How to Write a Killer Document Based Essay-DBQ

Here is a series of steps that will help you get maximum points on your document based questions (DBQ's) in the AP World History exam.  You will need to go over this article step by step and master each element, but if you actually invest the time and practice the pay off will be well worth it come the time of your exam.

Step 1: Use an Analytical Thesis (For all AP Essays)

An analytical thesis includes a description of why the central claim in your essay is correct.

The thesis must contain specific contextual information and the main arguments that you use in the essay to prove that it is true.

A Bad Thesis:

“Buddhism’s spread through China was very important to the development of Chinese culture.”

This thesis is weak.  It adds nothing to the essay and leaves the reader with more questions than answers:

1.)    What does ‘Buddhism’ mean here?  2.) What do we mean by ‘spread’? 3.) When did this occur and in which context? 4.) What were the effects of Buddhism? 5.)  What parts of the culture did it affect?  6.) How do we know this?

A good thesis should answer most if not all of these questions. 

A Proper Thesis:

“As Buddhism began to spread from India through China in the first century c.c., the influence of its religious principles in a society troubled – at least among lower classes – by warfare and want is demonstrated by the Confucianists’ negative reaction to it as well as the lasting political effects it left in its wake.”

This thesis answers all of the questions.  It reveals how the student will prove it to be correct.  It an outline of the political, social, and geographic context of Buddhism, along with the social and political effects that it had. 

In a Nutshell

There are three steps to a good thesis:

1.)    State your claim clearly

2.)    Define terms, context, and chronology of the events being discussed

3.)    Describe why your claim is true

A Document Based Question Thesis

1.)    Open using something like, “After reviewing these documents, it is clear that…”

2.)    Rephrase the question as an answer; include all key phrases

3.)    Address each part of the question with a statement and a document reference or an example (compare, contrast, and change over time as appropriate)

4.)    Make the transition to the body of the essay by citing the additional document: “To better understand how these documents relate to each other, a document about X would be useful…”

Things to Know:

You will be given 4-11 documents to read and use to support your thesis.

You will be given 10 minutes to read the documents before the essay portion of the exam

Write an essay that:

a)      Has a relevant thesis by at least SIX documents, try to use EIGHT

b)      Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible.  (Don’t just summarize each document!)

c)       Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the author’s point of view for at least FOUR documents, but FIVE or SIX is better.

d)      Identifies two types of additional documents useful for the question

e)      You should directly refer to historical information not mentioned in the documents but is relevant to the time period of the questions

f)       Finally in your conclusion summarize your thesis and make reference either to a different time period or another field of study.  The idea is to make broader connections in your conclusion to other topics of interest.

Basic Steps

1.)    Process the questions:

Reread the question several times.  Circle and underline key words  Draw a table or chart based on the question.  When you read the documents use the information you find to fill in your chart.

Answer these three questions now:

a)      Based on the question, what do you know the documents are about?

b)      What are you being asked to do?

c)      What could an extra document do in this question?

2.)    Read the documents:

Before the start of the essay you have ten minutes to start reading your documents.  (4-10 documents)

Note the author, the time period, the audience, and cultural background.

What is the main idea being presented?

Use your chart that you made to analyze your documents.

Work the documents.  Underline them and make notes on the documents about your own ideas and questions you may have while reading them. 

Write down similarities and differences that you observe between the documents, between different societies, or between different time periods. 

Write down anything that comes to mind while reading. 

3.)    Create your thesis:

Create a proper analytical thesis that includes the context, the documents, explanation of terms, and the reasons why your thesis is true.

Make sure to put key words from the question into your thesis.

4.)    Support your thesis using all of the documents:

Make sure you read the documents carefully and to make a thesis that works.  Use the documents and any other information you may know from your studies to argue your thesis.  Explain your arguments, refer to specific parts of the documents, give examples and use quotes.

5.)    Analyze the documents:

1.)    Identify when and where the document was written and the author who wrote it.

2.)    What was going on socially, politically, can culturally when the document was written?

3.)    How might that affect the author’s point of view?

4.)    How might the author’s gender, age, social/political status affect the author’s point of view?  How does content and toe of the document relate to the other documents?

5.)     What does this document say that the others don’t? 

6.)    What accounts for these differences?

7.)    Who was the intended audience? 

8.)    What was the author trying to express?

6.)    Group the documents in three different ways:

Find three different ways that you can organize and group the documents.  (i.e. by topic, by chronological order, by gender, religion, political affiliation, the list goes on here.

7.)    Identify and explain at least TWO additional types of documents:

One is the absolute minimum but two additional documents can help your score. 

1.)    What types of documents offer information that is not already present?

2.)    What points of view are missing that would make your argument stronger? (groups not represented like women, slaves, other political parties, other religions, nationalities, minorities, etc

3.)    Why is the additional document or point of view important?

If you can’t think of a specific document, invent one!!! 

Mention a type of document that you think should be included if you can’t think of a name.  Be a bit creative if you need to.

8.)    Synthesize your topic.  Write a brief conclusion restating your thesis and make reference to a different historical period that is relevant to the question, or to another field of study such as psychology, economics, etc.