How Fully Questions

• For these questions you must decide how well a source describes something

• E.g. “How fully does Source A describe conditions for soldiers in the trenches?”

How Fully Questions

• You must identify what the source tells you about the topic

• Then mention things which are not in the source - from recall (own knowledge)

Example…

• How fully does Source A describe the daily routine of soldiers in the trenches? 4 marks

Source A

Each day in the trench is worse than the last. All we do is pray that we get through the week to get a break from this madness. It starts at daybreak when we get our orders. Sometimes the enemy will try to catch us off guard and attack us so we have to be ready. There is never nothing to do and there is always the constant fear of an attack, especially with artillery or gas. The only brief moments of sanity are on the rare occasions we can read letters from loved ones although this seems to be happening less and less…

Answering the question…

• Always start by saying “Source A describes the daily routine of a soldier to a certain extent”.

• You’ll lose a mark if you don’t do this at credit level.

Answering the question…

• Then identify the relevant facts in the source…

• “Source A tells us that soldiers had to get up very early in case of an attack. Also it tells us that soldiers were often attacked by artillery or gas. Finally Source A tells us that sometimes soldiers were able to read mail from loved ones.”

Answering the question…

• Finally, give one or two points the source doesn’t mention…

• “However, Source A does not mention the fact that soldiers had daily duties like cleaning rifles and repairing trenches. Also it doesn’t mention that soldiers often had to do sentry duty.”

So, for full marks…

1. Certain Extent2. Source says…3. Source doesn’t say…

How Fully Practice

Starter

• What are the three things to remember when answering a how fully question?

Source A was written by the historian Andreas Thom in 1994.

• How fully does Source A describe the features of the First World War trench system? 4 marks

The trench system on the Western Front was much more complex than one might think. There were many features each of which had its on purpose. Duckboards stopped the ground from getting too muddy and prevented trenchfoot. Bunkers existed so that men could shield themselves from falling shells. In addition, the firing step allowed men to fire across no man’s land at enemy soldiers.

Source A was written by the historian Stephane Mahe in 1999.

• How fully does Source A describe the reasons for the First World War breaking out? 4 marks

The main reason for the First World War was the aggression of the German Kaiser. He was determined to bring Europe to war and stopped at nothing until the conflict arose. The alliance system also had an impact as the continent was split into two armed camps. Furthermore the naval arms race between Britain and Germany had a major impact in bringing those two countries into competition with each other and ultimately war.

Credit 2007