Middle East & Southwest Asia
Document Based Question (DBQ)
Historical Background
The Middle East is an incredibly important part of the world with rich history,
important resources, and deep religious & cultural traditions. However, in the
past one hundred years up to today, this part of the world has been consumed by
chaos and conflict. When we learn about the world, it is our job to ask important
questions about the sources of this conflict, and if it can actually be resolved. So,
you will have the opportunity to dig into information to answer this question:
Why is the Middle East a place
in the world where conflict
always seems to be happening?
Directions:
To begin to try to answer the question above, you will be given seven documents
(A, B, C, D, E, F, & G). This question is designed to test your ability to work with
documents and to create an argument that uses evidence from the documents to
support your argument. Your argument should be one sentence that answers the
question.
Task 1: Read & Analyze the Documents
Look at each document. If it is a piece of text, then read it and highlight
important words or phrases. If it is a picture, chart, graph, or map, highlight
important parts. Then answer the questions that go with each document.
Task 2: Bucketing
To help you organize your thoughts about the documents for your DBQ, you
should categorize your information into buckets. Look over all the documents
and organize them into your final buckets. Write the final bucket labels under
each bucket and place the letters of the documents in the buckets where they
belong. Remember, your buckets will become your body paragraphs.
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________________
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Write your bucket label
Write your bucket label
Write your bucket label
Task 3: Create Your Argument
On the lines below, write your argument and your road map. Your argument will
answer the big question: Why is the Middle East a place in the world
where conflict always seems to be happening? The road map is created
from your bucket labels and lists the areas you will write about in order to prove
your argument.
The Middle East always seems to have conflict because
Document A
Source:
“Muslims in the Mideast: Shiite vs. Sunni” Chart & Map
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life; CIA World Fact Book
1. What countries are mostly Shia/Shiite? What countries are mostly Sunni?
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2. What does this tell you about the type of relationships these countries have?
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3. How may this religious situation cause conflict between these countries?
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4. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document B
Source:
Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s interview with Russian media
September 19, 2015
“Countries like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Western countries which
provide cover for terrorism. France, the United States, or others, cannot fight
terrorism. You cannot be with and against terrorism at the same time. If that
happens, we have no objection to cooperating with all these countries, provided it
is a real and not a fake coalition to fight terrorism….When the United States
invaded Iraq in 2003, we were strongly opposed to that invasion, because we
knew that things were moving in the direction of dividing societies and creating
unrest. And we are Iraq’s neighbors. At that time, we saw that the war would turn
Iraq into…a society divided against itself….The beginning of the Syrian crisis, or
what happened in the beginning, was the natural result of that war…in Iraq, part
of which moved to Syria. Iran supports Syria and the Syrian people. It stands
with the Syrian state politically, economically and militarily. There is a good,
strong and historical relationship between Moscow and Damascus.”
1. What country or countries does Assad say are friends to Syria? Enemies?
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2. What country or countries does Al-Assad blame for causing unrest in Syria?
Explain why you believe he said this, using specific details.
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3. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document C
Source:
“What is ISIS?”
Junior Scholastic Magazine
April 20, 2015
1. What is ISIS? What does ISIS stand for?
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2. What are some specific things that ISIS does throughout the Middle East?
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3. Why do ISIS’s actions lead to conflict?
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4. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document D
Source:
“Territory influenced or controlled by ISIS”
Junior Scholastic Magazine. April 20, 2015
1. What countries is ISIS currently controlling? How much land does it control?
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2. Why was ISIS able to gain control of this territory? What does this tell you
about the situation in these areas? Make inferences and do some research.
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3. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document E
Source:
Political Cartoon
John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune Newspaper, 2015
1. List the key words written in the cartoon. What do they mean to you?
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2. Identify & explain any symbols or parts of the drawing that you think are
important. Why did the artist put them there? Explain using specific details.
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3. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document F
Source:
PBS “Global Connections: The Middle East”
Standard Oil of California first discovered oil in Saudi Arabia in 1936. The huge
deposits there and in the neighboring countries around the Persian Gulf (the
United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain) established these countries as some
of the richest in the world. Relations between the Saudi and U.S. governments
have traditionally remained strong. Some Americans have questioned that
relationship since the events of September 11, 2001, when timeline Osama bin
Laden and several other Saudis were involved in the attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon. At the same time, many Saudi people mistrust their
government's close relationship with the U.S. and resent other American policies
in the region. The presence of armed U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace
of Islam, is particularly frustrating to many Muslims.
1. What are some of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East? Explain why.
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2. What does “resent” mean? Why do many Muslims in Saudi Arabia “resent”
U.S. troops being in their country?
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3. How does this represent the potential for conflict in the Middle East?
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4. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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Document G
Source:
Israel and Palestine Conflict
Russian International Affairs Council
1. What is the main cause of the conflict between Israel & Palestine?
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2. Why do the differences between the two keep the conflict going over time?
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3. What is ONE WORD would you say is the main idea of this document?
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