Give ‘Em What They Want&

Show ‘Em Where You Got It

• 130-minute free-response section1.Part A: DBQ (60 Mins)

1. 15-minute reading perioda. analyzing the documents and planning their answer to the document-based essay question (DBQ) in Part A.

2. 45 minutes writing DBQ2.Part B & C: Free Response

1. each include two standard essay questions2. required to answer one essay question in each part

in a total of 70minutes.

• Age of Exploration to Present• Letters, paintings, graphics, maps, primary

resources• Use Documents as additional form of

evidence• Demonstrate you can handle different

opinion/evidence• DBQ: have two or three parts to the question

• Spelling and punctuation errors won’t affect your performance rating unless person CANNOT understand what you wrote

• Thesis Statement that addresses the question• Arguments need to lead to a viable conclusion• DBQ: use at least 75% of documents in essay• Outside information (extra details to support)• ANALYZE (DO NOT DESCRIBE THE TOPIC)• End of essay restate the thesis like if your are

approving what your write

• Write like if you are lawyer presenting a case before a jury

• Present a set of arguments that support your position (thesis statement)– From Documents & outside resources

• Convince a jury that your position is correct

• JURY= your reader

• Break down the question into different parts

• Jot down ideas to cover• List outside facts• Look through the documents and see how

to use them

• 8-Step Strategy: • 1.         Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully

understand it.• 2.         Identify the task by circling the main words. (For example:

assess the validity, compare and contrast, evaluate relative importance, analyze the             significance, etc.)

• 3.         Ask yourself “what do I have to prove?” (e.g. Foreign policy is more important than domestic policy).

• 4. Pay special attention to economic, political, social issues that need to be included.

• 5.         Make a list (outline) of outside information (as if you were writing a standard essay)

• 6.         Examine the documents, underlining any key words or phrases that you may use later in the essay. Reread the question again after reading the first three documents.

• 7.         Construct a thesis that is well-developed and clear. If the thesis is a mystery to the writer, it will be a mystery to the reader!

• 8.         Write your essay.

• At the beginning of your essay• Tell the reader the position you will

attempt to prove– DO NOT DESCRIBE– DO NOT REPEAT THE QUESTION

• Intro Paragraph + Thesis= direction of your essay

• ANALYZE: “how” and “why”

• Scratch outs, messy, difficulty to read can hurt your evaluation

• Do keep essay prganize• No abbreviations or symbols, colored pens, highlighters• Do underline/break down your question• DON’T add info that is irrelevant• Do define when necessary (common sense)• NO personal opinion (NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU

THINK)• Do close w/ a good conclusion that restates your thesis• When you cite a document, do not call it by its letter

(Document A, Document B…).

• DON’T site documents in the intro• DON’T use a document you don’t understand• Use as many documents 75%• DON’T use documents in order in your essay• DON’T quote or copy caption of graphics• Don’t explain documents -- that is not your task.!

AP readers have a list and a summary for each document. Use documents to reinforce your main points and outside information.

• Don’t rewrite large portions of documents. Try to limit quotations to 1 sentence or less.

• Reference author’s you are citing (e.g. …“In the letter by Abraham Lincoln”)

• Cite every document used, e.g., (Doc. A), (Doc. F)

• Avoid factual mistakes.• DON’T describe documents and how they

relate to the topic• Documents DON’T control essay

• Ex: “The complaints of the Rhode Island legislators (Doc. A)…” or “F.D.R.’s speech given two months before his bid for reelection (Doc. E)…”

• Analyze: determine their component parts; examine their nature and relationship

• Assess/evaluate: judge the value or character of something; appraise; evaluate the positive and negative points; give an opinion regarding the value of; discuss the advantages and disadvantages of

• Compare: examine for the purpose of noting similarities and differences

• Contrast: examine in order to show dissimilarities or points of difference

• Describe: give an account of; tell about; give a word picture of • Discuss: talk over; write about; consider or examine by

argument or from various points of view; debate; present the different sides of

• Explain: make clear or plain; make clear the causes or reasons for; make known in detail; tell the meaning of