Final answer:
Historians can gain insight from the excerpt using the context of traditional narratives in contrast with revisionist perspectives while analyzing primary sources like diary entries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Historians can gain insight into the event or issue described in the provided excerpt by considering it in the context of a traditional narrative. A traditional narrative is another name for an orthodox view of a historical event or period, which often adheres to established interpretations and methodologies. This contrasts with a revisionist perspective, which involves re-evaluating and often challenging traditional narratives by incorporating new facts, analyses, or viewpoints. The example of a primary source provided in the review questions is a diary entry by a person who lived in the period under discussion, as this would offer direct evidence from the time being studied. Historians use primary sources alongside secondary sources and engage in historical analysis to better understand the causation and interpretation of historical events.