Cracking the DBQ
What is the DBQ?
• “Document Based Question”
• Interpretation of primary source
documents
• Newspaper articles, editorials,
letters diaries, speeches, excerpts
from legislation, political cartoons,
charts, graphs
• Rarely “classic”
– Authors usually obscure
– Theme/period should be familiar
• Usually ~6 to12 lines long
• Begins with a 15 minute
reading/planning period
• Writing period is 45 minutes long
(not including reading period or
break)
Is there a “right” answer to each DBQ?
• NO
• You can take a number of
positions
• Support your argument
(thesis) with evidence
• Documents can be used to
support whatever argument
you take
• BUT you must include
outside information!!
•
•
•
•
How is the DBQ Scored?
On scale of 1-9
Graders guided by “core-scoring method”
Can get 6 points for doing basic tasks
Basic Core
– Having acceptable thesis
– Using a substantial majority of the documents
– Addressing all parts of question
– Understanding and proper utilization of docs
– Illustration point of view (in at least 3 docs)
– Grouping docs (at least 3 different categories)
• Expanded Core
• Can get 3 additional points
– Clear and comprehensive thesis
– Using all docs
– ‘skillfully’ using docs as evidence
– Insightful analysis of docs
– Illustrating point of view in at least 4 docs
– Grouping docs (more than 3 categories)
– Incorporating outside knowledge (not mentioned)
Thesis (Skills 1 and 3)
• Read the question at
least 3 times
• Make sure your thesis
reflects the question
• Remember, DON’T use
“I” or “YOU”
• Don’t ignore any part of
the question
– Social, economic, political
DOCs (Skills 2 and 4)
• USE EVERY DOC! Skip one at
most.
• Reference each doc:
• “… (DOC 1).” or “As (author
of doc) points out, many
moderate Marxists felt….”
• You may quote the docs, but
make sure you explain how it
relates to your thesis and to
the other docs in the group…
• You’re allowed to misinterpret
one, but try not to…
Point of View (Skill 5)
• The docs are not facts,
they’re opinions. In
what ways) can such
opinions reflect bias?
• Author?
• Place (and time)?
• Prior Knowledge?
• Audience?
• Reason/Goal?
• POV is not really “The
Main Idea” or “The
Significance”.
Group the Docs (Skill 6)
• You must have at least 3
different groups
• Group = at least 2 docs (AP)
• Good idea to use more than 2 (in
case you misinterpret 1), so Mr.
M requires three
• Docs can be used more than
once
• Can be grouped as (for ex.):
– Pro v con
– Revolutionary v Moderate v
Reactionary
– 19th v 20th century
Expanded Core Points
• Skill 7
– Create a thesis that not only answers the question but
indicates how your essay will be organized (grouped)
• Skills 8, 10, 11, 12 ask you to do the basic cores
well:
• Skill 9
–
–
–
–
Cite the document
State the author
Cite it (Doc 2)
DO NOT WRITE: “In document 2, blah, blah, is said,
which is contradicted by doc 13.”
–The essay is about the authors of the
source!
–Also, paraphrasing makes for a boring and
tedious read…
APPARTS (to determine POV)
• Author
– Who created the source?
– What do you know about the author?
– What is his/her point of view?
• Place (and time)
– Where and when was the source produced and how might this
affect its meaning?
• Prior Knowledge
– Beyond information about the author and the context of its
creation, what do you know that would help you further understand
the doc? Symbols? Other names (a French Calvinist)
• Audience
– To whom was the source written and how does it affect its
reliability?
• Reason
– Why was it produced?
• THE Main Idea
– What point is the doc trying to convey?
• Significance
– Why is it important? This about the question your trying answer?
Check List
• Read the Question x 3
• Gather Outside information
– Scribble everything you can remember
whether it’s relevant or not
• Create columns, grids, timeline
• Now Read Docs and apply APPARTS
– Write notes on the side
• Docs are usually arranged
chronologically
• If they’re not, it’s usually indicated that
you should be comparing/contrasting
different points of view
• Watch for contradictions within the docs
• Consider the source’s political ideology,
class, race, religion, gender
Let’s practice:
• Discuss the roles played by women in
the religious conflicts of the sixteenth
century.
Think about the question
• What were the religious conflicts of the sixteenth
century?
• Remember the 16th century = the 1500s
• Didn’t something happen on Halloween in 1517?
• Where did it happen?
• Wittenberg, Germany
• Who was involved
• Pope
• Martin Luther (What do I remember about this guy?)
• What were the issues?
• Sale of indulgences, ‘faith alone’, priesthood of all
believers.
Document 1
Document 2
Document 3
Document 4
Document 5
Source: German mother teaching her
daughter to read the Bible. German
woodcut, circa 1540.
Document 6
Source: Elizabeth's Act of Uniformity
(1559), Where at the death of our late sovereign lord King
Edward VI there remained one uniform order of common service
and prayer, and of the administration of sacraments, rites, and
ceremonies in the Church of England, which was set forth in one
book, entitled: The Book of Common Prayer, and Administration
of Sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies in the Church of
England; authorized by Act of Parliament holden in the fifth and
sixth years of our said late sovereign lord King Edward VI,
entitled: An Act for the uniformity of common prayer, and
administration of the sacraments; the which was repealed and
taken away by Act of Parliament in the first year of the reign of
our late sovereign lady Queen Mary, to the great decay of the due
honor of God, and discomfort to the professors of the truth of
Christ's religion