DBQ Prep- Part 2
DBQ Prep- Part 3
- Watch the videos. They are extremely helpful.
- Read over the following review sheet:
You will be given a
Document Based Question essay and a standard Long Essay. The DBQ makes up 25% of your grade, and the
Long Essay is worth 15%.
Section II will consist of a DBQ and a Long Essay. First,
let’s talk about the Document Based Question (DBQ) essay, where you will be
given a question followed by a series of seven documents. The topics tend to be
general and the question looks to address the AP History Disciplinary Practices
and Reasoning Skills (see earlier). The DBQ will be on a topic from periods
3-8.
Here is a guide as to
how you should write your essay. It is your job to group the 7 documents into
different categories and argue a thesis.
Your Score on the DBQ will be largely based on you answering
“yes” to the following questions:
Section II will consist of a DBQ and a Long Essay. First,
let’s talk about the Document Based Question (DBQ) essay, where you will be
given a question followed by a series of seven documents. The topics tend to be
general and the question looks to address the AP History Disciplinary Practices
and Reasoning Skills (see earlier). The DBQ will be on a topic from periods
3-8.
You can succeed on the DBQ if you answer “yes” to the
following:
1. Do I have a detailed thesis?
2. Did I put the documents into historical context?
3. Did I utilize at least six of the documents to support
the argument?
4. Is my outside information impressive?
5. On at least three documents, did I explain the relevance
towards the argument regarding the audience, purpose, historical situation, or
author’s point of view
6. Did I demonstrate a complex understanding of what the
question is looking for? Did I use evidence to corroborate, modify, or qualify
an argument?
Now a deeper
breakdown of the point system:
The DBQ will have 7 Documents, and most likely ask you a
question that can have two different sides to it. It is your job to do all of
the following to get 7/7 points on your essay score.
Thesis = 1 Point (The
Essay is Worth 7 Points in Total)/Contextualization= 1 point (INTRO)
The exam wants you to make a defensible thesis or claim
which responds to all parts of the question. Be warned! Do not just use the
sentence they give you as your thesis. We know that there are economic,
political, and social causes for conflict. If you get a little creative, it
will help your grade.
Average Thesis: The economic, political, and social issues
of the antebellum period all created a division between North and South that
eventually led to the Civil War.
Better Thesis: Although economic, political, and social
divisions all brought about increased tensions before the Civil War, it was the
economic differences between North and South which led to political turmoil as
well as social unrest concerning slavery.
The second thesis shows a greater level of creative and
critical thinking. Often, starting your thesis with a word like “although” will
send you on the right path to comparing and contrasting, or showing continuity
and change. Your thesis doesn’t have to be as elaborate as above, but this
example should help you understand critical thinking
Evidence from the
Documents = 2 Points
Mark up those documents in the 15 minute reading period!
Include only the vital bits and pieces from them. Use the clock or bring a
noiseless watch to the testing site, and keep an eye out on the time! You
should be able to write down in the margin of each document the answers to the
following:
1. What are the important and relevant details of this
document?
2. Where does it fit into my essay, and how does it relate
to the history reasoning skill being targeted?
3. How can I use this information to support the argument?
Don’t just quote … analyze and utilize the documents to support
that all-important thesis! For both points, you must support the argument by
accurately describing at least six of the documents. Accurately describing
three documents will help you only get one point.
Evidence Beyond the
Documents = 1 Point
No Bull, you need to have a lot of evidence beyond the
documents, or outside information. You will not get credit for only providing a
phrase! As you go through each document, jot down notes in the margins.
·
I don’t see anything about secession in the
documents. That’s outside information.
·
I don’t see anything about the election of
Abraham Lincoln. That’s outside information.
·
I don’t see John Brown or Harper’s Ferry. That’s
outside information.
Throw it in. Show impressive detail, or a great scope of
knowledge, to get this point. It must relate to the prompt and argument. A
phrase won’t cut it!
Impressive Detail: The Compromise of 1850, designed at first
as an omnibus by “The Great Compromiser” Henry Clay, but passed as separate
bills with the help of “The Little Giant” Stephen Douglas, provided for a
strict Fugitive Slave Act.
Impressive Detail: Democrat Stephen Douglas’ Freeport
Doctrine, which supported popular sovereignty, was delivered in the 1858
Illinois Senatorial Debate between him and Republican candidate Abraham
Lincoln.
Do you see the difference? Throw in a fact here, a year
there. That’s impressive detail!
Similar to your outside knowledge, you must show
contextualization. In other words, you must connect the documents to the larger
picture of events, processes, and developments occurring before, during, or
after. You can’t use the same outside knowledge for your contextualization. So,
if the document is about muckrakers, connect it to the Progressive Era. If it’s
on the Stamp Act, link it to the end of Salutary Neglect. This skill is worth 1
of the 7 points on the DBQ.
Analysis and
Reasoning = 2 Points
For at least three documents, you should point out the Historical Situation, Audience, Point of
View, and/or Purpose and explain why it is relevant to the argument. For
instance, in Document 1, the Historical Situation would be the antebellum
period which saw abolition grow out of the Second Great Awakening. The Audience
would be the American public or those sympathetic to abolition. The Purpose is
for bringing about the end of slavery. The Point of View of Garrison, an
abolitionist, is that slavery is an injustice and must end. This effort is
worth one point.
Now for the final point: Complex Understanding. This question is looking for you to compare
and contrast. Don’t just show similarities…show differences as well! If they
ask for continuity and change, SHOW BOTH! If they ask a question about
causation, show short-term and long-term causes, as well as short-term and
long-term effects. This will display a higher level of understanding. You get
one point for this type of complex understanding. For the point, you could also
analyze multiple variables, qualify or modify an argument by looking at
alternative views or evidence, explain relevant connections across different
time periods, or confirm an argument’s truth by looking at perspectives in
different themes.
On Monday we will briefly discuss the DBQ and clear up any remaining confusions.
