DBQ Essay Organizational Chart
(Cracking the AP World History Exam, Armstrong et al)
Document Number (s) Comments
Thesis
Support
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
POV 1
POV 2
POV 3
Number
Additional
Documents

Step 6: Group the Documents
 Mark which documents address the different issues that the question asks
 Group the documents in the most OBVIOUS groupings possible
 Group the documents by their similarities, but make sure that if you use two groups for example, that both groups clearly contrast one another.
 The documents must be placed in groups based on some commonality.
 Always refer back to the question for guidance. For example, if the question asks you to compare and contrast, then you most logically create two distinct categories.
 Your groupings must answer the question.

 Assign each document to only one group for each grouping criteria.
 A group must include two documents at a minimum. There are no groups of one document.
 Reference documents………… (Doc 6)
 Each document must be discussed in relation to other documents. You must group within each of your body paragraphs. DO NOT LIST attributes of each document in
single body paragraphs. Your body paragraphs should logically follow according to the groupings that you have created.
 You must group the documents in two OR three ways, depending on the question, in order to satisfy the basic core requirements.

Groups for Chinese philosophy DBQ:
Confucianism: 1,2,3
Legalism: 4,5
Daoism: 6,7,8
Emphasis on law: 2,5
Active leadership: 1,2,3,5
Passive leadership: 6,7,8
Success of society in hands of the leader: 2,3,4,5,8
Success of society in hands of the people: 1,6,7

POINT OF VIEW (POV ) can be determined by considering the following questions=
Who is the author and how does that affect what he/she says?
(gender, occupation, ethnicity, etc.)
What do they think and why? What informs their opinion?
What about the background of the author may have influenced his/her outlook as expressed in the document?
(examples: gender, class, religion, ethnicity, occupation, age......)
Why is this person saying or writing this piece at this particular time and place?
Why would this person have this particular opinion?
What is it about the author (if anything) that makes you question the reliability or authenticity of the document?
In the absence of an author: consider the characteristics of the intended audience and/or the medium
(eg: official document, sermon, diary,) and/or tone of the document, and/or how the temporal context (eg: writing in a period of stability/instability) may have influenced the author‘ opinion.
WHY did THIS author create THIS document at THIS time and place in THIS way?

YES:
“ This document was written by a military commander during the war.
He had a vested interest in the success of the war. He probably approved of the conduct of the government because he doesn't want his "bosses" to hear anything disloyal that would endanger his promotion".
AP World Friends,
Why is the KEY to POV.
An acceptable pov analysis using your example might be:
“Jonathan Sampson, a native American, appears to dislike Anglo Americans because his family was murdered during the Black Kettle uprising, yet his information has been verified by eye witness accounts both native and soldiers, thus making him a credible source. (doc. 7)
“Miguel Montez’s tone seems angry and resentful, because his ancestor’s land was take by American soldiers during the Mexican American War. He offers no evidence for his claims, thus his point of view is questionable. (doc.5)”
NO:
“This document was written by a military commander during the war.
Jonathan Sampson, a native American, appears to dislike Anglo Americans.”

WORLD HISTORY
SECTION II
Part A
(Suggested writing time – 40 minutes)
Percent of Section II score – 33 1/3
Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1-6. (The documents have been edited for the purposes of this exercise.) Write your answer on the lined pages of the Section II freeresponse booklet.
This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that:
• Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the documents.
• Uses all of the documents
• Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible. Does not simply summarize the documents individually.
• Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the authors' points of view.
• Identifies and explains the need for at least one additional type of document.
You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents .
1.
Based on the following documents, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of document (s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism’s appeal in
China?
Historical Background: Buddhism, founded in India in the 6 th century BCE was brought to China by the
1 st century CE, gradually winning converts following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE. Buddhist influence continued to expand for several centuries. Between 220 CE and 570 CE, China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. After 570 CE, the imperial structure was restored.

Source: Zhi Dun, Chinese scholar, author, and confidant of Chinese aristocrats and high officials during the period when northern China was invaded by central Asian steppe nomads, circa 350 CE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Doc
#2
Whosoever in China, in this era of sensual pleasures, serves the Buddha and correctly observes the
Commandments, who recites the Buddhist
Scriptures, and who furthermore makes a vow to be reborn without ever abandoning his sincere intention, will at the end of his life, when his soul passes away, be miraculously transported thither. He will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then he will enter Nirvana.*
* Nirvana: the extinction of desire and individual consciousness.

Unacceptable “Zhi Dun (Doc #2) is biased because he is a scholar and confidant of aristocrats and high officials.
These words are quoted directly from the document. Also, citing someone’s occupation does not, in and of itself, constitute analysis. WHY would an emperor necessarily be biased? This shows no understanding of the subtleties of the document. Both of these examples just repeat information found in the document, rather than reflecting the student’s analysis of the larger context that affects how one interprets the document.
Acceptable “Zhi Dun’s argument supporting Buddhism (Doc #2) is understandable, given the politically tumultuous time in which it was written. When political leaders cannot be trusted to provide security, those without material resources are more likely to turn to spiritual teachings, especially ones that make sense of meaningless suffering.”

Source: Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar, favored by the Tang imperial household, essay, “On the Nature of Man”, early 9 th century CE.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Doc
#5
Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha were perfect sages.
They established their teachings according to the demands of the age and the needs of various beings.
They differ in their approaches in that they encourage the perfection of good deeds, punish wicked ones, and reward good ones; all three teachings lead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they must be observed with respect.

Unacceptable:
“Zong Mi, supports Buddhism because he is a Buddhist scholar (Doc #5).
Acceptable :
As a Buddhist scholar, Zong Mi would naturally defend the place of Buddhism and so tries to persuade the Tang authorities of the equal contributions of Buddha with Confucius and Laozi as order is re established in China (Doc #5).
Remember:
Do not summarize = (What happened?)
Always ANALYZE = ____(WHY is happened?)