Islam DBQ
2002 AP World History Exam
Sample Thesis Statements
DBQ Prompt
• Using the documents, compare and contrast
the attitudes of Christianity and Islam towards
merchants and trade from the religions’
origins until about 1500. What kinds of
additional documents would you need to
assess the consequences of these attitudes on
merchant activities?
Sample Thesis #1
• From the outset of the Christian and Islamic
religions to about 1500 CE, the two religions
began with different opinions of merchants
but grew together as time went on. As the
two religions reached the 1500’s, their views
of merchants became almost identical.
Sample Thesis #2
• Overtime, trade has spread throughout the
world influencing people, cultures, and
governments. Religion, on the other hand,
has influenced the impact of trade.
Christianity and Islam, although specifically
different in their views of trade, share a
similar basis of belief in its evil of exploitation
or its goodness of sharing. These ideas can be
seen in high prices/evilness and the prosperity
of fair and just trade.
Sample Thesis #3
• Christianity and Islam proved their similarities
with their perspective on trade and
merchants’ morals before 1500. They had
many similarities on what they thought of
trade and how it should be practiced. It had
some differences in culture’s outlooks and
government involvement. By the year 1500,
the change in each religion’s trading structure
were evident.
Your Task
• Each group will be given one of the sample thesis
statements from the 2002 DBQ
• First step is to analyze the thesis – what is it saying?
What are the comparisons? Make notes on the
back of your analysis sheet
Your Task
• Next, look back over all of the documents and
decide who they can be used to support the various
points of the thesis
– EVERY DOCUMENT must be grouped
– Need three groupings (documents may be used more
than once)
– Two documents or more = group
Your Task
• Once you have your three groups, list the
characteristics of that group
– What makes them a “group”?
– What characteristic will you use to support a thesis
point?
Your Task
• In the last column, explain HOW you will use that
group to support a thesis point
• For the DBQ you MUST analyze each group and
explain how EVERY document can be used as
evidence to support the thesis
Thesis #1 Grouping
Student Group #1
Docs A
Docs B
Docs C
Student Group #2
Student Group #3
Thesis #2 Grouping
Student Group #1
Docs A
Docs B
Docs C
Student Group #2
Student Group #3
Thesis #3 Grouping
Student Group #1
Docs A
Docs B
Docs C
Student Group #2
Student Group #3
Your Task
• Finally – you will need to include somewhere in
your DBQ a minimum of two additional documents
that would help you better support your thesis
• Think about what type of POV or document would
help support one of your points and describe what
that document would be
– Author? Time period? Location?
– Make sure to explain WHY it would help