1. HOW TO NAIL A DBQ
It’s easy!

2. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Nothing.
You don’t need to know much about the topic to get a great grade on the DBQ – this should be encouraging!
However, the more you know, the easier it will be to write a great essay.
In summation: it’s helpful to have background information about the topic, but it’s not required.

3. INFORMATION
ALL of the information that you need to complete your essay is contained within the documents!
It is your job to organize, interpret, and analyze these documents
Writing a DBQ is a skill, and like all other skills, it can be learned

4. how to analyze documents to answer the question
When you analyze each document, ALWAYS READDRESS THE PROMPT. If you do this for every document, you will receive the two points for “supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all documents.”

5. HOW TO ANALYZE DOCUMENTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
“Doc A shows various trade routes throughout Southwest Asia and Northern Africa. A commonly visited city on these trades routes was Mecca, an important city to Islam.” - this demonstrates understanding of the document, but does not use the document to answer the prompt. You are simply telling me what the document is. ALWAYS readdress the prompt – use the document to answer the question – in this case, How did document A show the quick spread of Islam?

6. HOW TO ANALYZE DOCUMENTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
“Doc A shows the various trade routes throughout the Classical Era in the Middle East; Mecca is in the crossroads of those trade routes, even before Islam was founded. Mecca becomes the holiest city in the Islamic faith under Muhammad; because Mecca was already a popular trade crossroads, and continued to be after Islam was founded, many people were exposed to the Islamic faith, which led to its spread. Also, non-Muslim merchants were taxed, but Muslim merchants weren’t; as a result of this, many merchants who traveled through Mecca converted to Islam, and as a result, spread Islam back to their original lands.”
- This shows not only understanding of the document, but also uses the document to explain the spread of Islam.

7. First ten minutes
You will have ten minutes outside of your allotted time to read through the documents.
You will have 50 minutes to work on this essay, rather than the regular 40
I suggest spending the full ten minutes analyzing and grouping the documents; however, if you finish early, you can start writing whenever
During those ten minutes:
Read the prompt
Underline important words
Read the background information

8. UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION
Using the following documents, analyze the spread of influenza in the early twentieth century. Historical background: The influenza pandemic of killed an estimated 50 million people, many more than the total fatalities of the First World War. Approximately 20-40% of the global population became ill.

9. UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION
Using the following documents, analyze the spread of influenza in the early twentieth century.
We weren’t given any PERSIAN categories in the prompt, so we need to be very mindful of grouping the documents in three ways
A good guess of categories in which to group documents: political, economic, and social. Those are the three easiest categories.

10. Reading the documents
Use the margins to write notes, underline key phrases, and organize your documents into groups
PERSIAN CATEGORIES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 P X E R S
I/A N

11. START WRITING In your thesis statement formula!
X. However, A, B, and C. Therefore, Y.