The DBQ AP World History Ms. Sheets. Primary purpose of DBQ is not to test students’ prior knowledge of subject matter. Rather, it evaluates their ability

The DBQ

AP World HistoryMs. Sheets

• Primary purpose of DBQ is not to test students’ prior knowledge of subject matter. Rather, it evaluates their ability to formulate and support an answer from documentary evidence.

• There is no single “correct” answer; various approaches and responses are possible.

• Pretend you are a historian. You have already done all of your research (as evidenced by the documents), and you are now writing a paper where you must cite your evidence.

About the DBQ

1) Read the Prompt

• Find and underline the key phrase• You will use the key phrase

throughout your essay• Determine what is the prompt

asking

2004

Based on the following documents, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism appeal in China?

Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify an additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help our analysis.

2007

Based on the following documents, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism appeal in China?

Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify an additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help our analysis.

2006

2008

Using the documents, analyze the social and economic effects of the global flow of silver from the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century.

Based on the following documents, analyze factors that shaped the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 2002.

Using the documents, analyze the social and economic effects of the global flow of silver from the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century.

Based on the following documents, analyze factors that shaped the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 2002.

2) Read and analyze the documents

• Documents are chosen on the basis of both the information they convey about the topic and the perspective that they offer.

• Documents should be used to illustrate points the student is making in the essay.

• Students are not expected to have particular knowledge of every document’s author or topic or to include knowledge outside of the documents in order to receive the highest score.

Questions to Ask About the Documents

• What is the document saying?• Is the document similar or different to others in

terms of content?• Who is speaking? (Attribution)• Why is this person significant?• What is the speaker’s POV?

• Is this speaker/source reliable or accurate?• What is the author’s tone?

2008 DBQ

Documents 1-10

Document #1:

• Founder of Modern Olympics• Share athletes around the globe• Process will promote peace

• “utopia,” free trade

• SPICE themes?

Document #2:

• 2% women participation (attribution)• Photograph – POV for photographer

• Empty stands• Long skirt: still must adhere to

cultural standards

• SPICE themes?

Summary of Documents

Document #3:

• Cheating• Idea that Nazism > democracy

• More than just a skiing competition; political competition too

• SPICE themes?


Document #4:

• Competed in the 1952 games• Soviets’ enemies, Cold War• Russians vs. Americans• “Got to beat ‘em”

• SPICE themes?


Document #5:

• “Defeated enemy syndrome”• World trade power

• “Magic of the Olympics”• National crusades

• Saving economic power of Olympics

• SPICE themes?


Document #6:

• USSR seen as “beacon of peace, democracy”

• Propaganda, Soviet achievements

• SPICE themes?


Document #7:

• Corporations as top sponsors• Korean companies not among top

sponsors• “failed to avail itself of an

opportunity”• “stand to make a lot of gold”

• SPICE themes?


Document #8:

• 29% female participation (attribution)

• Women representation• “Running in shorts”

• “psychologically, they don’t think so”

• SPICE themes?


Document #9:

• Millions of US dollars fees paid to Olympic Committee for broadcasting

rights• increase

• Not US Government spending (misleading)

• SPICE themes?


Document #10:

• 2000 field hockey team• Pakistan’s team’s performance

“tarnished” national pride• Discusses partition of India,

archrivals• 2nd place 1956, Gold in 1960

• SPICE themes?


3) Group the Documents

• MUST have AT LEAST 3 groups/paragraphs• A group must include more than one

document.

• Any document can be used twice (or more), but it MUST be used at least once.

• The documents are chosen because they have similarities with one another; you have to find those!

4) Write your thesis

• Provide an answer to the prompt, but use your own language (do not use “the phrase”)

• Provide groups in thesis• These will be your paragraphs

• Provide Place / Time (exactly as stated in DBQ prompt if provided)

• Must be written in a single sentence (straightforward, state it quickly, and move on)

1. Restate prompt2. Define groups

3. Develop timeframe

PromptAnalyze the relationship between a child and

his/her parent from the child’s birth to the age of forty.

1)Restatement: The relationship between a child and her parent from the child’s birth to the age of forty includes a loving relationship as a child, one that is tense as a teenager, and a good relationship again as an adult.

This is considered a simple restatement of the prompt because it uses “the phrase” and would

not receive a point on the AP.

2) Develop Groups:

1. Loving/child Dependency and affection2. Tense/teenager Irritation and

embarrassment3. Better/adult Appreciation through

maturity



3) Develop timeframe:

A young child is both dependent on his parent and excited to show the parent affection, yet as the child grows older, he is often irritated and embarrassed by his parent as a teenager, until by adulthood the child has come to appreciate what the parent did for the child in his youth.



5) Write

1. Thesis Statement as Introduction2. Body Paragraph (x3)

- Topic Sentence (provide group; use phrase)- Doc 1 (example)

- Concrete and Specific Details- Commentary / Connection to topic or thesis- POV Statement (if applicable)- Analysis (Why is this with the others)

- Additional Document (if applicable)- Concluding Statement

How to Cite Documents in the DBQ

• Use in-text citation.• Winston Churchill, in a letter to Franklin D.

Roosevelt, argued that . . . (Doc 7).• King Louis XIV believed that . . . (Doc 1).• The graph reveals an increase in cotton

production after the introduction of machines (Doc 4).

• DO NOT begin with “In Document 8 . . .”

Understanding vs. Using for Evidence

Christopher Columbus states that he was “shocked and appalled” by the nakedness of the

indigenous people (Doc 4).

This statement reveals that you understand Document 4. Though this statement is important for letting the reader know you understood

what you have read, you are doing nothing but retelling what you have just read; this statement does not count as evidence.

Understanding vs. Using for Evidence

Christopher Columbus states that he was “shocked and appalled” by the nakedness of the indigenous people (Doc 4). This reveals that Columbus was imposing his

European ideas regarding clothing and decorum upon a group of people who were foreign to those ideas.

Therefore, pre-conceived cultural notions affected the first meetings of the Old and New World.

These statement reveals that you both understand Document 4 and are using this document for evidence. The first sentence is a mere

regurgitation of what Document 4 states. The next statement is YOUR INTERPRETATION of the document. You are pulling out what is significant about the document and sharing it with the reader.

• Identify who is speaking• Explain what they believe• Why do they believe that? Is it tied it to their

group/classification? Remember, position informs opinion.

Think about the dress code . . . What would you think about that if you were the principal, or maybe a student? Does WHO you are change HOW you think about that issue?

• Write your POV statement in one of the following formats:• As a _______, it is understandable that ________________.• As a _______, one can see why _____ felt that __________.• As a _______, one can assume that _______ felt that _____.

Point of View Statement

POV will often focus on demonstrating that the gender, class, religion, occupation, nationality, political position, race or ethnic identity of the author would influence/affect his opinions.

So, WHY did the author write what he/she had?

Example:As a Japanese peasant overworked, exhausted and often ill in the cotton factory, Aika Shunsuke felt resentful towards the wealthy factory managers since she saw herself and her family as exploited by these men.

Point of View Statement

• Document that you would like to consult and WHY- At least 1 per paragraph- Students only get credit if they explain WHY

• Should be something that illustrates a perspective, point of view, or issue that is not represented in the document students will not get credit for a repeat

• Doesn’t have to be a document that DOES exist . . . has to be one that COULD exist.

• An additional document that would _____(use the phrase)_______ would be _______. This would reveal/show _________.

Additional Document

Practice Additional Document

Document 1

An Olympic athlete competing in the 1892 games; did this person view the Olympics in the way that it was envisioned by de Coubertin?

An additional document that would help me learn more about factors that shaped the modern Olympic movement would be an article detailing the perspective of an Olympic athlete who competed in the 1892 games. This document could show us if this athlete viewed the Olympics in the way that they were envisioned by de Coubertin, thus revealing if de Coubertin’s dreams of political utopia were shared by others.

6) Check your work

• Go through the rubric to make sure you have everything you need.

• Did you use every document?

• Is your thesis clear without being a simple restatement of the prompt?

DBQ Rubric Handout

1) What does the AP require I do?2) What must I do for this class?