OPERATION SAQ: THE SPECIAL FORCES AGENDA OF HISTORICAL WRITING GET IN, DO THE DEED (ADQ), GET OUT. STRUCTURE Answer stems a, b, and c in order. It helps the you focus on the task at hand; often when you ramble on in a paragraph you get lost in the task, stray from the stem, and forget you are writing a SAQ, not an essay. It also makes it easier for the grader, so they will be more likely to read the entire answer. SAQs are not essays, you need to get in, do the job, and get out; the more structure the better. DON’T RESTATE THE PROMPT; JUST ADQ NEVER quote the prompt or prompt stem. Simply put, it wastes time, space, does NOTHING for the answer, and will costs points. If the question asks for a similarity between the Chesapeake and NE, they do not need to say "one similarity between the Chesapeake and New England colonies was..." Just get to it and ADQ. IF IT WANTS SPECIFIC, GIVE IT SPECIFIC When the task calls for specific, try to answer the prompt/stem with a proper noun plus an explanation. This achieves a level of specificity that is being asked for in the prompt without wandering aimlessly through the answer. “MR. SCALIA, HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?” Each prompt stem can be accomplished in two to three sentences each. One sentence is too brief and does not indicate depth of understanding; more than three begins to ramble and wastes time and space. The secret to a good score on a SAQ is to be precise and concise . . . and ADQ. DO THE DUMP Make sure you have a solid bank of information by doing a data dump as soon as you interpret what the prompt/stem is asking. This will help you analyze your data to determine which is your strongest information, rather than grasping something relatively weak off of the top of your head. Doesn’t have to be intensive, but use the best of what you have . . . and remember that whatever that information is, is has to ADQ.
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