DBQ+Format

A.P Modern European History v. 2011 **DBQ Essays: Approach and Format**

You have one hour to complete the Document-Based Question (DBQ). The first fifteen minutes are set aside as a reading and planning period- you may not start writing your essay during that time.

**Approaching the Questions & Documents:**

1.**Carefully read the question that precedes the documents.** Underline key terms/parts of the question. Put the key parts of the question in the header row of your chart.

2.**Read the historical background paragraph**. Often DBQs are about a topic you know very little about. This background, thus, provides you with some explanation of the topic.

3.**Read the documents with a purpose:**

a.Make note of the author and date of each document and what type of document it is and put that in the chart.

b. Mark up the documents as you read. Circle or underline key details and ideas. Write SHORT NOTES in the chart to sum up the document.

c. If anything jumps out at you in terms of the point of view, make special note of it in the last column of the chart (POV). Specifically, look for ways you could do any of the following: à **Relate the author’s point of view to his position, background or place-** not simply explaining what the author says it but WHY- how his job/class/nationality/time period/etc. impacts his views. à **Evaluate the reliability of the source-** why can/can’t we trust the truthfulness of the author? Are this person’s views representative of others at the time- why or why not? à **Analyze the tone or intent of the document**- what emotion does it convey and how or why? à Recognize that different documents serve different purposes

4.**Plan your groups** (you must have at least three).

a. A group must have __at least__ two documents (better to have 3 or more).

b. Be sure that at least the majority (but preferably more: aim for 8-10) of the documents can be included in your groups. A document can be in more than one group.

c. Write out a short phrase for each group and list the document numbers that fit into the group.

d. Circle or star the numbers of the documents for which you intend to analyze the point of view. **You must do this for at least three documents (better to aim for 4-6)**.

5.**Plan your thesis statement and then start writing**.

**Writing the Essay** :

**__Introduction__** **:**

**//1st sentence//**= a general statement that echoes the main idea of the question. This sentence must include two prepositional phrases that define the historical context of the question by stating where and when the events/issues occurred.

**//2nd and 3rd sentences//**= key background such as the main issue(s)/themes/events of that particular time period. Sometimes information from the “Historical Background” section of the DBQ may be useful here.

**//4th sentence//** = your THESIS It must clearly state how you are answering the question. Do not just restate the question or describe the period/issue involved. **Plan your thesis around your groups.** You do not necessarily have to spell out each group in detail here, but include the basic idea of each to ensure that your topic sentences will connect to the thesis.

**Do not refer to specific documents in the introduction.**

**__Supporting Paragraphs__: One paragraph for each group.**

**//1st sentence//**= Topic Sentence that captures the common theme demonstrated by the documents in the group. Do NOT, begin your sentence with something like: “Documents, 1, 2, 9 and 10 show that….” It is best not to refer to any specific document in the topic sentence. That is what you will do in the rest of the paragraph.

**//The rest of the paragraph//** is where you refer to all the documents that fit into that group. You must not only summarize (BRIEFLY) the key idea you are using from the document, but also make sure its connection to the group theme is clear.

à **Cite the number of each document you use** Avoid starting sentences “Document 1 says…” Instead, sum up the key idea from the document and then include the number in parentheses at the end. //Example: A wealthy woman from London pointed out that many men opposed female suffrage out of fear that it would lead their wives to abandon the duties of running a household (Doc. 1).//

à **Quote from the documents sparingly.** Only use a quote if it will add significantly to your point and even then use just a few words. In most cases your own paraphrase is equally or more effective and far more efficient in terms of time.

à **Analyze the point of view** of at least one document per paragraph

**//You should also use a transitional word or phrase//** as you move from one supporting paragraph to the next.

**__Conclusion:__**

**//Final sentence of the essay//** = As with Free Response essays, you can write a strong essay even if you do not have time for a conclusion. If you do have time, the best things to include are a concise restatement of the main idea as well as any outside information that connects the theme of the documents to the historical context of future era