AP EURO DBQ ‘15
VII POINTS
SEVEN POINTS
• THESIS
2 POINTS
(Thesis Present =1)
(Thesis Excellent =1)
• DOCUMENTS
2 POINTS
(Documents used = 1)
(Documents analyzed= 1)
• OUTSIDE INFORMATION
2 POINTS
Content (the Forest)= 1
Evidence (the Trees)= 1
• SYNTHESIS
1 POINT
1
THESIS PRESENT
Presents a thesis that makes a historically
defensible claim and responds to all parts of
the question (does more than re-state)
• Respond to the whole question!
• Typically have a general statement weighing in on the general
prompt
• Preview of Points
• Three reasons you will use to support your thesis
2
THESIS EXCELLENT
• Develops and supports a cohesive argument
that recognizes and accounts for historical complexity by
explicitly illustrating relationships among historical evidence
such as contradiction, corroboration, and/or qualification
•This thesis is compelling and argued (supported)
throughout the essay.
3
DOCUMENTS REFERENCED
•Uses the content of at least SIX of the documents to
support the stated thesis or a relevant argument
4
DOCUMENTS ANALYZED
•Explains the significance of the author’s POV, context,
audience, and/or purpose (CAP) for at least FOUR
documents
•CONTENT, AUDIENCE, PURPOSE (CAP)
CAP
• Content: Can you take this ornament and put it on the tree? Can you
give the story behind this document? Can you utilize this document to
illustrate the bigger picture? Can you shed some additional light on
where this document came from?
• Audience: Depending on who I am talking to, I may say one thing or
another.
• Purpose: What is the purpose of the document? Anything written
down is important enough to someone to write it. Therefore, it has
some sort of purpose
POV (POINT OF VIEW)
•Everyone has their own vantage point or their own lens
with which they look at history (the individual’s race,
class, or gender, etc.)
•What makes this person have this perspective?
5
CONTEXTUALIZATION
• Situates the argument by explaining the broader historical events,
developments, or processes immediately relevant to the question.
• This shows background information. Contextualization is more than
just a phrase or reference. Multiple sentences is what is being looked
for. This refers to the Context (Big Picture = Forest)
6
EVIDENCE
Beyond the Documents
• Provides an example or additional piece of specific evidence beyond
those found in the documents to support or qualify the argument.
• You (the writer) are looking at making connections (evidence = Trees)
• Do not expect the reader to make the connections. You (the writer)
must make the connections and illustrate the evidence for the reader.
7
SYNTHESIS
Synthesis is like pieces of a puzzle. You see pieces of here and
pieces over there, and then think; “OK, let me put these pieces
together, and let me illustrate the relationship between all of
these pieces into one coherent picture.”
Extends the argument by explaining the connections between
the argument and….
• Three types of SYNTHESIS:
• Historical: A development in a different historical period, situation, era, or geographical
era
• Thematic: A course theme and/or approach to history that is not the focus of the essay
(political, social, etc.)
• Interdisciplinary: A different discipline field of inquiry (economics, government, politics,
art history, or anthropology)