The most important sentence in your DBQ

*

*

*On the AP exam, the DBQ is 7 points

*2 of those are the thesis alone

*1 question- analyze multiple documents

*55 minutes (including 15-minute reading time)

*Purpose is to analyze and synthesize historical data

*Assess written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence

*25% of exam score

*

*1 point

*make a historically defensible claim

*Respond to all parts of the question

*1 or more sentences located in one place

*1 point

*Develop and support cohesive argument

*recognizes historical complexity by explicitly

illustrating relationships

*Contradiction, corroboration, and/or qualification

*This is the idea that historical evidence doesn’t

always agree about everything, and you have to

provide evidence to support your claim

*

*Your thesis is an umbrella

that your arguments and

evidence have to fit under

*Your thesis will make an

argument, but will not list

your evidence or main

points.

*Lets people know where

you are going and what

your point is

The Rules

USE THE LANGUAGE OF THE PROMPT – Don’t restate the question, just make sure to use the important vocabulary. It’ll keep you on target.

ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION – Some topics are naturally easier or more interesting to you. You need to do all of them, especially the ones you don’t want to.

THIS IS THE SIZZLE, THE MAIN BODY IS THE STEAK – You want to be “specifically general”; tell the reader what you’ll be talking about, but don’t give away too much.

Your thesis should… *Be defensible! Make your position clear.

*Only cover what you will discuss in your essay * Don’t talk about The Simpsons if your essay is about Family Guy

*Do not specifically list out your arguments (3-prong) *The writers of The Family Guy use irreverent humor to

satirize pop culture, comment on the stereotypical American family, and explore controversial themes.

* AP will not give you credit for a 3-prong thesis

*Must respond to ALL PARTS of the question

• Example of a defensible thesis:

Although the irreverent humor in Family Guy

can be shocking, the writers are exploring

deeper societal issues.

*

*Qualifier + Complexity + Argument = Thesis

*Qualifier: Although, despite, while

*Complexity: Acknowledge another viewpoint or argument

*Summarize or generalize

*Argument: The argument you are arguing with your evidence

*Although many Americans perceived Manifest Destiny as a benevolent movement, it was in fact an act of aggressive imperialism pursued at the expense of others.”

*

*In the first part of your thesis statement, address the complexity of the topic

*Include a qualifier/qualification (although, while, despite)

*In the second part of your thesis statement, make your argument * You must pick a side- do not “fence-sit”

* Do not list your specific arguments in the thesis

*Example: Although the French Revolution had many contributing political, social, and economic factors, it was primarily incited by the emergence of the highly educated bourgeois class. * First part addresses complexities of the topic

* Second part makes a defensible argument that you will provide evidence to support. A position is taken on what caused the revolution.

* A title

* “French Revolution”

* Statements of fact

* “The French Revolution began with a riot against the monarchy.”

* Just a statement of opinion (it needs to be defensible- you need to make an argument)

* “The French Revolution could have been prevented if the monarchy had been nicer to the peasants.

* “I think…”

* Restating the prompt

* Listing your

arguments

* “This essay will…”

*

* Batman is a better superhero than Spiderman because he has a batmobile,

bat cave, and a lot of money.

*While all superheroes fight for truth and justice, Ironman is the best superhero because his moral rectitude and altruistic motivations are

combined with power and intelligence.

* I think Superman is the best superhero because he understands the value of

human life.

* Although superheroes can be powerful role models, they give us unrealistic

expectations of what we are capable of accomplishing and at times model

poor decision making.

*

*Analyze all 6 documents using SOAPS

* Subject – What does the source say (general topic, ideas, etc…), Why is it important? What is the historical significance? Ask yourself – SO WHAT??

*Occasion – When and Where was the source created? What is the historical context surrounding the creation of this document?

*Audience – For whom was the source created? Is it Reliable?

* Purpose – Why was this source produced? What motivated the author? What did he/she seek to accomplish?

* Speaker – Analyze the authors POINT OF VIEW. Consider the authors personal frame of reference (economic class, occupation, gender, religion, nationality, social status, education, etc…) Explain WHY this person would produce it. Is it Biased?

* Remember ALL Documents MUST be used in your essay. Look for the common themes in the documents!

*Now write your thesis!

*Qualifier + Complexity + Argument = Thesis

*

*Using five vocabulary words from this week, write a short

story or informational paragraph utilizing the words correctly.

Be sure to pay special attention to proper part of speech and

connotation. Be ready to share with the class.

DBQ Prompt

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