Document Based Question

1. Document Based Question Prompt Analysis Format Checklist and Recipe

2. Directions: Follow the steps in the order in which they appear. After a time they should become internalized so, you don’t have to think about them. This guide should help you to dissect the question, to organize your thoughts, and to analyze the documents so that you can begin to write your essay.

3. Step 1: Read the General Directions on the test very carefully each time you practice writing a DBQ. By the time of the AP exam in May you should know the directions so well that this step will be unnecessary.

4. Step 2: Read the Document Based Question. • Approach it as an essay question for which you DON’T have documents. • Read the Document Based Question very carefully and answer the following:

5. What is the time frame of the essay question? Are the date parameters stated? What are they? Check them with your anchor dates. If they are not specifically stated, you have flexibility to determine your own parameters. Seize control of the prompt by defining these parameters. • Try to get a feel for the period by listing the Presidents of the period along with the major facts of each administration. Put the question in the CONTEXT of the events and culture of this period. Think of the themes and labels of this era.

6. What, if any, geographic areas are involved? (may not be applicable to every question) • Underline the operative words like analyze, assess the validity, evaluate, to what extent, evaluate the relative importance of etc. found in the question. Then explain, in your own words, what these operative words want you to do. These words must become part of your working vocabulary and you must understand what they are asking you to do. Be sure you are responding to the prompt.

7. Underline or circle the words which comprise the core of the question. • Which history specific terms, if any, may require explicit or implicit definitions? List and define them. • Then, in your own words, explain exactly what this question is asking you to do. Begin with the words: "This question wants me to..." • What judgment is it asking you to make? Does it have more than one part? Are bullets provided? Is there a choice of responses? You MUST answer the question. Do not try to answer the question you wish had been asked.

8. Step 3: Writing a Preliminary Thesis Statement before you read the documents. While you should not write your final thesis statement until after you have read and analyzed all the documents, you should know enough about this topic from what you have studied in your course to write a very preliminary thesis statement that addresses all parts of the question.

9. It is not necessary to write this statement in complete sentences. It may simply be a compilation of ideas and thoughts, but it should serve as a road map to what will follow in your essay.

10. Step 4: Organizing Your Essay. Based on what the question is asking you to write about and the ideas you hove assembled while writing your preliminary thesis statement, draw a diagram of how you will organize your essay. NEVER tell the reader what your are going to do, JUST DO IT. Avoid lengthy direct quotations from the documents like the plague. You are to be the author of the essay, not the editor.

11. Step 5: Outside Information. As the general directions have indicated, you are required to integrate substantial, relevant outside information into your essay. Be sure you understand these terms: • substantial: • relevant: • outside information:

12. List, any information about the DBQ topic that comes to mind, using acronyms like ESP, PERSIA or SPRITE, laws, treaties, events This is your database, and should insure that you have substantial, relevant outside information. Bring in as much outside specific factual information as you can. Use the documents as clues for the outside information readers are looking for. No single thing is as important as outside information in the DBQ.

13. Step 6: Reading and Analyzing the Documents: Read and analyze each document looking for the most important points. Note the author, the date, and any clear bias for each document. Circle or underline key words and phrases. Attempt to ascertain why each document is included. Most documents are designed to trigger the memory of outside information. Many documents can be used to support both sides of a question. Carefully analyze each document to determine how it can support your thesis and clearly relate it back to your thesis.

14. Now, take notes on each document in the spaces provided below. Be sure to include the main point of each document as it relates to the question and indicate how each document relates to your organizational structure. As you read each document decide why the members of the ETS Test Development Committee chose to incorporate the document in the question.

15. Analyze the documents, using the SOAPS or APPARTS checklist. Remember that a document is NOT a fact, but a piece of evidence to interpret. The point of view of the sources is crucial to its credibility, but even when people agree on the facts, they may interpret those facts differently. Examine the source for bias and demonstrate to the reader that you understand its impact on the reliability of the document.

16. Step 7: Provide your INSIGHT into the complexity of the question. This is particularly important in reaching the highest [7-8-9] scores. Try to impress the reader with your analysis of the question in the first paragraph. Remember to refute strong points on the other side, but your thesis should reflect the preponderance of the evidence. Another phrase to use is on balance.

17. Step 8: Writing the Final Thesis Statement: Using the ideas from your preliminary thesis statement and what you have read in the documents, write a final thesis statement of 1-2 sentences which relates back to what the question is asking you to do. Remember that your thesis statement should act as a road map for your essay and tell the reader exactly what you are going to prove.

18. The best student writers take a middle of the road approach to a question and realize that in history everything is not black and white. Most topics contain shades of gray, but a thesis statement is a positive statement and judgment on an issue about which reasonable men differ. Having and proving a thesis is crucial to receiving the highest scores. The reader has only approximately two minutes with your essay. Make your information easy to extract.

19. Step 9: Outlining Your Essay. Now you will outline the paragraphs in your essay to prove your thesis. Never integrate the documents into the essay in the order in which they appear in the question. Refer back to Step 4 to see exactly how you will organize the essay. Your response should suggest a logical sequence of presentation

20. Provide abundant and appropriate factual support for your thesis, keeping your focus on the question. Don’t lapse into a narrative of everything you know on the topic and don’t editorialize. Stick to the facts. When you make a point, be sure that it links to and supports your thesis.

21. When you finish a paragraph, look back to your thesis for the linkage between your thesis and what you have said. In a DBQ, be sure you have a substantial amount of outside information and have used a substantial number of the documents.

22. Paragraph 1: You may wish to set the stage in-this paragraph and provide some background information that could count as outside information. • Paragraph 2; List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you will use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include.

23. Paragraph 3: List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you will use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include. • Paragraph 4: List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you win use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include.

24. Paragraph 5: List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you will use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include. • Paragraph 6: List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you will use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include.

25. Paragraph 7: List the topic of the paragraph, the outside information you will use, and the name and the letter of the documents you will include. • The penultimate (second to last) paragraph is the place to include a concession statement. [if you choose]  It allows for additional documents to be used as well as other relevant information.  It shows that the students understand the complexity of the question.

26. If time permits, write a CONCLUSION that provides the information: If my thesis is correct, then _____ is true. Do not introduce new information into your conclusion. Do not contradict your thesis. Make sure that your conclusion summarizes the information in the thesis paragraph, but uses different words. Should you wish, this would be a good time to link what you know about this topic to some future event.

27. If you were writing a DBQ about foreign policy during the Early National Period, you could end your essay by saving that the ideas in Washington's Farewell Address were not only followed by the first five presidents, but were followed by most American presidents until the U.S. joined the N.A.T.O, alliance in 1949.

28. Step 10: Now you may begin to write. DBQ answers are typically 3-6 sides of a page long. Do not refer to documents by letter in your essay. In fact you do not need to cite the documents at all unless you wish to do this. Most readers agree that using (Doc A) at the end of the sentence is the preferred method. Your DBQ should read smoothly, just like a regular essay. Never quote more than a few words from a document as you write the essay.

29. Some Useful Explanations & Acronyms

30. APPARTS • APPARTS is a device that is used by students to analyze documents.  It was developed for the new Vertical Teams program for Social Science.  It "replaces" the old SOAPS method.  Here it is:

31. A = Author Who created the source?  What do you know about the Author?  What is the author's point of view? • P = Place and Time Where and when was the source produced?  How might this affect the meaning of the source?

32. P = Prior Knowledge  Beyond information about the author and the context of its creation, what do you know that would help you further understand the primary source? • A = Audience  For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source?

33. T = The Main Idea  What point is the source trying to convey? • S = Significance  Why is this source important?  Ask yourself, "So what?" in relation to the question asked. • R = Reason Why was this source produced and how might this affect the reliability of the source?

34. SOAPS • S Subject What is being discussed • O Occasion Context of events • A Audience Message directed at? • P Purpose Recommended action to the reader • S Speaker What/Who is the source?

35. PERSIA Catagories for database brainstorming • P Political • E Economic • R Religion • S Social • I Intellectual • A Arts

36. TOAD • TOAD • Thesis • Outside detail • Analyze Documents

37. SPRITE • S Social • P Political • R Religious • I Ideological • T Technological • E Economic

38. A.P. U.S. History Rubric Check Sheet

39. Thesis • Well developed and clearly focused (8-9) • Clear and adequate (5-7) • Confused, limited, or missing (2-4) • No thesis, provides an inappropriate response (0-1)

40. Document Usage (DBQs only) • Sophisticated use of a substantial number of documents (8-9) • Several documents used, may be more descriptive than analytical (5-7) • Few documents used, significant errors in document interpretation (2-4) • No document used, obvious misunderstanding of documents (0-1)

41. Critical Thought • Strong interpretation and analysis (8-9) • Limited or superficial analysis, mostly descriptive (5-7) • Limited or no understanding of the question (2-4) • Shows a complete lack of understanding (0-1)

42. Evidence • Abundant, appropriate, dealing with all aspects of question (8-9) • Uses some factual information (5-7) • Superficial or missing supporting information (2-4) • Little or no evidence (0-1)

43. Writing Style • Well organized and well written (8-9) • Acceptable organization and writing (5-7) • Weak organization and/or poorly written (2-4)) • May be incomprehensible (0-1)

44. Error Level • No errors or errors are insignificant (8-9) • May contain minor errors (5-7) • May contain major errors (2-4) • Has substantial factual errors (0-1)

45. LIST OF TRANSITIONAL WORDS FOR WRITING ESSAYSJohn A. Braithwaite • The following is a list of transition words to help students write more fluently and meaningful essays.

46. Indicating similarity or addition: • again equally in fact • also equally important in general • and for in the same fashion • another for example likewise • as for instance moreover • as if further(more) of course • as much as in addition similarly • as though in addition to too • besides in a like manner

47. Indicating dissimilarity, or contradiction • although even though on the contrary • and yet however on the other hand • another in comparison otherwise • as if in comparison to still • away from in place of than • besides in spite of unfortunately • but instead unless • by comparison less important whereas • conversely neither while • differing from nevertheless yet • even if notwithstanding

48. Indicating cause, purpose, consequence, or result • as for this reason provided that • accordingly fortunately since • as a result hence so • because in any case then • consequently in fact therefore • for it began with thus • finally of course unfortunately

49. Indicating spatial order or reference • above behind here • across below in a corner • across from beneath in back of • adjacent beside in front of • against between inside • alongside beyond in the middle • among down near • around eventually next to • at facing on • before farther opposite • outside to the side of up • over toward upon • throughout under within • through underneath without

50. Indicating Chronology or Sequence: • after first, second, etc. presently • afterward formerly provided that • as soon as hereafter secondly • at first in the beginning since • at last in the meantime then • at length in the second place thereafter • at present in the first place soon • at the same time later to begin with • before meanwhile until • during moments later when • earlier next while • finally now yet • first of all once