Document Based Questions (DBQs)

Please follow this link to see the College Board's description of the DBQs.

Thus there are 7-9 documents from which you are to write a single, cohesive essay.  The documents that you will be given could include "charts, graphs, cartoons, and pictures, as well as written materials." A good essay will incorporate a discussion that will encompass all the view points represented in the documents. It is not a good idea to just merely go down the list and talk about each document separately. You need to analyze each source and determine which viewpoint it represents and collectively write a reasoned, analytical essay. The following are the directions form an DBQ exam: Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your interpretation of Documents A-I and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the documents and draw on knowledge of the period. Some of the documents have been edited, and wording and punctuation have been modernized. You should probably mention each source but you may do so in collectively. For example you may write something like "The Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address all address the rights of ...."

A good technique would be to write a combination of a compare and contrast essay with a persuasive essay wherein you use compare and contrast strategies to deal with the various sources while you write to argue your point of interpretation.