AP European History DBQ
description
Transcript of AP European History DBQ
AP European History DBQ
9 Steps to a 9
It is all about looking closely at the evidence and
explaining what you see!
What is a DBQ?• The name has it: this essay uses
documents as persuasive evidence in your response to the question.
• If you don’t answer the question by carefully analyzing and incorporating the documents, you have missed the task.
What do you need to do?• Answer the historical question directly• Provide a clear, complex thesis that does
not simply rephrase the question• Outline your supporting arguments• Use the documents persuasively as
evidence for your arguments• Show awareness of how point-of-view
affects the information in documents• Find themes and connections between
documents
This sounds
impossible!
Fear not!• DBQs are not impossible. They are
challenging but also fun.• You get to condense all of your historical
skills into short bursts of interpretation• The more you practice, the easier they get• There are 9 steps to a perfect 9…
–Practice these every time and your score will continue to improve!
Step 1: Read the Instructions
• An AP DBQ will typically provide you with several handy pieces of information– Timing guidelines– Reminders (a “checklist” of skills)
• Thesis answers question• Majority of documents specifically used• POV and Groupings
– A question or prompt that breaks down the tasks into several parts
– Historical background information
Step 2. Read and Interpret the Question
• Read the question for what is says and what it implies
• Rephrase the question for yourself
• List the tasks individually (describe, analyze…)
• List the parts of your answer you will need
• Rewrite dates (17th century 1600s)
Step 3. Background to Foreground
Frame the time and place with hub dates
—list them!
List the
background
knowledge you
have in a
graphic
organizer
Use “PERSIA”!
Jot down a preliminary
thesis—how would you
answer this without
documents?
Step 4. Skim the Documents for Key Information
Document 3
Source: Jacques Bossuet, French Bishop, Politics Taken from the Very Word of Scripture, 1679
The power of God makes itself felt in a moment from one extremity of the earth to another. Royal power works at the same time throughout all the realm. It holds all the realm in position, as God holds the earth. Should God withdraw his hand, the earth would fall to pieces; should the king's authority cease in the realm, all would be in confusion.
Information about nationality and occupation of
author
Hey! You know this guy! Always skim for known authors
and documents
Check for years on
each document and keep
them grouped
around hub dates, and early to late
If the main idea is easy to identify on
first glance, highlight or note it
Step 5. Mark-up the Documents, keeping organizers
as you go• Highlight or
underline only CRITICAL info, the summarize in margins
• Group by date, by nationality, by topic, by author, by type
• POV indicators: sex/ gender, class, occupation, religion, political affiliation, age
Don’t waste time summarizing each document—just the stuff you might use.
Create a “T-chart” or web to establish groups, and let the question guide you.
Always ask: what do I (think I) know about the author, and how would that influence the perspective here?
Step 6. Analyze the documents
Sola Scriptura?… Now it is just you and the text.
So what are the documents saying in
response to the question?
What are the documents saying to each other?
You are responsible for helping your readers see what you see—analysis is not just about observing, but also
describing and explaining!
Step 7. Revise and Clarify your THESIS
A great DBQ thesis must…Fully and directly answer the questionGo beyond restating the questionTake a stand that is debatable and
defensibleClearly preview (outline) where you are
going with your argumentsBe based on the evidence at hand
If you can’t support it with the documents, it isn’t a great DBQ thesis!
Step 8. Set the StageSet the time clearly for
readers—what has come
before.
Give a sense of place and
context—what are the big
themes, and where are we,
literally?
What are the issues in the background
that frame your thesis?
Get to the heart of the matter: State
your thesis clearly, and outline your
arguments to come.
Step 9. Persuade with Evidence and Write with Flair!
• Write your essay in an organized, 5-P format
• Underline your thesis• State your claims and
back them up with sound argumentation
• Always explain your evidence
• Write with enthusiasm and energy!
A few follow-up points
• Remember to introduce your evidence as you would introduce a guest…with relevant information and thoughtful details.
“Immanuel Kant, an influential Prussian philosopher in the time of Frederick II,
believed that a free press was a necessary pre-condition to an Enlightened Society.”
NOT: Document 4 says there should be a free press.
Describe POV with care• Explain WHY the
person’s identity would influence his or her understanding…
“Elizabeth I, who as a young monarch struggled to control
religious dissenters, understood the stability of the state to be more important than personal
religious conviction. This is seen in…”
Check Yourself!
? Did you underline your thesis?? Did you answer all parts of the question?? Did you outline your arguments in the
opening paragraph?? Did you set the time and place?? Did you describe and explain documents?? Did you introduce your people with relevant
information?? Did you use a majority of the documents?