Writing the APUS DBQ - Loudoun County Public Schools€¦ · Writing the APUS DBQ ... Like the standard essay, however, the DBQ will also be judged on its thesis, argument, ... such

Writing the APUS DBQ

Daniel W. BlackmonCoral Gables Sr. High School

APUS DBQs vs. APEH DBQsAP European History DBQ’s have a very different philosophy from AP United States History DBQ’s.Everything you learned in writing DBQ’sin APEH is useful in APUS.But you must understand the differences in order to score well in APUS.

Good News!All of the essay writing skills you have learned up to this point still apply.A DBQ is an essay.The difference between a DBQ and a Free Response Question is simply (!) that you have to use the documents in order to answer the question.

Bad News!You have limited time to read, interpret, and organize the use of your documents.Writing a DBQ in 1 hour is the most difficult task you will be set in APUS.

What is a Document Based Question?

This portion of the AP examination in history is the essay which tests the student’s ability to evaluate historical documents (primary sources).


Students are given a series of primary documents with a following question.


.

In most cases, the question will ask the student to “discuss,” “analyze,” and / or “evaluate” the question using the documents.

The DBQThe required DBQ differs from the standard essays in its emphasis on the ability to analyze and synthesize historical data and assess verbal, quantitative, or pictorial materials as historical evidence.

The DBQLike the standard essay, however, the DBQ will also be judged on its thesis, argument, and supporting evidence.

The DBQAlthough confined to no single format, the documents The required DBQ differs from the standard essays in its emphasis on the ability to analyze and synthesize historical data and assess verbal, quantitative, or pictorial materials as historical evidence.

The DBQLike the standard essay, however, the DBQ will also be judged on its thesis, argument, and supporting evidence. contained in the DBQ are unlikely to be the familiar classics (the Emancipation Proclamation or Declaration of Independence, for example), but their authors may be major historical figures

The DBQThe documents vary in length and are chosen to illustrate interactions and complexities within the material.

The DBQThe material will include—where the question is suitable—charts, graphs, cartoons, and pictures, as well as written materials.

The DBQIn addition to calling upon a broad spectrum of historical skills, the diversity of materials will allow students to assess the value of different sorts of documents.

The DBQ.The DBQ will typically require students to relate the documents to a historical period or theme and, thus, to focus on major periods and issues.

The DBQFor this reason, outside knowledge is very important and must be incorporated into the student's essay if the highest scores are to be earned.

The DBQIt should be noted that the emphasis of the DBQ will be on analysis and synthesis, not historical narrative.

The APUS PhilosophyIn addition, the student in APUS is required to utilize their knowledge of the historical period in the evaluation process.

The APEH PhilosophyIn APEH, the student need not bring outside information to the interpretation of the documents.APEH DBQ’s can therefore be much more specialized, focusing on topics such as Sale of gin in 18th century England (1988) or Child Rearing Practices in the 16th-18th Centuries (1982)

The APUS PhilosophyAPUS however, must choose topics that are part of the main line of US historical development, such as Labor Unions in the Gilded Age (2000) or Jacksonian Reform Movements (2002).

The APUS PhilosophyOtherwise, students could not reasonably be expected to provide outside information.

General Principles for FRQsAs is the case with any writing, you need to be aware of the purpose and the audience.

Sample EssaysTake some time to read the Rubric for the 2007 DBQ.

Sample EssaysNow read the first three sample DBQs, and, bearing the rubric in mind, decide which paper is High, which is Middle, and which is Low.

PurposeEssays in Advanced Placement History are Expository Essays, That is, they are arguments whose purpose is to convince the Reader.

PurposeDo Not try to be stylistically creative!The results can be pretty humorous, but do not help you with the Reader!

Examples of False Creativity“The Iron Curtain, which created a blindfold on the US was now shedding an eye-opening wake-up call of light on the US.” (APUS 2001)

More Examples of False Creativity

Being drunk all the time was a social event that grew and grew.” (APUS 2002)


“This time period was STUFFED full of reform.” (APUS 2002)


“Fuller, Emerson, and Thoreau were noted transvestites.” (APUS 2002)


“The Temperance Movement founded the American Bar Association.” (APUS 2002)


“People were starting utopian societies like the Oneida society and Brook Farm, wehresome of America’s greatest writers went to explore nature and become “transparent eyeballs.” (APUS 2002)


[from the same student] “This shows their motivation as being their own selfish gain because no one can deny the incredible high acquired after doing a good deed, not to mention that good deeds look well on your transcript after one dies.” (APUS 2002)

The Moral of the StoryIt is not good when the Reader stops to share your paper with a neighbor or write down you keen insights!!!

The APUS 2007 DBQI will be using the APUS 2007 DBQ, on US Agriculture in the late 19th century, as my example.

APUS 2007 DBQEach of you should have a copy of the DBQ as well as a copy of the Rubric and other materials.You should refer to them as we go through this Powerpoint.

Rule Number OneAnswer the question that has been asked!!!!!!(As opposed to the question you only wishthey had asked!!!!)

Rule Number OneUnderline the tasks demanded and the terms which are unique to the question.Underline the time frame of the question!

Rule Number OneAnalyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period 1865-1900.In your answer be sure to evaluate farmers' responses to these changes.

Rule Number TwoMake sure you understand what the question requires of you!

Rule Number TwoIf the question asks you to evaluatesomething, but you only describe, you cannot write a satisfactory answer.

Note the use of key terms:

Analyze: determine their component parts; examine their nature and relationship.


Assess / Evaluate: judge the value or character of something; appraise; evaluate the positive points and the negative ones; give an opinion regarding the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of.


Compare: Examine for the purpose of noting similarities and differences.


Contrast: examine in order to show dissimilarities or points of difference.


Describe: to give an account of; to tell about; give a word picture of.


Discuss: talk over; write about; consider or examine by argument or from various points of view; debate; present the different sides of.


Explain: make clear or plain; make clear the causes or reasons for; make known in detail; tell the meaning of.

APUS 2007Analyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period 1865-1900.In your answer be sure to evaluate farmers' responses to these changes.

Key Terms and TasksTechnologyGovernment PolicyEconomic ConditionsFarmer’s responsesChange over Time (COT)

Key Terms and TasksAnalyzeEvaluate

Organizing The EssayIn this example, your subtopics are specified.

Organizing The EssayWith other essays, the question is left more open ended, without specifying the subtopics:

Example: "Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals." Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850.

Organizing The EssayOne very useful tool for analysis is the PERSIA concept: separate your observations into categories for analysis using an acrostic:

Organizing The EssayP = politicalE = economicR = religiousS = socialI = intellectualA = aesthetic

Organizing The EssayIn the case of the 2002 DBQ, ask yourself if there is a Political dimension to “democratic ideals?”Is there an Economic dimension?Is there a Religious dimension?Is there a Social dimension?

Organizing The EssayFrom that starting point, you can begin to group your documents according to those dimensions.

Organizing The EssayIn the case of the 2007 DBQ, you already know that you need to group the documents with respect to:

Technological changeGovernment policyEconomic conditionsFarmers’ responses

Organizing The EssayNote: Grouping your documents by subtopic helps you in two important ways:

First, your essay is organized analytically rather than descriptively, which is always good.Second, it helps avoid using the documents in alphabetical order, which is always bad.

Grouping Documents:APUS 2007

Document A: Agricultural Prices (Economic conditions)Document B: Railroads in 1870 and 1890 (Technology)


Document C: Prairie Farmer July 14, 1877 (Government policy, Farmers’Response)

Document D: The Wheat Harvest (Technology, Economic conditions)


Document E: A Contract in North Carolina (Economic conditions, Farmers’ Response)Document F: Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (Technological changes, economic conditions)


Document G: Speech by Mary Elizabeth Lease (Economic conditions, Government policy, Farmers’ response)


Document H: Susan Orcutt to Lorenzo D. Lewelling (Government policy, Economic conditions, Farmers’ response)Document I: R. W. McAdams, Oklahoma Magazine (Government policy, Farmers’response)


Document J Speech by William Jennings Bryan (Government policy, Economic conditions, Farmers’ responses)

Rearrange by Subtopic: Technological Change

Document BDocument DDocument F

Rearrange by Subtopic: Government Policy

Document BDocument CDocument GDocument HDocument IDocument J

Rearrange by Subtopic:Economic Conditions

Document ADocument CDocument DDocument EDocument FDocument GDocument IDocument J

Rearrange by Subtopic:Farmers’ Response

Document CDocument DDocument EDocument GDocument HDocument IDocument J

Step Three: List Useful SFIMake a quick list of factual data that might bear on the question. Group them according to the sub-topics

Step Three: List Useful SFISFI pertinent to Document C

Farm CooperativesFarmers’ Alliances (Northern, Southern, Black)Grange / Patrons of HusbandryOliver Hudson KelleyGranger LawsInterstate Commerce Commission

Step Three: List Useful SFISFI pertinent to Document C

Greenback-Labor PartyMunn v IllinoisWabash caseSwing / doubtful states

Step Three: List Useful SFISFI pertinent to Document E

Crop lienDebt peonageSharecroppingTenant farmingFarmers’ AlliancesNew South

Step Three: List Useful SFISFI pertinent to Document G:“Raise less corn and more hell!”James B. WeaverOmaha Platform / Ocala DemandsOverproduction / crop surpluses“Pitchfork” Ben Tillman

Step Three: List Useful SFISFI pertinent to Document G:Populists / People’s PartyTom WatsonIgnatius DonnellyGreenbacksGreenback-Labor Party

Step Four: Read and Analyze the Documents

Read and analyze the documents. Read critically! Do not take everything at face value. Underline important statements, and make marginal notations.

Analysis of Document C:Document Information

Farmers were dissatisfied with railroadsThe Illinois legislature passed laws limiting freight ratesThe Supreme Court upheld Illinois laws limiting freight ratesIllinois was the only state with such a law

Analysis of Document C:Document inferences:

Farmers sought state regulation of grain and railroad freight ratesThe Grange organized farmersGranger laws were enacted in IllinoisThe Supreme Court upheld Granger laws in Munn v Illinois

Analysis of Document C:Document inferences:

Farmers had political clout in swing / doubtful statesThe Supreme Court subsequently ruled regulation of interstate commerce an “exclusive” federal right in the Wabash caseChange from the laissez-faire philosophy of the early Gilded Age

Analysis of Document D:Document Information

.Shows reaper / thresher (combine) harvesting wheatShows need for large equipment and horses

Analysis of Document D:Document inferences:

The application of technology to farm equipment increased productionGrain farming was conducted on a large commercial scale.

Analysis of Document D:Document inferences:Availability of new technology led to farmers

investing in heavy machinery and to the emergence of large scale commercial / bonanza farming

Can be linked to Documents A and B to emphasize changes in agriculture and farmer responses

Analysis of Document H:Document Information

The Orcutts are starvingHail ruined their cropsNo jobs can be had in 10 counties

Analysis of Document H:Document Inferences:

Farming on the Great Plains was difficultThe Homestead Act brought many people to the Great PlainsMany homesteaders returned East because of the hardships they encounteredThe Panic of 1893 hurt farmers and led to poverty hardship, and widespread unemployment.

Analyzing DocumentsA fundamental skill with all DBQ’s is evaluating Point of View (POV)Everything you learned in APEH about expressing POV is applicable in APUS.Students who do not understand POV usually end up writing superficial, silly, or error filled essays!

Analyzing DocumentsAn awareness of POV demonstrates a more sophisticated understanding of the documents than an answer that simply accepts everything at face value.

Analyzing DocumentsUnlike AP European History, the Reader is NOT counting the instances of POV.However, the Reader is very aware of the use of POV in an essay.

Analyzing DocumentsAware of POV will probably not change the markband (High, Middle, Low) but it will move the score up within the markband.

Analyzing DocumentsWho or what at is the source of the document? What bias does the source have? What do you know about the source? What audience is being addressed, and how might that influence what is said?

Analyzing DocumentsIs the source a primary source (a letter, journal entry, speech, or contemporary cartoon, for example) or a secondary source (a historians' interpretation, a chart or graph).

Analyzing DocumentsHow reliable is the document?

Statistical charts are very reliable, but may not provide an explanation for the data. Primary sources often have a bias. The author of the document is frequently part of the controversy.

Analyzing DocumentsNote when one document apparently contradicts another. Why is this so? (For example, they may be written by individuals on opposite sides of a controversy,

Analyzing DocumentsBias is inherent in all documentsAnother way of phrasing “bias” is to ask what mental filters the author of any given document uses to make sense of the world.

Analyzing DocumentsFor example, Mary Elizabeth Lease obviously sees the world through the mental filters of a Western farmer.The contract from North Carolina reflects the mental filters of a land holder in the New South

Analyzing DocumentsThe table of Agricultural Prices represents the mental filters of the historian who compiled the statistics.Any historian selects those data that he/she regards as significant, and ignores data that he / she does not regard as significant.

Analyzing DocumentsIf you do not understand a picture, graph, or cartoon, then do not use it!

Analyzing DocumentsFor that matter, if you are unsure of the

meaning of ANY document, then do not use it!

Analyzing DocumentsInterpreting a document incorrectly will have a negative impact on your answer!

I usually lower a mark by at least one point for the misuse of a document.

Analyzing DocumentsAs you read, note which documents can be used with each sub-topic.In this way, you can group the documents effectively in your essay.

Step Five: The ThesisProvide a clear, well developed thesis within a Thesis Paragraph that lays out the major sub-topics in your essay

Provide a Clear ThesisThis is not Mystery History. Tell the Reader what you intend to prove, and how you intend to prove it.

Provide a Clear ThesisI am marking holistically, that is, I am evaluating the essay as a whole.

Why is Clarity a Virtue?In 2007, I spent an average of 1 minute, 30 seconds for each free response essay (250 / day)!For a DBQ essay, I slowed down to 2 minutes for each essay (200 / day)!

Why is Clarity a Virtue?My first decision is to place the essay within one of the markbands as described in the rubric, and only then will I refine it.

Provide a Clear ThesisClarity is always the prime stylistic virtue in expository essays; This is doubly true with holistic grading.

Provide a Clear ThesisThe first thing I do in holistic grading is look for the thesis!

The thesis helps me decide where to slot the essay.

2007 APUS Rubric (excerpted)Markband 8-9: “contains a well-developedthesis that examines the ways in which technology, government policy and economic conditions changed American agriculture between 1865 and 1900 and evaluates farmers’ responses to those changes.”

2007 APUS Rubric (excerpted)Markband 5-7: “contains a thesis that addresses the ways in which technology, government policy and economic conditions changed American agriculture between 1865 and 1900 and discusses farmers’responses to those changes.”

2007 APUS Rubric (excerpted)Markband 2-4: “contains a limited and/ or undeveloped thesis.”

Markband 0-1: “Contains no thesis or a thesis that does not address the question.”

A Sample Thesis“Throughout the history of the United States reform movements of all kinds have been made. There seems to be no end to reforming one thing or another. During the years 1825-1850 many movements were made. These movements were helping to expand Democratic Ideals.” (AAA)

The Reader’s EvaluationI think to myself: “contains a limited and/ or undeveloped thesis.”Notice that the student does not specify which reform movements.The thesis is little more than a restatement of the question.Therefore, I am looking at a 2-4 essay.

The Reader’s EvaluationThe question now becomes, “Is this a 2? A 3? A 4?”

A Sample Thesis“The statement “Reform Movements in he United States sought to expand democratic ideals” is valid and can be seen in the various different fields in which reforms were made. Prison reforms were made throughout the nation but primarily in the Northeast.

A Sample Thesis“Education was another area in which reforms were made. The woman’s suffrage movement began in this era but little was achieved. It can also be said that the reforms in the United States overlooked certain groups. One group that was overlooked were the slaves.

A Sample Thesis“There were abolitionists but very few laws were passed to free slaves. Another group that was overlooked were immigrants and lower class citizens.” (HHH)

The Reader’s EvaluationI think to myself: “There is a developed thesis which identifies several reform movements. It shows an awareness of regional differences and also that some specific groups were not addressed.”Therefore, I am looking at a essay which is at least 5-7

The Reader’s EvaluationNow I need to determine if it is A 5?A 6?A 7?

A Sample Thesis“During the Pre-Civil War stage of American History There were many reform movements to be made. Primarily this is the reasoning for the Civil War. Too many disputes among the Northern States and Southern states caused a need to expand democratic ideals.

A Sample Thesis“Although there was a desperate attempt at expansion of democratic ideals, the civil war was inevitable under the circumstances. These movements such as religion, environmental safety, crime, etc. were all sought to expand democratic ideals.” (AA)

The Reader’s EvaluationI think to myself: The thesis does not address the question. The student is answering the question he / she wishes had been asked! There is evidence of serious conceptual confusion here!This looks like a 0-1 essay!

The Reader’s EvaluationNow I only need to decide:Is it a 0?Is it a 1?It doesn’t actually matter much either way. This student will not pass the exam.

A Sample Thesis“Democratic theorists of the Enlightenment Period such as Locke, Hobbes, and Montesquieu advocated a government vested in the interests and needs of the people, and the writing of these men influenced America’s founding fathers.

A Sample Thesis“Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were proponents of the Social Contract, whereby the people surrendered certain privileges in order to be protected and upheld by a central government. Thus, the story of American democracy is the story of the American people.

A Sample Thesis“During the antebellum years between 1825-1850, American society began to rapidly diversify with waves of immigrants coming to the country coupled with the rapid industrialization in Northern cities.

A Sample Thesis“With these changes, new issues of workers’ rights, prison reform, temperance movement, women’s rights, and abolition all became a part of American society. Many of these reforms were led by newly awakened religious fervor and many were led by women advocates,

A Sample Thesis“but some Americans saw these new movements as a breach in heritage (G). However, the newly aroused issues concerning reform movement were certainly in keeping with the desire to expand American democracy.” (II)

The Reader’s EvaluationI think to myself: “A beautiful, sophisticated, thoroughly developed thesis! Not only are specific reforms mentioned, but regional differences suggested, opposition is cited, and causative Changes Over Time are cited. In addition, a strong theoretical underpinning for “democratic ideals” is established.

The Reader’s EvaluationThis paper is an 8-9!Enjoy it! You won’t see many, if any, like this one!

Step Six: Outlining or Clustering Your Answer

Construct an outline of your answer. Order the documents in the outline, and try to include at least two pieces of outside information to support each document used or each sub-topic.

Step Six: Outlining or Clustering Your Answer

Avoid using the documents in alphabetical order!This is easy to do, but leads to merely summarizing the documents. If you have done a good analysis, and order your use of documents analytically, you will not have this problem.

Step Seven: Historical Background

The second paragraph should sketch the immediate historical context. Be sure to include SFI in this paragraph.This helps you establish your outside knowledge, and the framework for interpreting the documents

Step Seven: Historical Background

The most common error on an APUS DBQ is failure to use outside information. Believe, it is easy to do, and I see this a LOT.

How I Read DBQ’sAfter I have read the thesis paragraph, I begin to read—almost skim, actually—very quickly.I am looking for SFI. As I go I can note the documents which are being used and I can sense the sophistication with which they are being used:

How I Read DBQ’sThat is:

Are the documents merely being quoted?Are they being analyzed?Are groupings simple or sophisticated?

How I Read DBQ’sIf I do not see any SFI, then the paper cannot be higher than a 4, and usually will not be that high.A DBQ which uses documents but has no outside information is usually a classic “3.”

How I Read DBQ’sIf I start to see SFI, then I have to slow down, because even with an undeveloped thesis, the paper can be a “4” and, depending on how the essay develops, the essay can be a “5” or better.

How I Read DBQ’sBy providing a paragraph about the historical context, and including SFI in that paragraph, you minimally fulfill the requirement for outside information and I can begin looking at the markband “5-7.”

How I Read DBQ’sIn turn, this tends to slow down my reading pace, since a decision in the 5-7 markbandis harder than in the 2-4 markband.

How I Read DBQ’sNote: If a paper develops more fully than is suggested in the thesis statement or first paragraphs, then I often end up going back and re-reading the sections in order to be accurate.When in doubt, I re-read, I look at the rubric again, and if I am still in doubt, I give the higher mark.

How I Read DBQ’sEvery Reader wants to give a good mark, and knows that the essay represents a year of hard work.

Step Eight: The Main BodyEach paragraph in the Main Body should correspond to a subtopic which has already been introduced in the Thesis Paragraph.Each paragraph should cite severaldocuments AND include several pieces of SFI from your own knowledge.

Step Eight: The Main BodyIf your paragraphs cite only one document, then you have a problem in organization.If your paragraphs have no SFI, then it will be very difficult to break 4/9

Step Eight: The Main BodyYou do not need to use every document!However, you should try to use as many as possible.The more documents you correctly use, the more likely it is to score well.

Step Eight: The Main BodyDon't quote the documents directly.

That will waste time. Refer to the document by author, POV, and the thrust of the argument.

You should never directly quote more than a telling phrase.

Step Eight: The Main BodyBelieve me, the Reader knows what the document says! You don’t need to tell him / her.When I come to a quotation mark, I just skip till I see the closed quote.

Step Eight: The Main BodyAbove all, analyze and evaluate the doucments!Don't just recite them!When a student begins reciting documents, I begin thinking “2 or 3.”

Step Eight: The Main BodyOne DBQ I read in 2002 was 8 pages long of interminable recitation of the documents, coupled with a monstrous factual error at the very end (the student was under the impression that the Civil War was fought prior to the time frame 1825-1850). That paper was a “1.”

Step Eight: The Main BodyRefer to the documents by the author or source. Tell me anything about the author or source that you know from you outside knowledge.

Step Eight: The Main BodyIdentify them by putting the letter of the document in parentheses.This device will help insure that the Reader does realize you used a document, even if it is 4:15 pm and he / she is very very tired of reading.

Sample EssaysNow read Sample Essay DD. How would you score it?How would you evaluate the thesis paragraph? Why?Are citations to the documents handled well or poorly? Identify examples.

Sample EssaysNow read Sample Essay EE. How would you score it?How would you evaluate the thesis paragraph? Why?Are citations to the documents handled well or poorly? Identify examples.

Sample EssaysNow read Sample Essay FF. How would you score it?How would you evaluate the thesis paragraph? Why?Are citations to the documents handled well or poorly? Identify examples.

Sample EssaysNow read Sample Essay GG.How would you score it?How would you evaluate the thesis paragraph? Why?Are citations to the documents handled well or poorly? Identify examples.

Example: Poor Citation“Also, in Document E William H. McGruffy writes about a hard-working boy who says, “. . . That is is God who makes some poor and some rich . . . Nobody can be happier than I am.” (DD)

Critique of DDThe direct quote is a waste of time.Worse, the student does not appear to realize that the selection is taken from McGuffy’s Reader, and intended for instruction. The student uses the quote as if McGuffy were writing a letter to a friend describing his next door neighbor.

Example: Simple Citation“Many new programs were instituted to reform and educate juvenile delinquents.. (Doc A)” (CC)

Critique of CCAttempts to use Document analytically, and does not attempt to simply quote the Document, which is good.Makes no effort to describe POV or elaborate upon the issue (Dorothea Dix could have been mentioned here.)

Example: A Competent Citation“The most obvious ideal in democracy is the right to vote. In the first 50 years of the country’s existence though this only applied to property owning white males. This changes with the era of JacksonianDemocracy in which many states removed all property requirements,

“giving all adult white males the right to vote. Equally important is the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement at this same time period. The feelings of many women at this time is best summed up by Elizabeth Cady Stanton as she declares that

“ women ‘now demand our right to vote according to the declaration of the government under which we live.’ (Doc I)”(GG)

Critique of GGThe citation is embedded in a paragraph that begins with 3 pieces of outside SFINotice especially that the reforms in question—the right to vote for all white males and for women—is explicitly linked to a democratic ideal!

Example: A Good Paragraph“Another major movement during this time was directed toward helping people to whom society’s opportunities were largely closed. This began with the establishment (and separation) of penitentiaries and mental hospitals. The pervading belief at this time came to be that those who were

“ ‘misguided’ (criminals, delinquents, etc.) could be rehabilitated through penitence (hence ‘penitentiaries)(Doc A). Public schooling also became more widely available, especially in Massachusetts under the leadership of Horace Mann. For the first time, significant numbers of poor and middle class whites

“could attend elementary and secondary schooling (Doc E). However, the doors were closed to almost all others: women, Indians, blacks. Finally, the drive to perfect society led to the attempted establishment of ‘utopias’ through communal living. Brook Farm was one such attempt

“to create a community in which all members lived and worked on an equal basis. (Doc F) Another example was the Onieda Community in upstate New York where marriages were forgotten and children were not raised by specific parents, but by the entire community. These attempts almost always failed

‘however, and they were never widely accepted by society on moral and religious grounds. Thus, to fully and permanently correct the ills of an increasingly industrialized society, many of these democratic reforms would have to be expanded to gain the support of a larger portion of the population.” ) (DDD)

Critique of DDDNote how the paragraph closes with an assessment of the reform movements linked directly to the question of democratic ideals.Note how documents are not quoted, but used to enhance analysis.Note the extensive use of outside SFI as well as strong awareness of causation.

Common WeaknessesMere paraphrasing of documents A-Z—the classic case of the laundry listToo much direct quotation.Organization is lacking: repetitious

Common WeaknessesNo awareness of various sophistication levels of documents. Different levels of sophistication are intentionally built into the documents to test students' critical awareness.

Common WeaknessesRelies solely on documents and includes no outside information.Uses only outside information and makes no reference to documents -- written to students' own knowledge of the time period

Common Weaknesses"Garden of Eden" approach--too far back with background and pays no attention to the time frame set by the question.

SummaryWriting a DBQ requires you to apply your knowledge of the period, analyze documents, select and organize your thoughts, and write an effective expository essay.This is not easy to do in one hour, but it is a skill which can be mastered!

SummaryHistorically, students at Gables have done better on all essays than on the multiple choice, which is unusual.Historically, students at Gables have done better on the DBQ than on the Free Response Questions, which is also unusual.