Primary Source? "It makes me sneeze."

BlogU at Inside Higher Education has an interesting post on helping students (and professors) define "primary source." The post "FUNQs: Won’t Ask, Won’t Tell" describes the scenarios with students:

First, there is silence and a close examination of fingernails and keypads. Then a brave soul or two will dig deep and recite a version of the memorized definition. But when I ask them to elaborate or provide an example of a primary source in the context of their course, I am apt to hear such assertions as that a primary source is (a) what they are supposed to read first, (b) the most important piece of their research, (c) the item they should list at the top of their bibliography, and (d) the earliest treatment of their topic. My favorite response of all time came from a class smart aleck who announced, “I’m not sure what a primary source is, but I figure it must be one if it makes me sneeze.” Lunacy or profundity, do you think?

Be sure to read the comments, too.