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
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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