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This type of question requires you to evaluate an interpretation, this could be a written interpretation or a visual one such as a painting or photograph.

Example:

Study Interpretation A. Do you think this interpretation is a fair comment on the results of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962? Use your knowledge and other interpretations of the events of 1958-1963 to support your answer.

Interpretation A: John Swift, a historian writing on the History Today website in 2007.

Kennedy certainly came out of the crisis with a reputation greatly enhanced in the west. Khrushchev, for his part, was deemed by his colleagues to have suffered a humiliation, and the crisis was one of the issues that led to his being deposed in October 1964.

Certainly once the enormity of the situation became clear to both men, they showed responsible leadership and a determination to find a peaceful resolution. Both rejected hard-line advice and were careful not to escalate the crisis. Khrushchev might even be said to have shown greater courage in making what was publicly seen as the larger concessions.’

Tips:

It is vital that you are clear on what exactly the interpretation is saying. It might be a good idea to annotate and underline key parts of the interpretation, to make sure you are clear on what it means. This could then form the basis of your first paragraph, where you can explain what the interpretation means.

Use these two key skills:

• evaluate the interpretation

You need to use evidence from other historians that you may have come across to both agree AND disagree with the interpretation. You also need to try and explain why interpretations of events in Cuba may have changed over time.

• subject knowledge

Within the evaluation of the interpretations, you will need to use your subject knowledge to support and question the version of events the source presents.