected in the description, especially in the choice of words.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
4
b They would help to frighten and/or terrify those being raided.
3
The Vikings founded a number of settlements in the regions they invaded which have become
modern cities and towns: York, Dublin, Limerick, Kiev and Novgorod. Their Norse language gave
English the basis for many of its words. Their myths, legends and heroes have influenced many
English stories and provided the basis for many books and films by modern writers/film-makers
(e.g. the Lord of the Rings series by Tolkien). Their jewellery designs are still followed by modern
jewellery designers (e.g. for silver bracelets).
4
That they were tall and strong, and frightening in appearance (with their heavy tattoos). Most were
blond or red-headed.
5
Responses will vary, but essentially: the Vikings from today’s Norway sailed west to settle in
Iceland and Greenland and, many claim, briefly on the east coast of North America. They were
also the Vikings who explored what we know today as Ireland and North England, and laid the
foundations for the city of Dublin. The Vikings from today’s Denmark settled in the eastern region of
England (founding the city of York), and explored/settled in northern and western Europe. The
Vikings from Sweden (the Rus) pushed up the rivers through what we know today as Russia,
founding the city of Kiev, and eventually pushing down to reach Constantinople (now Istanbul) and
the Caspian Sea.
Fresh Ideas: Looking at another point of view
1
This reconstruction suggests that Vikings lived in long houses, some partly buried into the ground
(as insulation against cold and snow in the winter). When the weather allowed it, activities such as
cooking were conducted outdoors. The horn on the man’s belt suggests they were craftspeople, as
does the colourfully woven apron of the woman on the left. The houses and the table suggest that
they had carpentry skills.
2
This bracelet is very similar to many bracelets worn by people today. It would require great skill to
plait the fine strands of silver that evenly interweave the length of twisted silver.
3
He was all three. Those he plundered in the Hebrides would have seen only what they viewed as a
brutal barbarian. His friends and family would have regarded him as a hard-working farmer and
friendly host. The opinions held about Svein would have varied according to the points of view held
about him, based on what others knew.
4
It may have been to honour a Viking killed in battle or a dead ruler or chief. It is intricately carved.
Like the bangle, it is an artefact made by someone with creative skill and a design sense: these are
not qualities typically associated with ‘savage barbarians’.
Big Ideas
1
a The extract in Source 1.19 from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which describes one viewpoint
about the attack on the Lindisfarne monastery by the Vikings.
b The evidence in the secondary source, Source 1.18, that states some Viking warriors could
catch and return a flying spear, and to throw two spears at once.
c The primary source shown in Sources 1.23 and 1.24, which displays the design and
construction skill needed to make jewellery and carvings.
d The translation of the primary source in Source 1.20, which describes the Rus warriors as big,
tall, covered in tattoos, all carrying an axe, sword and knife.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
5
2
a It names Lindisfarne. It described what damage the Vikings did when they plundered the
monastery: they dug up the altars, trampled through holy places, and took all the church’s
treasures. They killed some of the monks on the spot and drove others out of the monastery
after removing their clothes and insulting them. Some of the monks they took with them they
drowned in the sea.
b Probably. It is said to be a careful copy of an earlier (lost) version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
It provides a lot more detail and is less exaggerated.
3
See the Oxford website (www.oxfordbigideas.com) for suggested answers/comments.
4
Responses will vary. The intent of the question is to show that even within a homogenous group
(e.g. students of the same age and in the same location) there can be a variety of points of view.
The subsequent discussion will help to demonstrate for students some of the factors that help to
influence their own viewpoints, and those of others.
5
a Responses will vary. Most will suggest it is the behaviour of a people with few manners.
b Not necessarily. This is a good opportunity to reinforce, should the question be asked orally,
how judging stereotypes (by their appearance or behaviour) can often be misinformed. Cultural
norms vary from society to society; some people within a culture will not necessary comply with
expected behaviours of dress or conduct for different reasons. But does this automatically make
someone a villain or suspicious? You could extend an interesting discussion here if you wish.
6
Beserkers were basically men who were out of control on the battlefield. They worked themselves
into a mad rage before a fight, often with the help of drugs. They believed, too, when fighting, that
they were protecting their god, Odin. Reports by eye-witnesses at the same said they seemed not
to feel the pain of their wounds and fought to the death in a frenzy. It would be frightening to get in
the way of such a warrior.
7
Responses will vary. It is important that each group ‘gets inside the mind’ of the people they
represent so that the different points of view can be represented convincingly. Students at this age
may not yet be aware of how much their viewpoints about key issues are influenced by the views
of others and what limited knowledge/understanding they have of alternate views to those to which
they have been exposed.
8
a Responses will vary. It is important that students justify why they hold their declared view.
b Responses will vary. It is important that students justify why their view may have changed.
c Responses will vary.
9
Responses will vary.
Section 1.3: How do we conduct an investigation?
Big Ideas
1
a Asking a question about an aspect of a topic that you want to know more about, as part of your
research or investigation.
b Because they give focus and direction to an investigation of a topic.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
6
2
Why, how, when, where, who, what, which, is, was, will, are, should etc.
3
Books, journals, websites, magazine articles, online photographic libraries, documentaries,
television programs, newspaper articles.
4
a When you think you might want to reproduce this quotation in something you write; source
details are needed to ensure proper acknowledgement.
b Note source details such as the name of the article/book/website; the author/s or editor/s; the
name of the publisher and place of publication (if applicable); the year of publication, or date
website information is accessed (if applicable); the page number/s (if applicable).
5
Responses will vary.
6
a Odin (sometimes called Woden) – Wednesday; Thor – Thursday
b Responses will vary. Here are some typical answers:
Is the day of the week called Monday named after a mythological figure?
Are some days of the week named after gods from other cultures?
Why would days of the week be named after gods?
c Responses will vary. Here are some typical answers:
Why was Loki so hated?
How did Loki murder Balder?
When did Loki murder Balder?
Where was Loki chained for his punishment?
Who prevented the snake’s venom from dripping on Loki’s face?
What was the reason that Loki murdered Balder?
7
Websites, books, documentaries, articles in magazines, photographic libraries, movies
8
a Responses will vary. Here are some typical answers:
How did King Arthur die?
Who is the woman who is cradling his head in her lap.
Who is the ghost-like woman carrying the cup?
What book is the woman to his left reading?
Why is there a boat in the background?
Why are his knights not shown?
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
7
b
Responses will vary. Suggest, if students have difficulty, that they locate either library books about
King Arthur, or use Google and the following ‘search’ entries:
9
•
the death of King Arthur
•
King Arthur’s death
•
King Arthur life and death
a Loki
b He is chained to a rock so he can’t move. A poisonous snake is dripping its venom on his face
from above. A woman (his wife; her name was Sigyn) is holding out a dish to catch the venom
so it does not splash onto his face.
c Because he murdered one of Odin’s sons, Balder, the god of light.
10
Responses will vary. Encourage students to firstly complete each of the unfinished ‘arms’ and then
add more extending arms and ‘hubs’ from any or all of those currently existing. The concept map
can be as large and complex as a student chooses.
11
Responses will vary, as students will use different means to help them recall information.
12
Responses will vary.
13
Go to the Oxford website (www.oxfordbigideas.com) for suggested answers/comments for this
worksheet.
Section 1.4: Can we use someone else’s material?
Big ideas
1
Because it is pretending that something someone has written is their own writing when in fact it has
been copied from somewhere else.
2
A Bibliography lists every source document consulted when investigating a topic; a List of
References lists only those source documents referred to in the essay or report about a topic.
3
a On the imprint page, which is on the reverse side of a book’s title page.
b (i) At the top of the first page, as part of the newspaper banner, and thereafter on the bottom of
every page; (ii) at the bottom of the page; (iii) directly underneath the title of the article.
4
Jerrep, N 2004
Marlins, A 2004
Targood, B 2003
Targood, B 2006
Targood, B & Jerrep, N 2005
Williams, K 2004
Williams, K & Dorlett C 2003
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
8
5
Responses will vary. The intent is for students to develop a mnemonic of some sort (it may be
through using number association) that will help them remember the disparate elements in
referencing. Here’s one suggestion, if students are having difficulty. Incidentally, if students want a
resource to check when framing rhyming lines (for this task, or poetry), this web site is invaluable:
http://www.wordbyletter.com
Authors first and full stop last
Surname, comma, then initials
An ampersand will join two names fast
And then the date – note this is essential!
Then the title, italics if published —
But, Roman, note, if it’s a series —
With a comma after the date you stated
And capitals for proper names — well that’s the theory!
Then the vol/number if applicable,
And edition should that be so,
Then the publisher, that’s what’s acceptable.
Then where printed: you’re ready to go.
Commas after all above entries
Then you list the pages checked
You’re doing well – these are not unpleasantries
You’ve nearly got this referencing decked.
6
Entries should be as follows:
•
(Brown 2005, p. 6)
•
(Smith 2007)
•
(Brown & Smith 2006, pp. 257–8)
•
Faulkner, J 2001, Feudalism in Medieval England, HarperCollins Publishing, London.
•
Simmerman, Y 1999, ‘Anglo-Saxon religious beliefs’, National Geographic, vol. 20, no. 6, p.
48.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
9
7
Responses will vary depending on the creativity, design and ICT skills of the student cohort. It is a
task well suited to developing skills and capabilities related to the Interdisciplinary strand (e.g.
standards related to ICT, Communication, Thinking, and Design, Creativity and Technology).
8
Discussing the somewhat challenging (and potentially boring) aspect of referencing may stimulate
some group members’ interest, particularly if sharing mnemonics they developed for activity 5.
Discussion will also help to reinforce retention of information. You could, if you wish, as groups to
report their conclusions to the class.
9
Responses will vary. This would be an ideal assessable item.
Transferring ideas – The Mongols: How do we assess evidence
1.1 Can we trust the evidence?
1
a No it does not. It would be very difficult for a painter to meaningfully depict the full scene of a
Mongol hunt. This is a sort of ‘abbreviated version’. We see here a range of wild animals caught
in the centre of a closing circle of Mongol hunters. They are on horseback, except for one
person who seems to be lying under a blanket (camouflage?) and holding a net (or similar) to
catch some animals. The animals are gathering in the fields, as suggested by the flowers. One
hunter (on the left) has already drawn his knife for the kill.
b Not necessarily. The painting is a medieval illustration, and likely to have been produced
around the time Mongols were powerful (and hence, possibly, a primary source). Its detail is
consistent with the primary source writing of the Persian man Juvayni.
2
Riding galloping horses, riding with only one hand holding the reins (so the other was free to kill
trapped animals), no clear evidence of stirrups and possibly no saddle either (or only a very basic
saddle).
1.2 How do we form a point of view?
1
There would be different belief systems, and different cultural values and behaviour. These would
have the potential for internal conflict. It would be very hard in a large empire conquered by force to
bring these potentially conflicting elements under control. Such a task would require a vast number
of resources.
2
This landscape is extremely arid and shows no evidence of regular rain. What little grass there
appears to be is dry, and there are no trees or bushes. It would have been almost impossible to
cultivate crops. Nomadic Mongols, living in such a landscape, would have needed to move on,
after a time, in search of food and water.
3
The Mongols were disciplined and ruthless fighters. Through their military conquests, they were
able to create an enormous empire. The fact that they attacked Japan more than once, and were
not able to conquer it, would have been a blow to their morale, for it showed that they were not
‘super warriors’ — they could be resisted.
1.3 How do we conduct an investigation?
1
Responses will vary. Some students will deduce that soldiers on the left are dropping large stones
(evident lower left) into a bucket or net, attached by rope to the lever above. The almost triangular
shape on the right is a counterweight. It is an early form of the medieval trebuchet, which was, in
principle, a giant slingshot, catapult or shanghai that levered rocks and other missiles over the wall
of the castle with great force.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
10
2
Responses will vary, but could include:
How did the slingshot operation work?
How heavy was the counterweight?
How far could such a device toss missiles?
Did they use any other types of missile besides rocks?
1.4 Can we use someone else’s material?
1
Kennedy, H 2002, Mongols, Huns and Vikings, Cassel & Co., London, p. 117.
2
Because to do so, and thereby suggesting that these words were your own, would be plagiarising,
which is a form of cheating.
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 2 ISBN 978 0 19 556315 3
© Oxford University Press Australia
11