HUSH
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DBQ stands for Document-Based Question
Really, it should be more of a DocumentSupported Question
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Directions:
 “The following question requires you to construct a coherent
essay that integrates your interpretation of Documents A-J and
your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High
scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of
evidence from the documents and draw on outside knowledge of
the period.”
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The Prompt
 Will include task words & a time period
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The Documents
 Can be anywhere from 5-12 documents
 Will be assigned a letter
 Can be a piece of a manuscript, a map/chart, a newspaper
clipping, an eye witness account, etc. – any primary source
document is fair game!
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Assess the validity of…
Analyze the…
Compare and/or…
Contrast the…
Criticize the…
Degree to which…
Define the…
Discuss the…
Describe the…
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Extent: To what extent…
Evaluate the…
Explain the…
Illustrate…
Justify…
Prove…
Reasons for…
Relative importance of…
Valid or validity…
All fundamental writing principles you have learned regarding standard essays apply to DBQ essays
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Always think of your reader
Use blue/black ink only
Do not use contractions
Write in the 3rd person
 First person = I, we, our, us, me, mine, my
 Second person = you, your
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Write in the past tense
You may mark out mistakes. BUT…
Do not try to be cute
Use STANDARD ENGLISH!
Use correct historical terms
 i.e. “normalcy” is not a standard English word, but it is a historical term
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Facts are names, dates, people, events, places, things
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The outline of your paper should be evident in your proof statements in your intro paragraph
Refer to terms used in the question throughout your essay.
Follow up any general statements with concrete examples. Support all your arguments with
evidence (including dates, names, terms)
Think quality, not quantity. A structured & compressed essay in which every sentence “speaks”
is much more impressive than a long rambling essay
Use transitional expressions to clarify relationships among the sentences in your essay. The
expressions serve as connecting links in a narration. (examples to follow)
Avoid the use of abbreviations (i.e. gov’t)
Avoid the use of contractions
Avoid the use of “etc.”
WRITE WITH CONFIDENCE!!
Understand the rubric so that you know what an outstanding essay is suppose to look like.
Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully
understand it.
Identify the task by circling the main words.
Ask yourself “what do I have to prove?”
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Pay special attention to economic, political, social issues that need to
be included
Make a list (outline) of outside information (as if you were writing a
standard essay)
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e.g. Foreign policy is more important than domestic policy
Some recommend 7-10 pieces of outside information
Use SPICE
Examine the documents, underlining any key words or phrases that you
may use later in the essay. Reread the question again after reading the
first 3 documents
Construct a thesis that is well-developed & clear. If the thesis is a
mystery to the writer, it will be a mystery to the reader!
Write your essay
Adapted from Mr. Mercado’s 8-step process
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After you read the prompt, briefly list the main
events of the historical time period addressed.
Use the acronym SPICE to help you categorize:
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S – Social
P – Political
I – Interactions (human & environment)
C– Cultural
E – Economic
You may also want to use SPICE to categorize
your documents
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Find a sequence in the documents
 Either chronological or point/counterpoint
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Always be aware of the source of the document
 Who said it? When? Why?
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DO NOTE QUOTE DOCUMENTS
You should not feel like you have to refer to all of the documents
in your essay.
 However, the more you use the better!
 If there are 8 documents, you should incorporate AT LEAST 6 of them
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Avoid laundry-listing the documents
 Don’t simply “hang them out there on the line” for people to see with
no apparent rationale.
 This often happens towards the end when students feel as though they
haven’t used enough documents
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To analyze documents, we use the acronym
APPARTS:
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A – Author
P – Place & Time
P – Prior Knowledge
A – Audience
R – Reason
T – The Main Idea
S – Significance
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Author
 Who created the source?
 What do you know about the author?
 What is the author’s point of view?
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Place & Time
 Where and when was the source produced?
 How might this affect the meaning of the source?
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Prior Knowledge
 Beyond information about the author and the context of its
creation, what do you know that would help you further
understand this source?
▪ e.g. Do you recognize any symbols and recall what the represent?
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Audience
 For whom was the source created and how might this affect
the reliability of the source?
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Reason
 Why was this source produced & how might this affect its
reliability?
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The Main Idea
 What point is the source trying to convey?
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Significance
 Why is this source important?
 Ask yourself, “So What?” in relation to the question asked.
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After you have analyzed all of the documents, refer
back to the prompt.
If the prompt requires you to take one position or
another, group the documents on the basis of
those positions.
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Simple mechanics – note parenthetical referencing
 Writing the parenthetical references helps you keep track of how many
documents you have utilized within your essay
DO NOT use the word “document” in the narrative of your essay.
 “Document A says…”
Paraphrasing
 During a campaign speed in 1860, Lincoln contended that the Democrats are
using John Brown against the Republicans for political gain (Doc E).
Short Quoting
 Editorial writer Horace Greely reflected some in the North when he described
Brown’s actions as “utterly mistaken and, in its direct consequences,
pernicious” (Doc A).
Simple Reference
 The image of Brown in the popular culture of the North is evidenced by the
Currier and Ives print (Doc H). Here Brown is depicted as a martyr on his way to
his death, perhaps connecting Brown to Christ in the minds of the people.
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Start with outside information first & write it down;
then read the documents; then construct a thesis.
Make your life easier by constructing a thesis that
can reasonably include most/all of the documents
 Even if you don’t really believe your thesis!
 It is better to be “practical” than “right”
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Use as many documents as you can as long as they
fit your thesis
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Don’t explain the documents – that’s not your task!
 Use documents to reinforce your main points & outside
information
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Don’t rewrite large portions of documents.
 Try to limit quotations to 1 sentence
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Reference authors you are citing
 “In the letter by Abraham Lincoln…”
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Cite every document
 (Doc A) (Doc E)
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Have a powerful conclusion.