DBQ Essay Tips
These tips can apply to all types of expository essays!
Opening Paragraph: The
Grabber

Be sure your grabber is not too corny or informal.
This is a formal essay.

Example: “Peace and nonviolence are key to
freedom and prosperity.”

Notice: the above grabber is also a universal
statement because…

the universal statement refers to a truth that applies
to many, many areas and topics.
Opening Paragraph:
Thesis statement

Make it complete, clear, and direct, NOT…

complicated and vague!

Example: “Martin Luther King’s philosophy made
the most sense for the Civil Rights Movement of
the 1960s.”
Opening Paragraph:
Introduction of the 3 “road
map” ideas

Write a full sentence for each of your 3 road map
ideas.

Be sure to use the name of the analytical category in
each of the 3 road map sentences. (boycotts, Black
Nationalism, speeches, etc.)
Example: “Malcolm X believes that separation of the
races is the only way for blacks to be accepted.”
Body Paragraphs: Topic
Sentences
Topic sentences of the body paragraphs should be clear
BUT NOT EXACT WORD-FOR-WORD
re-statements of your 3 “road map” ideas.
Roadmap: Martin Luther King Jr. used boycotts to
bring change.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr. used boycotts to
create economic chaos to promote business to
change.
Supporting Sentences within
the Body Paragraphs

Use the documents for support. For full credit, you
must use at least 1-2 different documents per
paragraph and at least 3 different primary source
documents for the entire essay.

As you support your road map ideas within the body
paragraphs, DO NOT use the word “document” in
the text of your essay, such as “Document A says…”
Supporting Sentences within
the Body Paragraphs

Instead, use information from the document and put
this at the end of your sentence:

Martin Luther King Jr. discusses his personal dream
for racial equality(Document 2).
Quotations:
•
Don’t make the quotes longer than a phrase or a
sentence. Most of the paper should be in your own
words.
•
Explain each quotation with at least 2 sentences of your
own. This explanation should be in the form of a
paraphrase in your own words AND explaining the
context of the quotation.
•
Use the exact words if you are quoting and be sure to
spell every word just the way it is spelled in the
document.
Using Quotations

Example: (I lifted this directly from an essay without
using quotation marks so you can see exactly how it
appears on the paper.)

Martin Luther King had a response for the terrible
name-calling and snide expressions from his
opposition. “No matter what you do to us,” he
said, “we will always love you” (Document H).
King believed in a nonviolent and loving response
to enemies in order to bring about real cooperation
and change. This was a very different approach
from Malcolm X.
Explaining Quotations and
Data

Did you notice the excellent explanations of the
quotation on the previous slide?

Before the quotation: Martin Luther King had a
response for the terrible name-calling and snide
expressions from his opposition.

After the quotation:

King believed in a nonviolent and loving response
to enemies in order to bring about real cooperation
and change. This was a very different approach
from Malcolm X.
Possible Words to Use in Explanations of
Quotations and Data

“These data (or this quotation)…

Show(s), relate(s), display(s), prove(s), identif(ies),
create(s), paint(s), give(s) credence, chronicle(s),
illustrate(s), etc…..

…Jackson’s belief that the common people should
have a voice.”
DON’T SAY…

“I’m going to tell you about….”

“Malcolm X showed that he wanted a better life for
the African American community.”
DON’T USE…

First person pronouns—I, we, my, us, our, ours, me,
mine, etc.!

Second person pronouns—you, your, etc.!

Don’t use the second person command pattern…
“Try to picture…Look at the evidence…”
DO USE…

Third person pronouns: he, she, they, one, etc.

Remember that “he,” “she,” and “one” are third
person singular, so if you need to use a pronoun later
in the sentence, the corresponding pronoun should
be “he/she” not “they.” “If one looks at the speech,
he/she can see that….”
Closing Paragraph

Re-state your thesis, in different words, of course!

Re-state your 3 road map statements, in different
words, of course!

If you really want to knock your reader’s socks
off…close with a reference back to your
grabber…and if it was a universal statement, all the
better.

Example: True progress toward freedom for all can
come about only through nonviolence and respect
as shown by Martin Luther King.
Caveats and Encouragement

PROOFREAD every time before you ask someone
else to read something you’ve written.

BE CAREFUL using the thesaurus. Be sure the
shades of meaning and nuances of the word really
work.

DO NOT BE AFRAID to write with your own
voice. Even in expository writing, your own voice
needs to come through.