Which of the following is an example of a direct source of field data?

• A. A Field Observation
• B. A Published Textbook
• C. A Compiled Census
• D. A Newspaper Article

Answer: (A)

Direct field data come from information you gather firsthand while you’re in the field. A field observation fits this best because you’re there recording what actually happens in real time, with your own senses and instruments, yielding raw, immediate data.

A published textbook, while valuable, is not direct field data—it’s a secondary source that presents ideas and findings synthesized from other people’s work. A compiled census collects data from various primary sources and then organizes it; the data aren’t gathered by you in the moment, so it’s not direct field data. A newspaper article reports events and analyses that others have observed or compiled, so it also isn’t direct field data.