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What Is a DBQ?
Format of a DBQ
What Makes a Good DBQ Essay?
How to Prepare for a DBQ
How to Write a DBQ Essay
Curious about what a DBQ is and how to excel in writing one? This blog post will demystify Document-Based Questions, explain how they are scored, and offer a step-by-step playbook filled with tested strategies. Whether you’re preparing for an AP History exam or seeking to boost your essay-writing skills, you’ll find the guidance you need right here.
If you’re considering or currently enrolled in an Advanced Placement (AP) course, you've likely heard the term "DBQ" mentioned either by your teacher or in test preparation materials. But what exactly is a DBQ? Understanding what a DBQ is and how it fits into AP testing is crucial for your success. This article explains what a DBQ is, their purpose and format, what's required in a DBQ response, how they're scored, and how to prepare.
Already enrolled in an AP class and wondering what it takes to write a DBQ essay? Don't worry, you'll also find a step-by-step method for writing your DBQ essay, with proven strategies from our Crimson experts.
DBQ stands for Document-Based Question. This type of essay question is on AP History Exams, such as AP United States History, AP European History, and AP World History.
The main purpose of a DBQ is to test your ability to apply your knowledge of history and think critically about history, in the ways historians do.
A DBQ is designed to assess what you've learned about the principles of historical research and analysis, as opposed to just testing your knowledge of rote facts, dates, and events.
A DBQ also tests your ability to assess and make defensible use of primary source documents in order to illustrate, interpret, and analyze historical periods, concepts, trends, or events.
As a complex, critical thinking task, the DBQ tests a variety of course-related skills.
DBQs test students' knowledge of important historical periods, concepts, developments, people, events, and trends studied in the AP course and aligned with learning objectives in the course syllabus.
Your DBQ response requires you to analyze and interpret historical sources using higher order thinking skills such as analysis, comparison, cause and effect, and synthesis. You also need to apply the knowledge you've studied in class along with academic principles of historical investigation in order to make and defend an interpretive thesis.
You need to create a clear and ordered essay that presents and supports a clear interpretive thesis. This tests your ability to write about historical events and topics using expository and argumentative writing skills.
Learn more about AP History Exams:
DBQs have a predictable format, with four key components:
 AP United States History (APUSH):
   Prompt: "Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the United States. Focus your answer on the period 1964 to 1975."
 AP European History:
   Prompt: "Evaluate the extent to which the religious policies of sixteenth-century monarchs contributed to the growth of Protestantism. Use specific examples from England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire."
AP World History:
   Prompt: "Analyze the economic and social effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas and Europe during the period from 1492 to 1750."
 AP World History: Modern:
   Prompt: "Evaluate the extent to which the political, economic, and social goals of movements for national unification in nineteenth-century Germany and Italy were realized by 1871."
One of the key concerns for students tackling a DBQ is understanding what differentiates a good DBQ essay from an average one. You’ll find a much more detailed guide on writing a strong DBQ in Part II below. For now, here are some crucial elements that typically make a DBQ essay stand out, followed by the official DBQ Scoring Rubric.
A clear thesis responds directly to the key critical thinking task presented in the prompt (analysis, causation, change vs. continuity…) laying out your main argument and providing a clear roadmap for your essay. It must be specific and assertive, telling the reader the claim you’ll be discussing, analyzing, and supporting with historical knowledge and with evidence from the documents accompanying the prompt.
A good DBQ essay incorporates a majority, if not all, of the provided documents. Each document should be accurately interpreted and utilized to help support, illuminate, or explain your thesis. It’s important to apply the source documents thoughtfully, this typically includes considerations of the author and/or author’s perspective, the type of document and purpose of the document, and the document’s historical context.
A strong essay includes broader historical context to frame your argument. This means explaining the more relevant events, trends, or policies that are part of the historical backdrop for the period, prompt, and your arguments.
You’ll want it to have the essential elements of essay structure, logic, and flow, but you’ll probably want to use a fairly straightforward organization given the time constraints, similar to a standard 5-paragraph essay.
Pick three or four subtopics around which to group the key points, arguments, and evidence (body of the essay).
Write clear and purposeful paragraphs. Use topic sentences to introduce the main idea of each paragraph and ensure each paragraph transitions smoothly to the next.
Be sure your introduction paragraph provides some context, rephrases key elements in the prompt, and presents your thesis (overarching claim or argument).
A good DBQ uses evidence-based reading and writing strategies and critical thinking to make clear and historically nuanced arguments. Use evidence thoughtfully to corroborate, qualify (limit), or modify your claims and interpretations.
Evidence should include meaningful references to contextual information from the time period and the historical documents provided with the DBQ prompt.
Include observations and analysis of a document’s purpose, point of view, historical context, authorship, and intended audience when relevant to the historical context, the DBQ topic, or your claims.
Now that you've seen the qualities of a strong DBQ essay, understanding the scoring rubric can also help you target your efforts effectively.
Essay Component and Skills | Point Value | Scoring Criteria |
---|---|---|
1. Thesis/Claim | 0–1 Point | Your thesis responds to the prompt and is historically defensible |
2. Contextualization | 0–1 Point | You connect your argument to broader historical events, developments, or processes that are relevant to the question |
3. Evidence | 0–3 Points | - One point for using at least three documents to address the topic - One point for using at least six documents to support the argument - One point for incorporating relevant outside information beyond the provided documents |
4. Analysis and Reasoning | 0–2 Points | - One point for sourcing at least three documents — explaining the author’s point of view, purpose, audience, and context - One point for demonstrating a complex understanding of the topic — discussing nuances, recognizing limitations of the documents, and connecting the topic to other historical periods or areas |
Preparation for a DBQ is both an ongoing and intensive process. Here are some steps to help you get ready:
Writing a Document-Based Question (DBQ) response on the day of your AP History exam can be an intimidating task, but with a solid plan, you can tackle it confidently. Below are tips and strategies to help you navigate the entire exam-day writing process, from deconstructing the prompt, to developing a thesis, through writing and reviewing your essay.
Recommended Time Allocation: 5 minutes
Even if only takes 5 minutes, the first step in writing a strong DBQ response — thoroughly analyzing and deconstructing the prompt — is pivotal.
Before we show you exactly how to deconstruct a DBQ prompt, let's look at the most common types of DBQ prompts, reviewing the main types of analysis required by DBQs.
Pro Tip
Watch out for miscues when reading a prompt.
For example, the prompt "Describe the causes of the Civil War" requires you to explore and discuss causation.
But another prompt may mention causation but not be about analyzing causation. For example, the prompt "Among different causes of the US Civil War during the period 1818 to 1861, which played a bigger role in putting the North and South on a path to conflict, economic differences between the North and South or evolving views on social reforms?" This prompt refers to "causes of the US Civil War" but directs students to make a comparison of the relative importance and impact of two different kinds of causes.
Pro Tip
When deconstructing the prompt, write down the tasks and requirements. By writing them down, you’ll be super clear about them, can refer back, and won’t waste valuable brain cells as you proceed to tackle all the next steps of the essay!
Prompt | Type of Analysis | Time Period | Tasks |
---|---|---|---|
"Compare the political and economic effects of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and Japan during the 19th century." | Comparison | 19th century | 1. Identify the political effects in both Britain and Japan. 2. Identify the economic effects in both Britain and Japan. 3. Compare and contrast these effects in the two countries. 4. Provide contextual information about the Industrial Revolution and its broader impact. |
"Explain the causes of the American Civil War from 1848 to 1861." | Causation | 1848-1861 | 1. Identify significant causes leading to the American Civil War. 2. Discuss the social, economic, and political factors that contributed. 3. Analyze how these causes are interrelated and their impact over time. 4. Provide background information on pre-war conditions in the United States. |
"Analyze the changes and continuities in women's roles in society in the United States from 1900 to 1970." | Change and Continuity Over Time | 1900-1970 | 1. Identify and elaborate on significant changes in women's roles from 1900 to 1970. 2. Identify and elaborate on aspects of women's roles that remained continuous. 3. Discuss social, political, and economic factors that influenced these changes and continuities. 4. Provide contextual information about key events and movements related to women's roles. |
This chart should help you effectively decode DBQ prompts, enabling you to identify the type of analysis and the specific tasks required in preparation for planning your response.
Remember, after reading the prompt, check your understanding by writing down the specific kinds of analysis the prompt is asking you to perform.
This may seem like unnecessary effort, but under the pressure of a timed exam, it's easier than you think to misinterpret a DBQ prompt, steering yourself down the wrong path!
Suggested Time Allocation: 10 to 15 minutes
Efficiently reading and analyzing the documents provided is crucial. You need to think about how they relate to the prompt, and how they might shape and/or relate to your thesis.
Skim the Documents: Quickly skim the documents to get an overview and look for initial patterns and how each document might be most useful.
Annotate Key Points: While reading each document more carefully, underline or highlight key points, authorship information, and any relevant dates.
Make critical historical assessments of each document related to:
Assess the evidence and formulate your thesis. Identify which documents corroborate or support your thesis and if any qualify or challenge your thesis, or indicate you need to adjust your thesis before proceeding.
Align the documents and evidence with key elements of your essay ahead of writing an outline. Group the documents into categories based on the topic, the analysis required, and the key supporting arguments for different points of your thesis.
Suggested Time Allocation: 5 to 7 minutes
Planning your response before diving into writing is critical for a well-structured essay.
Create an Outline that includes the following:
Incorporate and Align Evidence: Note where each document fits into your outline. Indicate where you’ll bring in outside information.
Suggested Time Allocation: 25 to 30 minutes
When you're ready to write, follow your outline, keeping these tips in mind:
Suggested Time Allocation: 3 to 5 minutes
Time management on test day is vital. Here’s an efficient way to allocate your time:
What Makes Crimson Different
Now that you know what a DBQ is, its format and purpose, how to prepare for DBQs, and how to approach a DBQ, and even exactly how to write a DBQ essay, you can use these insights to guide how you prepare for the DBQ and feel much more confident about your next steps.
If you want more support for high stakes tests, or for other university admissions challenges, Crimson Education Advisors can answer any questions you have. And, they'll be happy to explain our personalized approach and why Crimson students get amazing results. Finding out more is as easy as booking a free consultation. Hope to hear from you today!