How do I write a good answer to a source question?

The most essential element of a source analysis, and often the trickiest part, is the understanding of the source itself. Often, sources can seem confusing due to out-dated writing styles or old fashioned language, however this does not have to be an issue. Always try to see how the source relates to the bigger themes of the overall historical topic you are considering, then from there you can piece together a general understanding of the source's purpose and message. From there, the origin of the source needs to be considered. Place of publication, who published it, the date and what type of source it is (a speech, letter, a law, statistics, perhaps a picture) are all things that should be considered. This will reveal if anything of importance is missing in the source which consequently influences your answer. When concluding whether a source is useful for an investigation or enquiry, the source should never be completely dismissed as not useful. There will always be something revealing and useful in a source, it just has to be judged on its degree of usefulness and relevancy.