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| AP TEST FORMAT - DBQ EXPLAINED | |
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APUSH HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS EXPLANATION Examples of Continuity and Change to consider!
You will be given a Document Based Question essay and a standard Long Essay. The DBQ makes up 25% of your grade, and the Long Essay is worth 15%.
First, let’s talk about the
Document Based Question
(DBQ) essay. The test will give you a series of 7 documents.
The topics tend to be general, and the question looks to show
continuity and change, or one of the other historical thinking
skills. Here is a guide as to how you should write your essay. It is your job to group the 7 documents into different categories and argue a thesis.
Your Score on the DBQ will be
largely based on you answering “yes” to the following questions:
1. Do I have a detailed
thesis?
2. Did I put the documents into
historical context?
3. Did I utilize at least
four of the documents to
support the argument?
4. Is my
outside information
impressive? 5. On at least two
documents, did I explain the relevance towards the argument
regarding the audience,
purpose, historical situation, or author’s point of view? 6. Did I
demonstrate a complex
understanding of what the question is looking for? Did I use
sophisticated argumentation and/or effective use of evidence?
The new DBQ will have 7 Documents, and most likely ask you a question that can have two different sides to it. It is your job to do all of the following to get 7/7 points on your essay score.
Thesis =
1 Point (The Essay is Worth 7 Points in Total) The exam wants you to make a defensible
thesis or claim which responds to all parts of the question. Be
warned! Do not just use the sentence they give you as your
thesis. We know that there are economic, political, and
social causes for conflict. If you get a little creative, it will
help your grade.
Average Thesis:
The economic, political, and social issues of the antebellum period
all created a division between North and South that eventually led
to the Civil War.
Better Thesis:
Although economic, political, and social divisions all brought about
increased tensions before the Civil War, it was the economic
differences between North and South which led to political turmoil
as well as social unrest concerning slavery.
The
second thesis shows a greater level of creative and critical
thinking, and relates to all parts of the question. Often, starting
your thesis with a word like “although” will send you on the right
path to comparing and contrasting, or showing continuity
and change. Your thesis doesn’t have to be as elaborate as
above, but this example should help you understand critical
thinking.
Evidence
from the Documents = 2 Points
Mark up those documents in the 15 minute reading period! Include
only the vital bits and pieces from them. Use the clock or bring a
noiseless watch to the testing site, and keep an eye out on the
time! You should be able to write down in the margin of each
document the answers to the following:
1.
What are the important and relevant details of this document?
2.
Where does it fit into my essay, and how does it relate to the
history reasoning skill being targeted?
3.
How can I use this information to support the argument?
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Evidence Beyond the Documents = 1 Point; Contextualization = 1 Point
No Bull, you need to have a lot of
evidence beyond the documents, or outside information.
You will not get credit for
only providing a phrase! As you go through each document,
jot down notes in the margins.
I
don’t see anything about secession in the documents. That’s outside
information.
I
don’t see anything about the election of Abraham Lincoln. That’s
outside information.
I
don’t see John Brown or Harper’s Ferry. That’s outside information.
Throw it in. Show
impressive detail,
or a great scope of knowledge, to get this
point. It must relate to the prompt and argument. A phrase won’t cut
it!
Impressive Detail:
The Compromise of 1850, designed at first as an omnibus by “The
Great Compromiser” Henry Clay, but passed as separate bills with the
help of “The Little Giant” Stephen Douglas, provided for a strict
Fugitive Slave Act.
Impressive Detail:
Democrat Stephen Douglas’ Freeport
Doctrine, which supported popular sovereignty, was delivered in the
1858 Illinois Senatorial Debate between him and Republican candidate
Abraham Lincoln. Do you see the difference? Throw in a fact
here, a year there. That’s impressive detail! Similar to your outside knowledge, you must
show contextualization. In other words, you must
connect the documents to the larger picture of events, processes,
and developments occurring before, during, or after.
You can’t use the same outside
knowledge for your contextualization. So, if the document is
about muckrakers, connect it to the Progressive Era. If it’s on the
Stamp Act, link it to the end of Salutary Neglect. This skill is
worth 1 of the 7 points on the DBQ.
Analysis
and Reasoning = 2 Points For at least
two documents, you should point out the Historical
Situation,
Audience, Point of
View, and/or Purpose
and explain why it is relevant to the argument. For instance, in
Document 1, the Historical Situation would be the
antebellum period which saw abolition grow out of the Second Great
Awakening. The Audience would be the American public
or those sympathetic to abolition. The Purpose is for
bringing about the end of slavery. The Point of View
of Garrison, an abolitionist, is that slavery is an injustice and
must end. Showing how these ideas help to prove your argument is
worth one point.
Thus, “The purpose of the speech is ________, which further supports
the notion that ____________” Now for the final point: Complex
Understanding. This question is looking for you to
compare and contrast. Don’t just show similarities…show
differences as well! If they ask for continuity and change,
SHOW BOTH! If they ask a question about causation,
show multiple short-term and long-term causes, as well as short-term
and long-term effects. This will display a higher level of
understanding.
You get one point for
this type of complex understanding. For the point, you could also
explain multiple themes or perspectives to explore complexity or
nuance or explain relevant connections within and across periods or
geographic areas. Effectively using all 7
documents to support the argument works, as does explaining
how the Historical
Situation,
Audience, Point of
View, and/or Purpose
supports the argument in 4 documents.
In addition, one could also use the documents and outside
information to present a sophisticated understanding of different
perspectives relevant to the prompt. RETURN TO APUSH REVIEW SHEET CLICK FOR HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS |
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