How To Write a DBQ

Overview of the National Exam The national APUSH exam is broken into four major sections: Section 1 (55 minutes) 55 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) =40% Section 2 (50 minutes) 4 Short-Answer Questions (SAQs) =20% Section 3 (55minutes) 1 Document-Based Question (DBQs)=25% Section 4 (35 minutes) 1 Long-Essay Question (LAQs)=15%

What is a “DBQ?” An essay that answers a specific question. An essay that cites specific documents to support the writer’s point. An essay that answers a specific question. An essay that cites specific documents to support the writer’s point.

3. Write an amazing thesis 2. Group the Documents 1. Analyze the Documents 4. Organize the Essay 5. Write an awesome DBQ! How to write a great DBQ

2. Grouping/“Bucketing” Documents Group your documents into 3 “buckets” consider grouping by similar qualities, contents, or purposes. Each group is the basis of a paragraph. Use a majority of the documents (6/7) to get full credit for the essay Group your documents into 3 “buckets” consider grouping by similar qualities, contents, or purposes. Each group is the basis of a paragraph. Use a majority of the documents (6/7) to get full credit for the essay Docs 1, 3, 7 Docs 4, 10, 11Docs 2, 13

3.Write an AWESOME Thesis Great essays have a clear thesis statement Answers the question Takes a position Preview main points “road map” of the essay (your buckets!) Think of it like a “chicken-foot” Great essays have a clear thesis statement Answers the question Takes a position Preview main points “road map” of the essay (your buckets!) Think of it like a “chicken-foot” THESIS Point 3 Point 2 Point 1

Using the “Chicken Foot” Thesis is the leg Each group (main point) will branch out with supporting ideas. (toes) Thesis is the leg Each group (main point) will branch out with supporting ideas. (toes) Reason 2 Reason 1 Reason 3 Carnegie was a hero (or was not, or a mixture) because…

Tips on Writing a DBQ

DBQ Tips 1. There is no right way to answer a DBQ. Every question can illicit an infinite number of responses The key is to make an argument (your thesis) & support it with evidence All DBQs are written so that they can be argued from multiple viewpoints

DBQ Tips 2. Be sure to answer the question This begins by gaining a clear understanding of what the question is asking Read the question three times & write it on your own words Pay attention to all parts of the question, especially the verb (compare, evaluate, assess, to what extent, etc.) & time frame (stay inside the era)

DBQ Tips 3. Brainstorm & outline your essay Before you look at the docs or write your essay, take time to jot down what you know about the topic (PERSIA) What is your gut response to the question? This is usually your thesis (argument) What outside information do you remember about the topic?

PERSIA PERSIA" is an acronym for Political, Economic, Religious, Social, Intellectual, and Artistic. It is a framework for organizing your thinking about history. Politics is about power, who uses it to govern (make and enforce rules), how power is used, and the goals one hopes to accomplish by using power. Politics is about public decisions and how those decisions are reached. Public power is usually exercised through governments. Economics is about how people use whatever resources they have to produce and distribute goods and services. Economics is about jobs, production, money, and markets. Economics helps us decide how to effectively use scarce resources. Economics is about daily survival; you have to have food and shelter to survive, and that usually takes money. Religion is about how people view God, organize to worship and serve God, and how this affects public and private life, especially the moral framework that guides people and society. Social is about how people live with other people, what groups (classes, associations, formal or informal) they belong to, the rituals of daily life, the patterns of interaction in a given society. Intellectual is about the life of the mind, the way people think about and express their knowledge about the human condition, and seek meaning through the pursuit of knowledge. Artistic is about the creative drive in people and the ways they express that creativity through various means (i.e., painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, etc.).

DBQ Tips 4. Organize your essay: Chronological arguments are effective for questions that ask (or imply) change- over-time Similarity/difference arguments are appropriate for comparison questions; Making direct comparisons within paragraphs is much more analytical than separate descriptive paragraphs about each item

DBQ Tips 5. Introductory paragraph Establish “time & place”; show the reader that you understand the importance of the era Create an original thesis statement that clearly answers the question & does not simply restate the question asked Allude to the sub-topics or categories you will discuss to support your argument

DBQ Tips 6. Body paragraphs Every body paragraph should be a sub- topic that supports your argument (thesis) Begin & end each paragraph with an original argument Include documentation AND outside information to support your body paragraph argument Balance is important: 60% outside info & 40% docs

DBQ Tips 7. Documents Do NOT quote, paraphrase, or describe documents. The essay reader already knows what the docs say Do NOT laundry list (an essay that merely describes what the docs say without analysis) Use all the docs, unless you don’t understand one Cite documents…

1.Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet, Common Sense (Doc A), said: 2.Joe Shmoe, a Western delegate to the Republican convention in 1912 (Doc B), agreed… 3.The 19c historian, Frederick Jackson Turner, believed... (Doc. E) NEVER begin with: In Document G… Citing Documents

DBQ Tips 7. Documents (cont’d) o The order in which the docs appear is almost always helpful o Sometimes the docs “talk” to each other by presenting counter-arguments or can be grouped together by theme o The source of the doc is important & often can reveal more than the text itself o Write doc notes in the margin

DBQ Tips 8. Concluding paragraph o A great opportunity for analysis; Restate your essay argument o Put your essay answer in a larger historical perspective: End or beginning of some trend/movement/idea, etc. Transitionary era Do NOT say that this is why we are where we are today!