Writing Global History and
Geography Essays
2007 Edition
Please visit Mr. Szeto’s website for essay planning
and evaluation tools at:
http://szetohistory.tripod.com
Name: _______________________________
Bayside High School
Mr. Szeto, Social Studies
Students take the Regents examination in Global History and Geography at the end of a
two-year course, usually in the tenth grade. The information below explains the three
parts of the Global History and Geography Regents exam.
Format of the Regents Exam
There are three types of questions on the Global History and Geography Regents
Examination.
There will be 50 multiple choice questions on the Regents
examination. Following tips may be helpful:
Multiple Choice
Questions
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Thematic
Essay
The second part of the examination consists of one thematic
essay. A thematic essay, as the name implies, requires you to
write a well-organized essay on a specific theme. Geography,
economic systems and historical change are examples of
themes that might be addressed in thematic-essay questions.
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DocumentBased Question
The questions are usually asked chronologically.
Read the questions carefully; examine all choices
before selection.
Never leave a question blank on the multiple choice
section. Make educated guesses instead.
Remember that sometimes the essays and documents
in the examination will provide answers to the multiple
choice questions.
A well-organized essay includes a well-defined thesis
in an introduction, several paragraphs of related
content, and a conclusion.
Bear in mind that all the tasks of the essay must be
completed in order to receive credit.
A document-based question requires you to write an essay
using historical documents (e.g. speeches, political cartoons,
graphs, photographs) on a single topic. This part of the
examination has two sections. The first part consists of
documents followed by a series of questions. The documents
and answers to these questions will help you to complete the
second part of the exam, writing the essay.
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A well-organized essay includes a well-defined thesis
in an introduction, several paragraphs of related
content, and a conclusion.
Remember to use at least half of the documents and
outside information in your essay.
Bear in mind that all the tasks of the essay must be
completed in order to receive credit.
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An essay question tests your abliity to present information in a written form. This guide
focuses on the two types of essay questions: thematic essay questions and documentbased essay questions.
Thematic Essays
A good essay
takes a great
deal of time
and effort!
Like other written examinations, the Regents require you to write
on a particular theme or generalization. These essay types are
called thematic essays. Let’s look at a typical thematic essay
question.
Theme: River Valley Civilizations
Specific geographical features of an area often affect the historical developments taking
place there.
Task:
Show how a specific geographical feature had an impact on two past civilizations.
Directions:
Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction paragraph with a topic sentence,
several paragraphs as explained in the Task, and a conclusion.
Suggestions:
You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some civilizations you might
consider are: Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus River Valley civilization, and the Huang He
civilization. You are not limited to these suggestions.
Every thematic essay question begins with a general statement. This is often called the
historical context. In this case, the general statement is on the impact of geography. The
question then asks you to complete a task. Read these two pieces of information
carefully.
You should always write an outline before writing the essay.
formats:
Consider the following
Format 1: Use the historical context and question to form your thesis. Then, choose two
examples and list them in the chart (see below). Write down relevant facts about the
examples in the boxes provided.
Thesis and Introduction:
Specific geographical features of Egyptian civilization and Chinese civilization had profound
impact on their historical developments.

You may want to elaborate on this statement.
Specific Examples
1st Civilization – Egyptian – Nile

Relevant Facts
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The Nile River floods the lands
along its banks annually.
The fertile soil provides land
for farming.
Other facts may be included.
2nd Civilization – Chinese – Huang He
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It’s also known as the Yellow
River.
Farmers grew millet in the
region.
Other facts may be included.
Conclusion:
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Use a similar chart on other essay questions. With enough practice, you will find this
outline format helpful.
Format 2:
Imagine your essay is a double hamburger, with a top bun, two patties of meat, and a
bottom bun. The top bun represents the thesis and introduction. The patties of meat are
the body paragraphs. The bottom bun is the conclusion of an essay.
Of course, you will dress your burger up with ketchup, lettuce, pickles, and other
ingredients. These tasty ingredients resemble the important details of an essay.
Thesis and
Introduction
Specific geographical features of Egyptian civilization and
civilization had profound impact on their historical developments.
Body 1
1st Civilization – Egyptian – Nile
Chinese
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
Body 2
2nd Civilization – Chinese – Huang He
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
Conclusion
Remember, these are only the outlines for your essays. A good essay requires much
more organization and details.
Key Words:
In order to complete the essay task, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind:
a) discuss means “to make observations about
something using facts, reasoning, and argument; to
present in some detail”
b) describe means “to illustrate something in words or
tell about it”
c) evaluate means “to examine and judge the
significance, worth, or condition of; to determine the
value of”
d) show means “to point out; to set forth clearly a
position or idea by stating it and giving data which
support it”
There is a rubric of the thematic essay on the next page. Examine this rubric closely, as
you will need this rubric to conduct peer and self assessment throughout the school year.
Once you’ve mastered the rubric, you will better understand why you receive a certain
grade on any particular essay.
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THEMATIC ESSAY SCORING RUBRIC
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• Shows a thorough understanding of the theme or problem
• Addresses all aspects of the task
• Shows an ability to analyze, evaluate, compare and/or contrast issues and events
• Richly supports the theme or problem with relevant facts, examples, and details
• Is a well-developed essay, consistently demonstrating a logical and clear plan of
organization
• Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple
restatement of the task and concludes with a summation of the theme or problem
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• Shows a good understanding of the theme or problem
• Addresses all aspects of the task
• Shows an ability to analyze, evaluate, compare and/or contrast issues and events
• Includes relevant facts, examples, and details, but may not support all aspects of the
theme or problem evenly
• Is a well-developed essay, demonstrating a logical and clear plan of organization
• Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple
restatement of the task and concludes with a summation of the theme or problem
3
• Shows a satisfactory understanding of the theme or problem
• Addresses most aspects of the task or addresses all aspects in a limited way
• Shows an ability to analyze or evaluate issues and events, but not in any depth
• Includes some facts, examples, and details
• Is a satisfactorily developed essay, demonstrating a general plan of organization
• Introduces the theme or problem by repeating the task and concludes by repeating the
theme or problem
2
• Shows limited understanding of the theme or problem
• Attempts to address the task
• Develops a faulty analysis or evaluation of issues and events
• Includes few facts, examples, and details, and may include information that contains
inaccuracies
• Is a poorly organized essay, lacking focus
• Fails to introduce or summarize the theme or problem
1
• Shows a very limited understanding of the theme or problem
• Lacks an analysis or evaluation of the issues and events
• Includes little or no accurate or relevant facts, examples, or details
• Attempts to complete the task, but demonstrates a major weakness in organization
• Fails to introduce or summarize the theme or problem
0
• Fails to address the task, is illegible, or is a blank paper
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Document-Based Essay Questions
“We are
almost done!
Be patient!”
On the Regents examination in Global History and Geography,
you are required to answer a document-based essay question.
This is sometimes called a “D.B.Q.” A document-based
question requires you to write an essay using historical
documents (e.g. speeches, political cartoons, graphs,
photographs) on a single topic. This part of the examination
has two sections. The first section consists of documents
followed by a series of questions. This makes up 15% of the
examination. The documents and answers to these questions
will help you to complete the second part of the exam, writing
the essay. The essay is worth another 15%.
Let’s look at a typical document-based question, using a subject discussed earlier: impact
of geography on past civilizations.
Directions:
The following question is based on the accompanying documents 1 – 3. Some of these
documents have been edited. This question is designed to test your ability to work with
historical documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the source
of the document and the author’s point of view.
Write a well-organized essay that includes your analysis of the documents. In no case
should the documents simply be cited or paraphrased. You should include specific
historical details and you may discuss documents not provided in the question.
Historical Context:
The geographic factors of location and availability of resources have affected the history
of past civilizations.
Task: Using information from the documents and your knowledge of global history, write
an essay in which you:

Explain how geography affected the social and political development of the
past civilizations.
After reading the documents, complete scaffolding questions that follow.
Part A – Short Answer
Analyze the documents and answer the short-answer questions that follow each document in the
space provided.
Document 1
The following is an excerpt from an ancient Egyptian hymn praising the Nile.
The Lord of Fishes, He Who Makes the marsh birds to Go Upstream. There are no birds which
come down because of the hot winds. He Who Makes barley and brings emmer [a kind of wheat]
into being, that he may make the temples festive. If he is sluggish, then nostrils are stopped up,
and everybody is poor. If there be thus a cutting down in the food offerings of the gods, then a
million men perish among the mortals, covetousness is practiced, the entire land is in a fury, and
great and small are on the execution-block….When he rises, then the land is in jubilation, then
every belly is in joy, every backbone takes on laughter, and every tooth is exposed.
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How does this quote show the importance of the Nile?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
What does the hymn show about ancient Egyptian culture?
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Document 2
Natural Barriers isolated ancient China from al other civilizations. To China’s east lay the Pacific
Ocean. To the west lay the Taklimakan desert and the icy 14,000-foot Plateau of Tibet. To the
Southwest were the Himalaya Mountains. And to the north was desolate Gobi Desert and the
Mongolian Plateau. Two major river systems flow from the mountainous west to the Pacific
Ocean. They are the Huang He in the north and the Yangtze, in central China.
How did natural barriers affect the political, social and cultural development of China?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Using a document analysis sheet, you can prepare a useful outline before writing an essay.
Of course, every essay has different tasks. Therefore, you may need to alter this format to
suit the question.
Document-Based Question Outline Sheet
Thesis and Introduction:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Tasks
Main Ideas of Documents Used
(Be sure to cite documents in
the essay.)
Outside Information (Be sure
to highlight outside
information in the essay.)
Political Development
Social Development
Conclusion:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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When you are done with an outline, you are ready to write the essay. You should follow
the same rules for writing thematic essays. After writing the essay, use the peer and self
assessment forms to evaluate your essays before submitting to your teacher.
You should cite all documents used in the essay. This makes it easier on the grader of the
essay. Here are two ways you can cite the documents in your essay:
1. In Document 1 and 5 we see that…
OR
2. During the 4th and 5th centuries BC the Athenians developed a new political
system known as democracy (Doc 1 and 5).
Either way is fine, but please be consistent throughout your essay.
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DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION
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5
Thoroughly addresses all aspects of the Task by accurately analyzing and interpreting
at least four documents
Incorporates information from the documents in the body of the essay
Incorporates relevant outside information
Richly supports the theme or problem with relevant facts, examples, and details
Is a well-developed essay, consistently demonstrating a logical and clear plan of
organization
Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple
restatement of the Task or Historical Context and concludes with a summation of the
theme or problem
4
Addresses all aspects of the Task by accurately analyzing and interpreting at least
four documents
Incorporates information from the documents in the body of the essay
Incorporates relevant outside information
Includes relevant facts, examples, and details, but discussion may be more descriptive
than analytical
Is a well-developed essay, demonstrating a logical and clear plan of organization
Introduces the theme or problem by establishing a framework that is beyond a simple
restatement of the Task or Historical Context and concludes with a summation of the
theme or problem
3
Addresses most aspects of the Task or addresses all aspects of the Task in a limited
way, using some of the documents
Incorporates some information from the documents in the body of the essay
Incorporates limited or no relevant outside information
Includes some facts, examples, and details, but discussion is more descriptive than
analytical
Is a satisfactorily developed essay, demonstrating a general plan of organization
Introduces the theme or problem by repeating the Task or Historical Context and
concludes by simply repeating the theme or problem
2
Attempts to address some aspects of the Task, making limited use of the documents
Presents no relevant outside information
Includes few facts, examples, and details; discussion restates contents of the
documents
Is a poorly organized essay, lacking focus
Fails to introduce or summarize the theme or problem
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1
Shows limited understanding of the Task with vague, unclear references to the
documents
Presents no relevant outside information
Includes little or no accurate or relevant facts, details, or examples
Attempts to complete the Task, but demonstrates a major weakness in organization
Fails to introduce or summarize the theme or problem

0
Fails to address the Task, is illegible, or is a blank paper

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DBQ/THEMATIC ESSAY PEER ASSESSMENT FORM
Written by: _____________________
Reviewed by: ___________________
FINAL GRADE:
REVIEWER: TRADE YOUR ESSAY WITH A PARTNER. USE THIS FORM TO GIVE YOUR PARTNER
FEEDBACK ON THE ESSAY. USE THE RUBRIC TO DETERMINE FINAL GRADE. ENTER GRADE
AND COMMENTS IN THE BOXES PROVIDED.
WRITER: WHEN RETURNED, STAPLE THIS FORM ON TOP OF YOUR ESSAY.
I. DESCRIBE 3 STRENGTHS OF THE ESSAY:
STRENGTHS
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
1.
2.
3.
II. DESCRIBE 3 WEAKNESSES OF THE ESSAY:
WEAKNESSES
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
1.
2.
3.
III. Areas for Considerations – Check all that apply.
Commendations
Good Intro with Focused Thesis
Addresses All Terms of Question
Effective Analysis
Uses Proper Grammar
Uses All/Most Documents
Uses and Cites Doc’s Correctly
Lots of Outside Information
Good Conclusion
Suggestions
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___
Weak Intro or Simple Thesis
Missing Required Tasks
Needs More Analysis
Needs to Proofread Essay
Use More Documents
Work on Usage and Citing Doc’s
Needs More Outside Information
Conclusion Missing
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IV. Final Grade and Additional Comments
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DBQ/THEMATIC ESSAY SELF-ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST
Written by: _____________________
Part I: CHECKLIST
Did I….?
write my name and other required information on the essay?
write legibly?
type the essay (if required)?
include sufficient details?
proofread my paper?
answer the question and maintain focus throughout the essay?
include outside information (for DBQ essay only)?
cite adequate number of documents (for DBQ essay only)?
write an organized essay that includes an introduction, several body paragraphs and conclusion?
Part 2: REFLECTION AND GRADE
Based on the checklist and the Thematic/DBQ essay rubric, I would give myself a ____ for the
following reasons:
1.
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________________
4.
_______________________________________________________________________________
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DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION OUTLINE SHEET
Thesis and Introduction:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Tasks
Main Ideas of Documents Used (Be
sure to cite documents in the essay.)
Outside Information (Be sure to
highlight outside information in the
essay.)
Conclusion:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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THEMATIC ESSAY OUTLINE SHEET
Introduction
Use the question to
write your
introduction. For a
basic introduction,
simply reword the
historical context
and tasks in the
question. Be sure to
state your thesis.
Body 1
Specific Example: ___________________________
Relevant Facts:
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________
Body 2
Specific Example: ___________________________
Relevant Facts:
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________
Conclusion
Sum up your essay
with a brief
summary, give your
evaluation of the
topic, or do both.
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