Two sources can both be accurate and still look as if they disagree, because each may be answering a different question. Before you write “they disagree”, state the question, group and time period of each source.
This lesson builds on labelling stated views and inferred motives and is part of comparing perspectives.
What changes between sources?
Four things often differ even when the topic is the same: the question asked, the group studied, the time period and the meaning of key terms. A difference in any of these can produce different findings without anyone being wrong.
A source’s purpose matters too. A report written to help plan a harbour may measure different things from a survey written to record feelings.
A method to compare questions
- Write each source’s question as a short question.
- Note the group studied or speaking, and its size if given.
- Note the date or period covered.
- Check key terms. Does “support” mean “approve overall” or “accept if conditions are met”?
- Decide: do the sources answer the same question, overlapping questions or different questions?
Only after this should you say whether they agree, disagree or simply say different things.
Worked example
All sources are invented for practice.
Source A (invented): a residents’ association survey of 120 households found 74 households (62%) opposed to the proposed Pantai Hijau marina.
Source D (invented): a regional tourism board estimate says 8,000 extra visitor-nights a year might result if the marina is built.
Step 1, questions. Source A asks “how do residents feel about the marina?” Source D asks “how much visitor activity might it create?”
Step 2, group. A covers 120 resident households. D covers visitors who do not yet live in the town.
Step 3, period. A is a view today. D is a forecast for a future year.
Conclusion: the sources do not conflict, because the figures answer different questions about different groups and times. One reports current attitudes, the other a projected effect. Check: 74 ÷ 120 ≈ 0.62, so 62% is consistent.
The mistake to watch for
Mistaken comparison: “Source A says the marina is bad and Source D says it is good, so the sources contradict each other.”
Source A does not say the marina is bad. It reports residents’ views, and D gives a forecast, not an opinion about whether the marina is good. The correction is to state the two questions first, then say that the sources add different pieces of information.
Check yourself
1. A school survey reports 70% of students walk to school. A traffic count shows 40 cars per hour outside the gate. Do they conflict?
Show answer
No. One asks how students travel, the other counts vehicles at one place and time. Both can be true together.
2. Two reports on town recycling give 45% and 58%. Name two checks before calling the figures a contradiction.
Show answer
Any two of: do both measure households or businesses, do they cover the same year, do they define recycling the same way, was the sample the same size and type.
3. Source P asks “should the school day start later?” and finds 55% of 100 parents agree. Source Q reports that students sleep 7.2 hours on average. Write the question each answers.
Show answer
P: “What do parents think about a later start?” Q: “How much do students sleep on average?” They answer different questions, so the next step is to see how they relate, not whether they conflict.
Where this leads next
With questions identified, you can compare supporting evidence without ranking political actors or choices. The comparing perspectives practice set mixes all four skills.
If you tend to rush to “these sources disagree”, a teacher who reads your comparisons with you can help you slow down at the right step. Our online one-to-one Global Perspectives tuition works on exactly this kind of reading habit.