The DBQ

Read the prompt carefully and thoroughly. Do not begin any other step until you know what the question is asking. Sadly, to disregard these cautions means that you are in danger of joining the hundreds of students each year who write a beautiful essay yet still earn 0 points because they totally misinterpret the question.

Do not panic if you know little or nothing about the topic of the question. This question tests your ability to read, analyze, synthesize, and communicate those skills effectively in writing. Sure, knowing something about the topic is a great help, but it is not essential to writing a solid DBQ.

You can anticipate 10 documents for each DBQ. Always mark the documents for key words, ideas, and phrases that seem to be important Make a few notes in the margins next to the document to record your ideas as you read.

Jot down your thoughts as you read each document. After you have read a couple of the documents, you should see some connections or contradictions between the documents. Underline or circle key ideas in each document. Begin a list of these ideas in the margins of your test booklet so you can refer to them later.

As you finish reading the documents, you are ready to group them. (This is simply combining documents that have similarities). You might group them by time period, region, types of sources, theme, or other criteria. In general, the best DBQs are those where the student groups the documents based on the content in the documents.

Make a quick chart in the test booklet. Include your grouping categories and the documents you have assigned to each group. It can be as simple as this: Group 1 Idea Group 2 Idea Group 3 Idea 1, 2, 4, 6 5, 7, 8 3, 9

Here are a few key points about grouping. Have at least 3 groups. (The generic rubric says “two or three ways,” but If you always have at least 3 groups, you will meet the standard. Each group needs at least 2 documents. You can use a document in more than one group. Use all the documents! Though there are no irrelevant or misleading documents, sometimes you might find one document that does not seem to fit their otherwise wonderful grouping plan. It is okay to include such a document in an intro or conclusion. However, you must interweave that document artfully in an introduction or conclusion to show that you understand the meaning of the document and that it supports your thesis. Of course, it is best to use the document in a grouping.

Grouping the documents effectively allows you to form a thesis easily. Consider the relationship between the groups. Can you connect them as causes and effects? Can you organize them as comparisons and contrasts? Can you see positive and negative aspects to them? Is one group more important than the other groups? A sentence that only lists your groups will not be enough to earn a thesis point. Figuring out a supportable relationship between the documents will help you create an acceptable thesis.

As always with the all essays on this exam, draft a clear, one-sentence thesis that fully addresses the prompt, takes a position you can support, and provides a structural framework for the rest of your essay. Make that sentence the last sentence of your introduction, if you have an introduction. Without an introduction, just start the essay with your thesis. Begin a new paragraph for each group.

Each body paragraph should be tied to a grouping. Use your thesis as a map for putting the essay together. Use words from your thesis in each body paragraph topic sentence. It is not necessary to list the documents that you will be using in the paragraph in this topic sentence. Follow your thesis order and rely on your grouping chart to organize each body paragraph. Use the evidence you have identified in each document to support your thesis. Your margin notes next to each document will come in handy.

Always cite the document. You should cite each document every time you use it. Putting a (Doc. 1) or a (1), for example, after each usage is fine.

THE POINT OF VIEW (POV) POINT This point is earned as you demonstrate that you understand how a person’s background, situation, purpose, audience, or life experience affects what he or she says and how he or she says it. Think about how a person’s gender, occupation, social class, religion, ethnicity, education, nationality, or a dozen other factors influence what he or she says or how he or she says it. As you use a document, state how the POV of the author of the document may affect the document’s content.

While you only need a POV for 2 of the documents, include a POV for each document to be safe. This will help you get expanded core points (above a 7)

Additional Document You must suggest an additional document that would help you answer the essay task that is not amongst the documents provided. You need at least one, but to get expanded points need at least 3, so aim for that You must ask for a document that is: a)Possible: A TV broadcast from the 1258 C.E. Mongol conquest of Baghdad is not feasible and will not count. b)Relevant: In a DBQ about the factors that shaped the modern Olympics, a Taoist scripture about the benefits of exercise is too much of a stretch. c)Not already supplied: If you already have a document from a fourth-century Christian monk discussing illuminated manuscripts, do not ask for an additional monk’s ideas to confirm the statements in the original document. That will not count. d)Specific: For example, “I would like to have a document from a woman to know how women felt about this topic.” is unacceptable. Be specific in the type of document you want and why you want it.

When finished, check that you have: Used and cited all the documents Finished each body paragraph with a request for an additional document Explained why that document would help you answer the DBQ question more effectively Addressed POV to the best of your ability.

SCORING RUBRIC LINK