• Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables
• Explaining both similarity and difference, or explaining both continuity and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect
• Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods
• Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes
• Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence
This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.
- Take notes in the margins during the reading period relating to the background of the speaker and his/her possible point of view.
- Assume that each document provides only a snapshot of the topic—just one perspective.
- Look for connections between documents for grouping.
- In the documents booklet, mark off documents that you use so that you do not forget to mention them.
- As you are writing, refer to the authorship of the documents, not just the document numbers.
- Mention additional documents and the reasons why they would help further analyze the question.
- Mark off each part of the instructions for the essay as you accomplish them.
- Use visual and graphic information in documents that are not text-based.
Don’t:
- Repeat information from the historical background in your essay.
- Assume that the documents are universally valid rather than presenting a single perspective.
- Spend too much time on the AP World History DBQ rather than moving on to the other essay.
- Write the first paragraph before you have a clear idea of what your thesis will be.
- Ignore part of the question.
- Structure the essay with just one paragraph.
- Underline or highlight the thesis. (This may be done as an exercise for class, but it looks juvenile on the exam.)
For more help prepping for the AP World History exam, check out our AP World History Prep Plus .
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A Document Based Question (DBQ) is a measure of the skills you learned in your AP classes in regard to recalling history and analyzing related documents. These documents can be primary or secondary sources, and your responses are expected to be in the form of an essay.
The Document-Based Question Explained. The dreaded DBQ, or "document-based question," is an essay question type on the AP History exams (AP US History, AP European History, and AP World History). For the DBQ essay, you will be asked to analyze some historical issue or trend with the aid of the provided sources, or "documents," as evidence.
The DBQ, or document-based-question, is a somewhat unusually-formatted timed essay on the AP History Exams: AP US History, AP European History, and AP World History. Because of its unfamiliarity, many students are at a loss as to how to even prepare, let alone how to write a successful DBQ essay on test day. Never fear!
One of the best ways to prepare for the DBQ (the "document-based question" on the AP European History, AP US History, and AP World History exams) is to look over sample questions and example essays. Doing this will help you to get a sense of what makes a good (and what makes a bad) DBQ response. That said, not all DBQ essay examples are created equal.
Document-Based Questions, or DBQ essays, are often used in social studies classes to test your ability to do historical work rather than simply memorize facts. Start by spending some time reviewing the documents and developing an argument. Pay special attention to keywords in the prompt that will help you construct your argument.
The instructions on how to answer the section appear at the top of the page, followed by the essay prompt and then the historical documents. You have 15 minutes to read and understand the documents and 45 minutes to compose your essay. The DBQ is one of two questions that make up the AP history exam. The second question requires a longer response.
A DBQ is an essay question that requires students to analyze a historical trend using historical documents. After looking at the essay prompt, you will need to use the five-seven primary and/or secondary documents provided to write a several-paragraph long essay. To do well, you will need to be able to understand the meaning and historical ...
The document-based question, or DBQ, is an essay question included in many Advanced Placement (AP) exams. DBQs are worth a significant portion of your overall grade on the AP test and are meant to assess your ability to analyze primary sources.
riting a Document Based Essay: A 10-Step ApproachCarefully read the Historical Context and the Task, paying specific attention to exact. e questionRewrite the question in your own wordsIf there is more than one question or sub-sections to the initial question, number them, s. you are sure to answer all parts of the question.An.
The document based question was first used for the 1973 AP United States History Exam published by the College Board, created as a joint effort between Development Committee members Reverend Giles Hayes and Stephen Klein.Both were unhappy with student performance on free-response essays, and often found that students were "groping for half-remembered information" and "parroted factual ...
Long story short, DBQ Essay or "Document Based Question" is an assigned academic paper which is part of the AP U.S. History exam (APUSH) set by the United States College Board. It requires a student's knowledge of a certain topic with evidence from around 3 to 16 reliable sources. Understanding the APUSH DBQ and its outline is essential ...
Period 7: 1890-1945. Period 8: 1945-1980. Period 9: 1980-Present. AP US History Study Guide. Learn how the Institute impacts history education through our work guiding teachers, energizing students, and supporting research. 49 W. 45th Street. 2nd Floor. New York, NY 10036. Email: [email protected].
The AP US History document based question requires you to analyze the documents in addition to bringing outside information to help answer the question. ... Begin grouping the documents into categories that you can use to help organize your essay. The following is a sample high-scoring writer's notes on the documents: 1.
on. October 6, 2017. in. AP. Document Based Questions tend to freak students out the most on the APUSH exam. This is understandable; not only do you have to read documents, you have to write a coherent essay about them. Eeek! However, we've got you covered here at Magoosh. For a step-by-step breakdown of what you need to do to write a ...
A DBQ, or document-based question, is a type of question you'll encounter on the AP US History exam. It's designed to assess your ability to analyze historical documents, synthesize information from different sources, and construct a well-reasoned and cohesive argument in response to a provided prompt. When approaching a DBQ, you'll be given a set of primary and secondary source documents ...
Of the two free response questions, one is a long essay (worth 15%) and one is a DBQ. This means that the sole DBQ is, by itself, worth 25% of your total grade, making it the single most heavily-weighted question on the APUSH exam.. The APUSH DBQ will consist of a single open-ended prompt.To answer it, you'll have to create a persuasive argument that uses the documents you've been given on ...
the Document-Based EssayThe purpose of writing a document-based essay is for you to study the document(s) provided by your professor to discover and communicate a signifi. ant point about history. This type of writing parallels the writing in professional, scholarly history books: the writing is thesis-d. iven and evidence-based. I.
The AP US History DBQ is always designed to test a certain set of skills that it considers essential to historical study. The readers will judge your essay upon how well it demonstrates solid argumentation, analysis of evidence, contextualization, and synthesis. In addition to these skills, each year's DBQ requires test-takers to demonstrate ...
A document-based question ( DBQ ), also known as data-based question, is an essay or series of short-answer questions that is constructed by students using one's own knowledge combined with support from several provided sources. Usually it is employed on timed history tests.
Step 6: Writing the Essay. Students write multi-paragraph, evidence-based essays using their documents, buckets, and outlines to support and explain their reasoning. The DBQ Project Method provides a framework of best practices that guides teachers and students to read smart, think straight, and write clearly.
Step 2: Plan Your Response. Next, take time to plan your response. Focus on formulating a strong thesis, and check your plan against the six DBQ requirements. See the sample plan that a high-scoring writer might make. Scoring requirements are written in bold for reference; note that the writer includes six of the seven documents and plans to ...
Use the remaining five minutes to read and prep for the long essay question. First, read the AP World History DBQ prompt. Underline the words that are most relevant to your task. Second, read the documents. Most of the first 10 minutes of the suggested reading period will be used to review the documents and organize them into groups for ...
THE DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION (DBQ) Document based essays are designed to test a student's ability to use documents to support a historical argument. It corresponds roughly to writing a research paper and duplicates the work of historians, where the student is given the evidence and asked to write a paper - in one hour.