I. What
is the Document-Based Question (DBQ)?
A document-based question is a special kind of
essay question, which requires you to answer a
question by using evidence provided in a series
of seven to nine documents. A document-based question
requires you to use evidence from the documents
as well as your own knowledge of the time period
- this is often referred to as outside information.
The document-based question is asking you to analyze
and synthesize historical data.
II. Steps in completing
a Document-Based Question.
Use ten to fifteen minutes to organize the data
into the form the question is asking for (i.e.
compare and contrast, analyze, etc.). Do not ignore
any of the following steps:
Step One – Read the directions
given prior to the essay question and do exactly
as you are instructed. This is very important.
Know what the question implies. Be sure that you
fully answer all parts of the question using analysis
of the documents to guide you.
Step Two – Keep the question
in mind as you begin to formulate ideas about
the historical period in question. Understand
this carefully and use this as the historical
setting for the documents.
Step Three – Make a list
of everything you can remember about the time
period of the question. Be very thorough. This
is your outside information, or brainstorm list.
Do this before reading the documents.
Step Four – Keep the question
in mind as you read each of the documents, making
notes in the test book on how this document relates
to the question and to the historical time period
of the question.
• Read the provided documents quickly, looking
for the pertinent information. Do not get bogged
down on one or two documents. If a document doesn’t
make sense, then go on and come back to it later.
• Use the documents to draw conclusions;
synthesize the documents. AP readers are looking
for application of the data, not summaries or
paraphrases.
• Most documents have “tags.”
The tag tells you the source of the document.
Read the tag before you read the document. Understanding
the unfamiliar document is easier if you know
who wrote it. Look at the tag for information
about the author, such as a title, a position,
or an important publishing date. What perspective
is the author writing from, what biases are present?
• As you read the documents, begin to place
them into groups that help answer the question.
Be sure to create a group for every aspect of
the question. For example, if the question asks
for three items or areas, you must answer in all
three, or your essay will be weak.
Step Five – Integrate
your list of outside information from step three
with your grouped documents from step four.
Step Six – Formulate your
thesis statement to answer the question. The thesis
MUST: fully address every aspect of the question,
take a position with regard to the question, and
provide organizational categories for analysis
in the body of your essay.
Step Seven – Outline what
the question is asking and list which documents
prove or disprove that point within your groups.
Use only the documents that illustrate the point.
III. Writing the DBQ
Refer to the Seven Steps to Essay Writing.
References to documents must show analysis of
the documents. It is OK to question the validity
of a document; you must show why the source of
the document is important.
Be sure to use most of the documents. Use half
the documents plus one; do not simply base your
thesis on one or two documents. Instead, use as
many documents as possible to get to the heart
of the question. It is not necessary to use all
of the documents, especially if you are unsure
of some of them.
Do not quote the document (almost never). Instead,
refer to document by author or letter (possibly
both) using internal citation. Never say, “Document
C says…” instead use the author or
title of the document, “John Tyler, an Englishman,
feels …” or at the end of the analysis
of a document use internal citation. (Tyler, C)
You must use OUTSIDE information. Depth is impressive!
IV. Common Weaknesses:
-
Organization is lacking.
-
Mere paraphrasing of documents: the Laundry
List.
-
Too much direct quotation from documents.
-
No awareness of the meaning of the documents
and using a document incorrectly.
-
Relies solely on documents and includes
no outside information.
-
Uses only outside information and makes
no reference to documents.
-
Watch the balance between outside and internal
information.
-
“Garden of Eden” approach: too
far back with background information and pays
no attention to the time frame set by the
question.
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