DBQ Writing Tips - APUSHReview.com
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Everything You Need To Know About Writing The
DBQ To Succeed In APUSH
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
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
Note the author of the document
o This can help provide valuable outside info
Confused on a document?
o Skip it!
o You do NOT need to incorporate every document
If the prompt asks you to determine the effectiveness of a
topic…..
o Write “effective” or “ineffective” next to each document
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
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that relates to
your thesis
Define historical terms!
o Cash and Carry, Lend-Lease Act, etc.
When in doubt, use “because”
Never write, “Document A says the Republican Party
opposed World War II in 1940.”
o The document says nothing, the author does
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.”
Be careful of overgeneralizing
o Don’t use “all,” “never,” etc.
Focus on sophisticated vocabulary
Instead of writing: “says,” “states,” “shows,” “feels,” etc…
o Use: “demonstrates,” “portrays,” “depicts,” “illustrates,”
“symbolizes,” “exemplifies,” “articulates,” etc.
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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