DBQ Elements
AP World History
Working from the Rubric…
AP World History
Grouping
 At
Least 3 groups in each DBQ
 Groupings should be based on the different
responses to Buddhism.
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Be as specific as possible in descriptions of groupings.
Look for some characteristic that more than one
document share, then create a group under the title of that
characteristic.
All Documents must be used at least once.
Documents can be used in more than one grouping!
At least two documents in each group.
Grouping Examples
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Unacceptable: “Doc’s 2, 3, and 4 all support Buddhism,
while Doc #1 opposes it.” A single document cannot be a
group. Find some characteristic that 2 or more documents
share, and then group those documents under that
characteristic.
Acceptable: “Doc’s #2, 3, and 4 all support Buddhism,
while Doc’s #1 and 6 oppose it. Doc #5 bridges the two,
supporting Buddhism while implicitly acknowledging the
growing opposition to Buddhism in Chinese society.”
Note: A single document CAN belong to more than one group.
Excellent: Superb examples could include multiple
groupings, comparisons of specific qualities of documents, or
synthesizing info. in the documents.
Thesis
A
good thesis does three things:
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1). Specifically address the Question (answer what
they’re asking “Analyze the Responses to the Spread of
Buddhism” NOT “Spread of Buddhism.”
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2) Takes a position on the question.
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3) Set out categories for discussion (this relates to the
document groupings).
Thesis Statements
 What Your Thesis/Intro
Paragraph Needs to Have:
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Time (if given)
Region(s)
Topic
Groups
Previews (brief descriptions
of groups)
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What your Thesis/Intro
Paragraph Should NOT
Have:
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References to specific
documents.
Quotes from specific
documents.
Thesis Examples
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Unacceptable: “There were many responses to the
introduction of Buddhism into China.” Too vague; doesn’t
take a position.
Also Unacceptable: “Buddhism had a large impact on
China.” question asks the reader to focus on the type of
responses, NOT the amount of impact.
Minimally Acceptable: “Chinese reacted to Buddhism in
both positive and negative ways.” There are at least 2
categories, but good historical analysis should be more
descriptive than just ‘good’ and ‘bad.’
Thesis Examples (cont.)
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Acceptable: “Chinese peasants responded positively
toward Buddha’s message, but aristocrats and those with
a vested interest in the status quo rejected Buddhism.”
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Excellent: “Although Chinese peasants initially welcomed
Buddhism, as it gave them shelter during politically
uncertain times, as imperial security improved
government authorities increasingly saw Buddhism as a
threat to their political power and moved to discredit it.”
Similar to the structure of a CCOT thesis; incorporates socioeconomic awareness (peasants vs. upper class); eligible for
Expanded Core points
Thesis/Intro Paragraph Structure
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Introductory Sentence (1)
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Thesis Statement (2)
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Covers the time, region, and/or topic by minimally addressing
the prompt.
Addresses questions, takes specific position, and sets out
categories or groups for discussion.
(if time allows) Body Paragraph Preview (3, 4, 5)
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This is where you would summarize the main points of your
body paragraphs/groupings (i.e. the topic sentences) that you’ll
use to support your thesis. This takes some time and practice
to do well.
Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence (explains the topic for this particular
grouping of documents. Linked from the thesis
paragraph-- the topic is still addressing the prompt).
 For each document:
 1) Demonstration of Understanding (can be combined
with Evidence/Analysis/POV component).
 2) Evidence/Analysis
 3) POV**
 Missing POV/Document
**On the AP exam, you would just analyze POV once per
group instead of for every document.
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Evidence/Analysis
Point-of-View
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Point-of-View statements should analyze how aspects of the
author’s character/background or time period influence
their statements in the given primary source.
Time-period, Background, Type of Document, class, religion,
race, gender.
Must have at least THREE Point of View Statements (one
per grouping).
Tips for Writing POV Statements
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WHY does the author have this opinion?
What informs the author’s opinion or target audience?
Is the document trustworthy? Why or why not?
Examples of POV Statements
 Unacceptable:
Zhi Dun (Doc #2) is biased because he
is a scholar.
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Why this is wrong:You must go beyond a mere description of
the individual and explain WHY this fact is significant in the
analysis of the document.
Plus, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with having bias, so this
statement doesn’t say much of anything.
Examples of POV Statements
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Acceptable: “As an English scholar, D’Avenant would certainly
have wanted to support England’s own economic gain and any
Parliamentary movement that would accomplish this.”
Excellent: He Qiaoyuan, a Ming court official, wrote to the
emperor that the trade ban should be lifted because there are
very high prices for Chinese goods on the market. His motives
are suspicious since goods from his native provinces are
desirable and he stands to gain from the lift of the ban, but this
also shows a changing attitude of the Chinese on trade with
foreigners.”
Missing Doc/POV
 Need
to recommend at least one additional document
 More than one could help you get into an expanded core
if done correctly.
 Does NOT have to be a specific author or title of
document.
 Can be placed anywhere in your essay. Easier to
include at the end of each Body Paragraph.
Question for Missing Doc/POV
 Whose
voice is missing from this discussion? What
could that additional voice tell you about the topic?
 Ex: views on Bernie Sanders: Wall St. hedgefund manager
vs. Farmer from Vermont.
 Should NOT be someone who is similar to the given
author.
 Should NOT be someone who is similar to the other
given sources.
Examples of Additional Document
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Unacceptable: “It would be good to have a document
from a peasant.”
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Does not explain WHY it would be good to hear from a
peasant? How do you think a peasant might have thought
about these issues differently from any of the given authors?
Acceptable: “It would help to have a document from a
Japanese merchant, to see if the effects of the silver trade
affected the Japanese economy as much as it did the
Chinese and Spanish.”
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Description and explanation provided.
Additional document can go
anywhere  most people
put it in conclusion or at the
end of body paragraphs.
 Should have at least one
POV in each body paragraph
 Do not analyze docs in Intro
or Conclusion
 Do NOT refer to sources by
anything other than title or
author. Cite sources in
Parentheses. Ex: (Doc #5)
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Outline for DBQ
 1st
Paragraph: Thesis
 2nd Paragraph: First
Group
 3rd: Second Group
 4th: Third Group
 5th: Conclusion
Outline for DBQ
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1st Paragraph: INTRO: Background Statement + Thesis + Body
Paragraph Previews
2nd Paragraph:
 First Group: Document Analysis/POV/Additional Doc
3rd: Second Group
 First Group: Document Analysis/POV/Additional Doc
4th: Third Group
 First Group: Document Analysis/POV/Additional Doc
5th: Conclusion: Restate Thesis