The Document Based Question
What do I need to know about
history?
•Nothing
•The more you know the better your essay will be,
but it is still possible to get a 9 without knowing
much at all.
– All the information you will need to complete your
essay is contained in the document.
– It is your job to organize, interpret, and analyze these
documents.
– Writing the DBQ (Document Based Question) is a skill
and like all other skills,
it can be learned.
First 10 Minutes
• Reading and organizing time, i.e. you cannot
write in your little pink essay booklet.
• Spend this 10 minutes working on the DBQ
since this essay requires the most reading and
preparation time.
Your question book will look like
this—except say World History (I
hope)
Pre-Write
• Find the question. It is usually at the end of the page.
underline key terms and parameters (dates and
places)
Example:
1. Using the following documents, analyze the causes and
consequences of the Green Revolution in the period from 1945 to the
present. Identify and explain one additional type of document and
explain how it would help your analysis of the Green Revolution.
Historical Background: The Green Revolution refers to the worldwide
introduction of new, scientifically
bred crop varieties and intensive
use of new technologies.
• These key words will be a unifying link throughout the essay.
• The timeframe is unimportant because all of the documents will deal
with that time.
• The other document is important but not just yet…
Pre-Write cont.
• Key Words and Parameters?
– Causes and Consequences
– Green Revolution
– 1945-Present
– No region mentioned.
So… all your documents should be 1945-present. Pay attention to the
dates on the documents if listed. All are about the Green
Revolution.
What are you looking for when
you read them?
Causes and Consequences
Causes=why something happened
Consequences=results—NOT always bad
It is easy! But–
YOU MUST DO YOUR PRE-WRITING!
• 1. Read the question.
– Underline key words in
the question.
• 2. Read and summarize
the documents.
• 3. Organize
Now let’s set up our PI chart
Groups
Doc
#s
POV and
AD for
Each Group
Read the documents looking for….
• Each document should show a cause, or
a consequence. (they may even show
both). Read them and summarize them
out to the side.
• Do you see an answer there (cause or
consequence)? You should—they wrote
the dbq so you could find one.
• The part about the additional
documents is a reminder—you know
you need three of these.
• Historical Background is there to help
you. Read it, but it may not be
important—depending on how much
you know.
Make sure you have a print out of
the documents to go on.
• Do your summarizing and then go on
with the video—you are then going to
check them.
Doc. #1
• Graph
• Shows wheat yields went up in India
and Mexico steadily went up from from
1950-2005
• POV info: Source FAQ of United nations
2005. Prob. reliable—not much to go
on here.
Doc #2
• Graph
• Shows that World Population and food supply have been
increasing at about the same rate since about 1970. Also
shows a slightly higher population than food supply from
about 1930-1960. Finally, this graph shows a prediction
of both continuing to grow at the same rate until 2050–
from looking at this graph we think—although the
population continues to grow food supply will also grow.
• POV info: Same source and year as doc #1 Assumes that
pop and food will grow at present rate.
Doc #3
• Says people are starving in 1949 and that the
united states should help other countries to
produce more food through the use of our
technology and knowledge.
• POV info: Harry Truman (president) during
inaugural address. Speech to motivate
Americans about how great they are and
motivate them to help “Free” nations—cold
war influence. (date is 1949)
Doc #4
• Cause—land is tired no nutrients left, poor nations
are starving, but with implementation of the green
revolution we will have more food. Also says
population growth needs to be slowed.
• POV: As a scientist that began the process, his name
being synonymous with the Green Revolution, he
would believe in it. However, he does not show
humility. He clearly believes this is not the only
needed solution to the problem.
Doc #5
• Gave credit for the green revolution
success in India to the farmers in
Punjab. Their initiative and energy
helped caused it to work.
• POV: 1970—so beginning of success.
His praise may be directed at making
the farmers feel ownership, or to make
that region continue to get behind the
changes in Agriculture.
Doc #6
• Consequence—wealth in the region of
Mexico where the growth of food has
increased due to the green revolution.
• POV Ideas: She is the wife of a Mexican
agricultural official. She may see how the
land owners and officials are getting
wealthy, but might miss the effects on the
average Mexican.
Doc #7
• Makes the land owners rich, but that for
some groups it is actually worsening their
situation. Especially for women in rural
areas.
• POV ideas: You can bring up the fact that
these problems may have more to do with
the continued female subjugation of
women—not the green revolution.
Doc #8
• List many negative consequences—once again mentions
lower classes are not helped economically.
• Mentions the Punjab again—this time the “competition”
mentioned in the previous doc. is now violent.
• Water resources diminishing and causing conflict.
• POV Ideas: You have a few here—first, she is an Indian
living in India, so she would be aware of the situation in
the Punjab. Her article was published in an environmental
magazine. Such magazines are against using chemicals in
farming so they might be sensationalizing the issue….
Doc. #9
• The Green Revolution has really increased the standard
of living for the people in the Punjab.
• Family system has changed—traditions changing—from
extended family to nuclear family.
• POV Ideas: This report was probably researched well
and can be trusted, however the information could have
been skewed to show only the positive. Politicians could
be supported by the commercial farming industry.
Doc. #10
• The green revolution is reducing the
diversity of seeds and we are losing
plants wants native to areas now using
Green Revolution techniques.
• POV: The writer feels this way because
globalization is marginalizing his
culture…
Pause this video and do your chart.
Some pointers:
• Be specific. Don’t use general themes
and don’t use good and bad or negative
and positive.
• Have at least three groups. Never
leave a document alone until you have
three.
• Remember your groups are your thesis.
Did you check?
•
•
•
•
Have you answered the question asked?
Did you use all the documents?
Do you have at least 3 groups?
Do you have Additional Documents that
you can justify?
My groups—
PS: you can make
these line up better
when you aren’t doing
ppt.
*Need for food and
increase in scientific
knowledge.
2, 3, 4
Improved Standards
of living in some.
1,2,4, 5, 6, 9
(7 and 8 could
also be used)
Problems and conflict
in society.
7, 8 (9?)
Ecological Problems
8, 10
3—cold war
AD: Map or graph showing
areas of soil degradation to
see if there was a dire need
for chemical fertilizer.
6, is the best choice—can do
more. AD: Survey of laborers
to see if their standard of
living has improved. Or
graph showing changes in
salary for workers to see if
their standard of living has
improved.
8, AD: Interview of people in
different castes…
10, AD: Agricultural
Scientist commenting on the
loss of seed diversity or a
chart showing loss of
diversity.
Now we can WRITE
II know you will go over your ten
minutes. Watch the time, but your
prewrite will actually save you
time.
Formula
•
•
•
•
•
Thesis
Group One
– Documents supporting this group
(summarized and analyzed)
– POV on one doc
– Additional doc
Group Two
– Documents supporting this
group(summarized and analyzed)
– POV on one doc
– Additional doc
Group Three
– Documents supporting this
group(summarized and analyzed)
– POV on one doc
– Additional doc
Conclusion
Remember—Write Fast!
Standiford’s Thesis
• From 1945 to the present the world has experienced a third
agricultural revolution. The “Green” revolution is still being
criticized and debated. People want to know if it saved us or
will it end up causing more problems in the long run. The
documents show that this revolution was caused by advances
in technology and the need for more food. They show that
the need for more food has been met and that many have
been able to raise their standard of living. However, they also
show that the Green Revolution has resulted in extreme
ecological damage, changes in society, and an increase in
conflict.
•
• ***Note: the beginning is just an intro. The thesis is the yellow. You
don’t need the intro. However, do you see I used the words from the
question? Important!
Body Paragraph One
• Documents 2, 3, and 4 show that people were starving and we could
not provide enough food for a growing population. Doc. 2 is a graph
showing that the population exceeded the food supply from the 1920’s
until approximately 1950. Doc. 3 is a speech motivating the people of
the United States to help those much less fortunate by explaining that
they are going hungry and need American technology and investment.
Of course this was during the cold war and the Truman wanted to be
seen as the world’s savior in order to gain favor over USSR. (POV)
Doc. 4 explains that before the green revolution people were starving
and that traditional methods of farming weren’t working due to soil
degradation. An additional document that might help to see whether
the soil degradation was increasing would be a map or graph
comparing soil degradation by region.
Body Paragraph Two
• Documents 1,2,4,5,6, and 9 all show that the green revolution has
generally raised standards of living for many. Doc. 1 and 2 both
show that food supply has grown globally and specifically in Mexico
were the Green revolution started. Doc. 4 says that many poor
nations will no longer be hungry. Doc. 5 says that not only can
people in the Punjab grow more food, but that it has provided a way
to increase their ability to be innovative and learn new technology.
Doc. 6 credits the Green Revolution with increased wealth in Mexico.
However, it must be noted that this is from the wife of an agricultural
official. She is observing the elite, not the average farmer or
agricultural worker. (pov). Doc. 9 States that through the adoption of
green revolution methods people in the Punjab have better education
and housing and has created more of a middle class. An additional
document that might support or refute this might be an interview or
survey from average households and agricultural laborers asking
about changes to their standard of living. Or a graph showing rising
standard’s of living in lower classes over time.
Body Paragraph Three
• Documents 7 and 8 show negative effects from the Green
Revolution on society. Doc. 7 states that especially for
women the changes have actually worsened their situation.
That it has increased the poverty and decreased the chances
for work in the working classes. However, this document
seems to place all the burden on agriculture while ignoring
the cultural reasons for these problems. Doc. 8 lists many
negatives that the Green Revolution has created. Poverty for
the rural working class and conflict because of this gap
between the rich and poor and scarce water supplies. And
additional document that might help would be an interview of
people in the Punjab or in Mexico to see if they feel there is a
greater gap in wealth and if this is increasing conflict.
Body Paragraph Four
• Documents 8 and 10 list many negative environmental
consequences of the Green Revolution. Doc. 8 blames the
revolution for decrease in diversity, water shortages, pestinfested crops and more. Doc. 10 says that we are losing
native seeds and that the green revolution techniques are
causing reduce our seed diversity. Doc. 10 is written by a
group of people whose culture is being marginalized. They
would believe that losing native seeds as negative because
they see losing any of their traditional culture is bad.
However, many farmer that are not Mayan may not feel that
this is a significant loss. (pov) An additional document that
might be would be from an agricultural scientist showing the
link between the G. R. on the loss of seed diversity or a
chart showing loss of diversity.
Conclusion
• Re-answer your question with your
groups.
• In most cases your conclusion should
be more than a restating of your thesis,
but in this case…
• Do you know more than what was in
the documents and haven’t shown it?
Now’s your time.
Hopefully you are getting the idea.
• Remember—this is the longest essay.
You must show understanding AND
evidence. You must do one POV at
least per group and one additional
document per group.
• Time yourself and practice. Use old
DBQ’s like I just did.
• Now that you have the DBQ done it is
time to move to the other questions.