Comparison Questions

Exiles and Immigrants

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• For this type of question you will be asked to compare the views of 2 sources on a particular topic.

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• The sources will either: totally agree• agree to a certain extent or • completely disagree

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• It is up to you to make a judgement as to what points they agree on and what points they disagree on

Question How far do Sources A and B agree about the living conditions of Irish immigrants in Glasgow?

Source A is from a report of the Assistant Hand-Loom weavers Commission of 1839.

The wynds of Glasgow consist of long lanes, so narrow a cart would have difficulty passing along them. These places are dirty, damp and decayed. The population of all these districts is probably 30,000. They are mainly Irish and Highlanders.Source B is from The Irish in Scotland by a historian, J. E. Handley, published in 1943.

In the 19th century, Glasgow was the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom. The streets were narrow. There was no proper system of drainage and the water supply was contaminated. Thousands of Irish people poured into this city and added to the already terrible congestion.

How to answer Comparison questions.

Compare the overall views of the sources.

Compare the sources point by point

i.e. Source A says …… and Source B agrees by saying …….

Compare points of agreement

Compare points of disagreement

Add in points in one source but not in the other

Question How far do Sources A and B agree about the living conditions of Irish immigrants in Glasgow?

Source A is from a report of the Assistant Hand-Loom weavers Commission of 1839.

The wynds of Glasgow consist of long lanes, so narrow a cart would have difficulty passing along them. These places are dirty, damp and decayed. The population of all these districts is probably 30,000. They are mainly Irish and Highlanders.Source B is from The Irish in Scotland by a historian, J. E. Handley, published in 1943.

In the 19th century, Glasgow was the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom. The streets were narrow. There was no proper system of drainage and the water supply was contaminated. Thousands of Irish people poured into this city and added to the already terrible congestion.

Question How far do Sources A and B agree about the living conditions of Irish immigrants in Glasgow?Source A is from a report of the Assistant Hand-Loom weavers Commission of 1839.

The wynds of Glasgow consist of long lanes, so narrow a cart would have difficulty passing along them. These places are dirty, damp and decayed. The population of all these districts is probably 30,000. They are mainly Irish and Highlanders.Source B is from The Irish in Scotland by a historian, J. E. Handley, published in 1943.

In the 19th century, Glasgow was the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom. The streets were narrow. There was no proper system of drainage and the water supply was contaminated. Thousands of Irish people poured into this city and added to the already terrible congestion.There are no points where the sources disagree.

Question How far do Sources A and B agree about the living conditions of Irish immigrants in Glasgow?

Source A is from a report of the Assistant Hand-Loom weavers Commission of 1839.

The wynds of Glasgow consist of long lanes, so narrow a cart would have difficulty passing along them. These places are dirty, damp and decayed. The population of all these districts is probably 30,000. They are mainly Irish and Highlanders.Source B is from The Irish in Scotland by a historian, J. E. Handley, published in 1943.

In the 19th century, Glasgow was the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom. The streets were narrow. There was no proper system of drainage and the water supply was contaminated. Thousands of Irish people poured into this city and added to the already terrible congestion.

Model Answer

Overall Sources A and B agree about the living conditions of Irish immigrants in Glasgow. Source A says ‘the streets were so narrow you could not get a cart through’ and Source B agrees by saying ‘ The streets were narrow’. Source A says ‘the houses were dirty damp and decayed’ and Source B agrees by saying ‘there was no proper system of drainage’. Source A also says ‘ there was a large population of 30,000 and Source B agrees by saying ‘it was the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom’. There are no points where the sources disagree but only Source A mentions the fact that Highlanders lived there as well as Irish and only source B mentions the contaminated water supply.