Transcript DBQ Writing Tips - APUSHReview.com

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Everything You Need To Know About Writing The
DBQ To Succeed In APUSH
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Read the prompt VERY, VERY CAREFULLY.
Make sure you know what it is asking you to do
o Are you determining the effectiveness of something?
• If yes, CLEARLY STATE if it was or was not effective
o Comparing and Contrasting?
• Make sure to do both!
o Analyzing?
• Don’t just list events, describe why they are important and how they
relate to other events
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Take 15 minutes to read the documents, summarize them,
and list outside info
Documents are in chronological order
o They start at the beginning of the time period
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Note the author of the document
o This can help provide valuable outside info
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Confused on a document?
o Skip it!
o You do NOT need to incorporate every document
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If the prompt asks you to determine the effectiveness of a
topic…..
o Write “effective” or “ineffective” next to each document
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Make sure you have a strong intro paragraph
How long should the essay be?
o Depends on the essay topic
o NEVER less than 2 body paragraphs
o In many cases, at least 3 body paragraphs
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Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that relates to
your thesis
Define historical terms!
o Cash and Carry, Lend-Lease Act, etc.
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When in doubt, use “because”
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Never write, “Document A says the Republican Party
opposed World War II in 1940.”
o The document says nothing, the author does
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Instead, “Many Americans opposed entrance into World
War II, even as the war raged on in Europe. The Republican
Party platform from 1940 articulated this exact position.”
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Be careful of overgeneralizing
o Don’t use “all,” “never,” etc.
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Focus on sophisticated vocabulary
Instead of writing: “says,” “states,” “shows,” “feels,” etc…
o Use: “demonstrates,” “portrays,” “depicts,” “illustrates,”
“symbolizes,” “exemplifies,” “articulates,” etc.
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Never, EVER use “I” or “you”
o Instead of saying, “As you can see, the causes of World War I
were….” write:
o “The events that contributed to the outbreak of World War I were”
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