1. How to understand source based questions
Source Analysis 101
How to understand source based questions

2. Types of Sources
There are numerous types of sources you will find in the Social Studies PAT, including:
Web Speakers Illustrations
Charts Diagrams Flow Charts
Tables Spectrums Photographs
Graphs Quotations Political Cartoons
Posters Excerpts Newspaper Headlines
Speeches Information

3. Types of Sources: Four Categories
Charts, Graphs, & Other Numerical Sources
Political Cartoons, Illustrations & Other Images
Speakers, Articles, & Other Opinion Based Questions
Spectrums, Diagrams, & Other Informative Sources

4. Identify the Source Type:
Numerical Source

5. Identify the Source Type:
Informative Source

6. Identify the Source Type:
Opinion Based Source

7. Identify the Source Type:
Illustrative Source

8. Types of Questions On the PAT they ask two types of questions:
Knowledge & Understanding Questions
Straight Content Questions
Mostly use Informative Sources to ask these questions
Skill & Process Questions
Testing your critical thinking and problem solving skills
In these questions they are applying your content knowledge by asking to you identify the Issue or perspective of the source.

9. 2012 PAT Questions – Question 1

10. 2012 PAT Questions – Question 2

11. 2012 PAT Questions – Question 3

12. 2012 PAT Questions – Question 4
The last question in a set will almost always ask you to identify what all the sources have in common.
You can use the same techniques as with previous questions to help you find the answer, as well as the following:
Compare each potential answer against each source
if it doesn’t make sense with all, or most, of the sources, it probably isn’t correct
Compare each potential answer against the previous questions
Do the choices make sense with what the other questions were asking?

13. 2012 PAT Questions – Question 4

14. Try for yourself!
Working with those around you answer the remaining four questions based on the three sources given. Remember to:
Identify the source types
Identify the question types
Highlight key words
Cross out obvious incorrect choices