AP EXAM ESSAYS
2005
2006
DBQ
CoT
CC
Issues confronting Muslim
leaders in S. Asia and N. Africa
when defining nationalism (20th
century)
Social and economic
transformation of Atlantic
world as result of W. Europe,
Africa, Americas from 1450 –
1750 CE
cultural and political changes in
1 (China, Rome, India) during
last centuries of classical era
Compare the political and
economic effects of Mongol rule
on 2 (China, Middle East, Russia)
Social and economic effects of
global flow of silver from mid16th century to early 18th
century (Spain, Japan, China)
Analyze Han and Roman
attitudes toward technology
2007
Analyze factors that shaped
the modern Olympic movement
from 1892 to 2002
2008
2009
2010
2011
Analyze African actions and
reactions in response to the
European Scramble for Africa.
Formation of national identities
in 1 (Middle East, SE Asia, SubSaharan) from 1914 – present.
Evidence from specific
countries
Analyze the changes and
continuities in commerce in the
Indian Ocean region from
650 C.E. to 1750 C.E.
Analyze continuities and
changes in patterns of
interactions along the Silk
Roads from 200 B.C.E. to 1450
C.E.
Compare the goals and outcomes
of revolutionary process in 2
(Mexico - 1910, China - 1911,
Russia - 1917)
Compare the processes of
empire building (social, political,
economic) in Spanish Empire
with 1 (Ottoman Empire or
Russian Empire) from 1450 to
1800
Compare the emergence of
nation states in nineteenthcentury Latin America with the
emergence of nation states in
ONE of the following regions in
the twentieth century.
Sub-Saharan Africa
The Middle East
For the period from 1500 to
1830, compare North American
racial ideologies with Latin
American/Caribbean ideologies
and their effects on society.
Analyze similarities and
differences in the
mechanization of the cotton
industry in Japan and India in
the period from the 1880s to
the 1930s.
Describe and explain
continuities and changes in
religious beliefs and practices
in ONE of the following regions
from 1450 to the present.
 Sub-Saharan Africa
 Latin
America/Caribbean
Analyze similarities and
differences in methods of
political control in TWO of the
following empires in the
Classical period.
 Han China (206 B.C.E.–220
C.E.)
 Mauryan/Gupta India (320
B.C.E.–550 C.E.)
 Imperial Rome (31 B.C.E.–476
C.E.)
Analyze the causes and
consequences of the Green
Revolution in the period from
1945 to the present.
Analyze changes and
continuities in long-distance
migrations in the period from
1700 to 1900. Be sure to
include specific examples from
at least TWO different world
religions.
Analyze similarities and
differences in the rise of TWO
of the following empires.
 A West African Sudanic
empire (Mali/Ghana/Songhay)
 Aztec Empire
 Mongol Empire
DBQ Tips
Thesis

Make an argument based on the question
o Ex: Did status improve or decline  Pick one and argue for it (or at least say it did more of one than the
other)
o Ex: What were the actions or reactions  Pick one or more and argue for it
Documents & Evidence

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Make sure you address every single document at some point in your essay
Quoting the documents doesn’t prove “understanding” and can’t be counted as “evidence”
Analyze the documents individually
o “Docs 2,3,4 all show that…” is fine for a grouping statement, but not for “addressing”, “understanding”,
or “evidence”
“Understanding” means demonstrating a correct analysis of the document’s content
“Evidence” means using the information in the document to prove why your argument is correct
Groupings

Groupings must support your thesis
o If your thesis is “Women’s rights improved”, don’t do a grouping showing how rights declined
o Groupings must have 2 or more documents to qualify as a group
Point of View (PoV)


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“Point of View” means explaining why a person’s gender/occupation/location/religion/etc affect their opinion.
PoV cannot be analyzed as a group
o Ex: Since Docs 2, 3, and 4 all come from women, they are obviously biased
A PoV explanation needs to explain “why” a bias exists or “how” a bias affects a person…not simply state that a
bias exists.
Additional Document Requests


You have to request an actual document (ex: a diary, a royal decree, a shipping manifest)
You have to explain how this document would contribute to your argument
Exam Review - DBQ Essay
Thesis Statements: Is this acceptable?
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Thesis Statements: Is this acceptable?
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Thesis Statements: Is this acceptable?
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GROUPINGS: Is this acceptable?
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GROUPINGS: Is this acceptable?
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GROUPINGS: Is this acceptable?
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GROUPINGS: Is this acceptable?
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Addressing Documents & Evidence: Acceptable?
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Addressing Documents & Evidence: Acceptable?
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Addressing Documents & Evidence: Acceptable?...and something else??
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Additional document: Acceptable?
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Additional document: Acceptable?
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Additional document: Acceptable?