You may also wish to view the Fieldston Writing Guide, written with the Fieldston English Department. It can be downloaded in PDF format at:
How To Do the DBQ
Some students have come to dread Document Based Questions (DBQs) because they are often used for testing. But why do we use DBQs? The goal of the DBQ is to put you, the student, in the position of being a historian. The only difference between what a student does in DBQ and what a historian does in a book, is that you have sources supplied by a teacher, while the historian must go out and find her own. In a DBQ, a teacher may have chosen the texts and provided a question/statement, but you must establish an original thesis argument and use the documents, your knowledge of history and your ability synthesize the two to support your thesis.
What is a Document Based Question (DBQ)?
A DBQ is simply a question whose answer is to be grounded in a set of pre-selected documents. Just as we have been analyzing primary source documents in class, so you will be asked to analyze a set of documents on your own. The difference is that you will be asked to answer a particular question, or discuss a particular thesis, using the documents as evidence.
Typically, the DBQ:
1) contains 8-10 documents, including not only written texts, but possibly
maps, paintings, advertisements, photos, charts, and cartoons. These are often
arranged chronologically. Note the dates.
2) focuses on topics we have discussed in class.
3) is specific about the information required, so read the question extremely
carefully.
4) presents a question that will require both close reading of the texts AND
outside information form the course and secondary sources.
Preparing for a DBQ
DBQs may be used as homeworks, tests or to generate in class discussion, but, however they may be used, the preparation is the same. Begin by studying the historical context. Using as an example the DBQ " Was the Cold War a Product of Paranoia?" from US Since 1940, Unit One, you would begin by researching the origins of the cold war: US-Soviet relations at the end of World War II, the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the fall of the "iron curtain," the Truman Doctrine, etc. The biggest unknown for you in doing a DBQ is how much you know about the historical context. The other ways to prepare for DBQs are to establish good skills. The first skill you need is the capacity to read primary sources and glean as much information from them as possible. Who is the speaker? What is you point of view? How does you tone suggest you biases? For whom is the quote intended? What is the author's politics? --- Prepare by practicing reading between the lines when you study primary sources in class or for homework. The next skill is essay writing. In all your written work, practice creating clear thesis statements, using coherent organization, providing topic sentences, historical support, quotes and thorough analysis. (see below for tips on essay form). Finally, an important skill is making an argument. The best DBQs do not list or describe, but explain. Practice the art of making compelling arguments in debates and discussions and homework.
Establishing an argument
The most common mistake students make when approaching a DBQ is to begin writing too soon. Read the question and instructions carefully. Some DBQs supply a statement that asks for a response, others a question and others merely ask you to recount a particular narrative from history. In all cases, you should write down a provisional response/answer/ argument based on your own knowledge before looking at the documents. The reason for this is to remember that you are creating an original argument to explain a historical phenomenon, not stitching a set of documents together. The thesis, not the documents, should drive the essay. That said, you must accommodate the documents that have been provided. Therefore, after jotting down a provisional thesis, you should quickly peruse the documents and adjust your argument to use the sources effectively. Indeed, a survey of the documents may show you that you have misinterpreted the question/statement and must adjust your argument considerably. This is a dialectical process between your answer and the sources. After looking at the documents, establish a thesis that addresses the statement . You may agree or disagree with the statement, in whole or in part. Whatever position you take, be sure to address the who, what, when and especially the why in your response. Be sure to address the counter-argument, what historians might say in opposition to your thesis.
Planning the essay
Before you start writing, make a quick outline. A sketch outline is invaluable. The outline serves several purposes. First, an outline permits you to plan which points to support with documents, which with outside factual material and which with both. Second, an outline permits you to pace your writing in a timed situation. Third, it helps you keep track of you arguments as you write and to remember which sources and factual support you planned to apply in which sections (hopefully avoiding the "asterisk and arrow" phenomenon when you realize you have omitted an important point and must squeeze it in in the margins or on the back of the paper!). At the same time it is important to limit the time you spend on the sketch outline. You should spend no more than 2-3 minutes on an outline for a 45-50 test. The introduction should include some brief background to the question, definitions of terms used in the thesis, the counter-argument and thesis. Quickly check that your topic sentences for each paragraph all connect to the thesis, that you will use a sufficient number of the sources provided (at least 4) and that you will also demonstrate mastery of the historical period(s).
Letting the argument lead
The most common mistake in writing DBQ essays is to begin paragraphs with the phrase: "In Document B." Do not to list documents but, rather, let your thesis drive the organization. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that connects back to the thesis statement and advances the argument in a logical fashion (See essay form, below). One test you may use is the "three sentence test:" There should be no mention of a specific document until at least three sentences into the paragraph. Use documents only in the service of an argument, as evidence. The goal is not to explain each document, but to construct a narrative that uses quotes or paraphrases from the documents as support.
Using the documents
Some students will make a point and then say, "as can be seen in Document C," without showing the reader how the document supports the point. You should show exactly how the document supports or advances you argument. This is the central task of the whole DBQ process. But there are a few ways to do this. You may paraphrase the document, using you own words to distill the meaning of the author or speaker. This is particularly necessary with visual documents, such as paintings, that require verbal representation and explication. You cannot "quote" a painting, therefore, put what you think the painter intended in your own words. Paraphrasing is also appropriate when you feels you can say what the author has said more efficiently or effectively. After paraphrasing, you should still then explain the significance of the document and show how it relates to you own argument or story.
Another strategy is to quote from the document. This is often the most effective way to use DBQ sources, as it shows that you have read the material carefully and that the support for you argument is in the actual documents. But it is not necessary to quote the full document. Choose only the section that are relevant to the argument you are making at that moment. Use ellipses , those three periods that denote the removal of sections of the quote, but do not change the meaning of the quotation in the process. You may also combine paraphrasing and direct quotation, condensing more turgid sections but pulling out pithy quotes for effect.
Finally, it is crucial that you establish a system for citation. The most effective system I have found is to introduce the quote or paraphrase by identifying the author and title, i.e. (returning to the Cold War DBQ)
In his now famous 'Long Telegram,' of 1946 (Document G), diplomat and Soviet expert George Kennan argues that...
Placing this information (author, author's position, title, date and document letter) in the text is the most fluid and professional manner to cite in a DBQ, but there are many strategies for including such information. If the flow of the paragraph requires it, another approach is:
George Kennan argues that "At bottom of Kremlin's neurotic view of world affairs is traditional and instinctive Russian sense of insecurity" (Document G, George Kennan, The Long Telegram, 1946).
There are several ways of including such information. As long as the document letter, author, author's position, document title and date are included, and you are consistent, the form of the citation is not critically important.
Using Historical Information
Using historical support is as important as using the documents provided. You are expected to bring factual context to the DBQ essay from your own experience. Dates, names, definitions, secondary source interpretations, ideas from class discussion--- all are necessary to place the documents in a historical and conceptual context. It is important for you to demonstrate your mastery of the actual history. Thus, using the example from the previous paragraph, if you are using a document from George Kennan it would be important to supply a brief account of his career as a diplomat and Soviet expert in Moscow, possibly an account of the Popular Front, of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, and the chilling of relations between the US and USSR with the end of World War II and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This context, along with your own analysis, is what permits the documents to speak to the DBQ question or statement.
Good Essay Form
The DBQ essay is first and foremost and essay. As such, it must follow the rules for essays. Please see the Essay Tutorial link.
Here are some other tips you might find useful:
SUMMARY: TIPS FOR STUDENTS
1.) Use a black pen (or type if it is a take home).
2.) Remember that you have time to plan, so don't panic.
3.) Read the question and note the time period. Do not include information unless it fits chronologically or is directly relevant to events during the period.
4.) List all the information about the time period that you can recall--events, names, terms, etc.
5.) Write a thesis sentence on top of a scratch sheet of paper. Make sure that it directly answers the DBQ question or responds to the DBQ statement.
6.) Now look at the documents and try to decide how you will use them to support your thesis. If your thesis does not accommodate the documents provided then adjust your thesis accordingly. Think about why a teacher might have included each document.
7.) Outline your essay, remembering good essay form and topic sentences.
8.) Each document does different things, so try to use a variety of documents.
9.) Analyze the documents. Why are they significant? What do they show? Do not quote extensively from them, but do include short quotes when appropriate.
10.) Link brief descriptions to the names you use. For example: Alexander Stephens, a Whig senator from Georgia, noted in the Southern Literary Journal (document C) that. .
11.) Coverage of the documents is important, but the inclusion of outside information is critical. Strive for balance, because only a balanced essay will receive the highest scores
12.) A possible approach: Write an introductory paragraph setting the scene and demonstrating that you have some outside knowledge. Then state your thesis clearly and directly, before moving on to support it with a nice balance of specific information from both the documents and outside sources. Conclude with a brief restatement of your thesis and a discussion of the significance of your answer for later history.