1. Document Based
Question Essay

2. Step #1: What is a DBQ Essay?
•You do NOT need to have background
knowledge of the prompt
•You act like a lawyer- taking evidence
(documents) and proving a point
•Your job is to: organize, interpret and
analyze these documents
•Usually historical background is
provided, but you are not expected to know
more than that These means do not insert
your own knowledge or information

3. Step
2:
DBQ
•___/1 Acceptable Thesis
•___/1 Understand basic meaning of documents
•___/2 Supports thesis with appropriate evidence from all
or all but one of the documents (1 point onlysupports
thesis with appropriate evidence from all but 2
documents)
•___/1 Analyzes point of view in at least 2 documents
•___/Analyzes documents by grouping them in 2 or 3 ways
depending on the question
•___/1 Identifies and explains the need for one type of
appropriate additional document or source
____________________________________________
•___/7 Subtotal for all basic core points
•___/2 Possible expanded core points*
•___/9 Total possible points for the DBQ

4. Step 3: Thesis Practice
•Instructions: Because the DBQ does not
require any previous knowledge of the
subject matter, most theses’ can be written,
or at least outlined, before you read the
documents. This will help you make sure you
have a strong thesis.
•Write a thesis for each of the prompts. Leave
open blanks for the specifics.
•A thesis CAN be more than one sentence

5. DBQ Prompt 2010
•Identify in Prompt: what the question wants you to find
and the time period
•Include in thesis: time period and all points asked
•Example: DBQ Prompt 2010:Using the following
documents, analyze similarities and differences in the
mechanization of the cotton industry in Japan and India
in the period from the1880’s to the 1930’s. Identify an
additional type of document and explain how it would
help your analysis of the mechanization of the cotton
industry.

6. •DBQ Prompt 2010:Using the
following documents, analyze
similarities and differences in the
mechanization of the cotton industry
in Japan and India in the period from
the1880’s to the 1930’s. Identify an
additional type of document and
explain how it would help your
analysis of the mechanization of the
cotton industry.

7. •Thesis:
oBetween the decades of the
1880’s and the 1930’s, the
cotton industry in Japan and
India experienced varied
similarities through
_________________ but
differed in _____________ and
______________.

8. Step 3:
Continuing
Practicing with
the other
prompts

9. What is my WAT?
WHAT do they want me to find?
AREA of the world?
TIME PERIOD in history?

10. Step 4: How to Organize the Documents
•Things to Consider:
•What did the prompt as me to find?
•Marking/labeling your documents in some way (how you will use them)
•Draw up a little outline of what documents will go where
•Make sure you use a majority of the documents, if not all of them
•Consider all points of view of who is writing this document
•Consider: Does the prompt ask me to acknowledge other documents I
would need
•When using these documents in the essay:
oDo NOT directly quote long passages of the documents,
oJust repeat data or statistics and “tell me” what the documents say.
Summarize what the documents say

11. Step 5: Practice with Documents
•Use the DBQ #1 to
read, interpret and
organize the
documents

12. Step 6: Write Thesis & Organize
Documents
•Thesis=
•How will you divide the
documents? (feel free to
write on the documents)

13. Step 7: Write a full Essay
•Use DBQ #1 to
write a full
essay

14. How to include docs?