Writing the DBQ - Conroe High School
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Transcript Writing the DBQ - Conroe High School
What is a DBQ?
Document
Based
Question
Document Based Question
Purpose
*Not to test your knowledge of the
subject, but rather to evaluate your ability
to use sources to support your opinion.
You will be required to work with the
documents and use them to answer a
question.
Am I Right?
Remember that there is actually no
right or wrong answer. Your answer is
YOUR interpretation of the content of
the documents. As long as your
answer is logical and your
interpretation is supported by the
content of the document you are
correct.
Writing a DBQ
Purpose
To demonstrate your ability to
formulate and support an answer
from documentary evidence
This is best accomplished by viewing the
document within the wider context of the
course and the other documents
provided
Steps to Follow
Read and Analyze
10 minutes initially
Plan and Write
5 minutes for planning
35 minutes to write
Analyze the Question
What are the task/directive words?
What are the parameters of the question?
Time span, geographic areas, political
issues, economic issues, etc.
What are other key terms in the question?
Include an historical background paragraph
Analyze any key terms and parameters here
Note – usually contain more than 1 part!!
Analyze the Documents (SLOSAP)
Subject including concepts
Language & tone to understand POV
Occasion means time, place & context
Speaker including position & relation
to event
Audience intended by author
Point of View of the author and the
intended purpose
What Patterns Appear?
Categories are often suggested by the
question
Look for different sides based on
ideas, pov, similarities or differences
Don’t Just List the Documents
in Your Essay!!
Find groupings for the documents.
Can they be organized into a format?
What is the OVERALL picture
presented by the documents.
Writing the Essay
MUST include pre-writing
MUST have clear, analytical thesis
Put this in your intro so you don’t forget
it!!
Always refer to the documents
Group the documents to use them
Connect documents to the question
Identify the document by number or
author
Use all the documents
Other Points to Remember
You must identify 2 documents that
would have been useful in answering
the question
Think about which viewpoints are
missing
Including outside information will add
bonus points