What do I need to know about
history to do well on this essay?
You don’t need to know much to do this
essay because all of the information is
there for you in the documents!
 Your job is to ANALYZE the documents
and USE them to answer the question!
 If you have background knowledge on the
topic that is great…but not needed!!

INFORMATION

ALL the information you will need is
located IN THE DOCUMENTS!

It is your job to organize, interpret, and
analyze the documents!

Writing a DBQ is a skill…a skill you can
learn with practice!
First 10 minutes!

During the AP exam you will be given 10
minutes to pre-read the documents!

This is reading and organizing time…you
will NOT be able to start writing

You should spend 10 minutes READING
the documents and the question
Understanding the question

First read the question, then underline the
words that are most related to your
task…(think of your PERSIAN charts)
Here is your question..

“Using the documents, analyze the social
and economic effects of the global flow of
silver from the mid-16th century to the
18th century. Explain how another type of
document would help you analyze the
effects of the flow of silver bullion in this
period”
Underline…

“Using the documents, analyze the social
and economic effects of the global flow of
silver from the mid-16th century to the
18th century. Explain how another type of
document would help you analyze the
effects of the flow of silver bullion in this
period”
The Question…

I underlined:
 Social
 Economic
 Global flow of silver
-These key words will be a unifying link
through out your essay!
-The time frame is unimportant because
all of the documents will deal with that
time
-The other document is important…but not
yet
The Question…

You are being asked to show how the flow
of silver ALL OVER THE WORLD affected
peoples lives (SOCIAL) and the economy.
Now read the background…
Historical Background

The historical background sets the scene
for the documents

It helps set the framework of the DBQ to
briefly discuss the historical background…

BUT on the essay you will get NO points
for using the background knowledge..you
have to use the DOCUMENTS
READ
THE
DOCUMENTS
 Read all of the information in the
documents INCLUDING the SOURCE (it
becomes important later)
 Use the margins to write notes, underline
key phrases, and begin to organize your
documents into categories
Now its time to write

Use your 10 minutes to prepare wisely but
don’t panic if it takes you a few more
minutes to get ready…

BEGIN WRITING
Thesis? Do you have one?
An AP reader can tell in a moment
whether your essay is going to be strong
or not…
 They can tell this by your THESIS!
 Thesis:

 Can be more than one sentence
 Thesis must include SPECIFIC information that
responds to the question
A Good Thesis has 3 parts…

B.A.R.
 Background – addresses the place,
time, and topic of the essay
 Global silver trade from 1500-1750
 Argument – Your thesis – specifically
addresses ALL terms of the question
 Must address economic and social effects
of the silver trade
 Roadmap – sets up the structure for
the rest of your essay
 Preview your three groupings and their
basic supporting point for your thesis
Evidence to SUPPORT your
Thesis

You must analyze the documents not just
list them
List:
“The global flow of
silver hindered the
development of
indigenous peoples as
can be seen in
documents 4, 5, and
8.
Analysis:
“The global flow of silver
hindered the development of
indigenous peoples in
several ways. The
subjugation and forced labor
of the natives in South
American silver mines (doc
4) did not allow them to
develop socially because
they could not participate in
any native institutions.”
Pictures
Analyze the pictures to the same degree
you analyze the documents
 Remember that a picture is worth a
thousand words

POV

POINT OF VIEW
 Does the occupation of the author give the
document more reliability?
 Does class, religion, national background, or gender
influence what is mentioned?
 Does the type of document effect the content?
(journal, private letter, public address)
 Timing
 Intended audience
 Tone (sarcastic, triumphant, haughty?)
Groupings





You will need to group ALL of the provided
documents
Two or more documents make a grouping,
but shoot for three
Need to have THREE groups
Documents can be used in more than one
group – this scores bonus points if you get
expanded core
Some students group 1st and then write their
thesis. Others come up with a thesis and
then group the documents to support that
thesis.
Grouping Activity
We will need THREE volunteers to participate
in a class-wide grouping activity
 “DBQ Prompt”

 Discuss the relationship between distinctions in the
shoes worn by students at CVHS 9th Grade Center on
February 6th and their reasons for wearing them.



How did the first person group the shoes?
How did the second person group the shoes?
How did the third person group the shoes?
Grouping Activity


You will need to ANALYZE your groupings,
not just identify them and list them. For
example:
The Nike, Addidas, and Asics are all athletic shoes and indicate
that some students at CVHS 9th Grade Center play sports and
therefore choose shoes for that purpose. The Nike shoe is a
high-top basketball shoe which indicates that the person
wearing it might be on the basketball team. The addidas shoe
is for soccer and is old and beat up, indicating that the person
may have played in those shoes this season. However, since
the owner of the addidas shoe is wearing those shoes in the
winter time outside of soccer season, they may be trying to
impress their classmates and making them believe that they
are an excellent soccer player. The Asics are a running shoe
and are appear brand new. This student may either plan to
join the track or cross-country teams at CVHS.
Groupings
Group your documents depending on what
the topic is…
 Possible approach for this DBQ:

 Group 1: documents that answer social effects
 Group 2: documents that answer economic effects
 Group 3: choose a third topic
Additional Documents



What type of document is missing?
Why it would be useful…
“An additional document by a Chinese
merchant that describes the manner in
which trade was conducted would be
helpful because it would give insight into
how the flow of silver was effecting this
class of people”





Layout of your paper
I. Thesis
II. Group ONE
 I. Documents supporting the thesis
 II. POV on one document
 III. Additional document needed
Social
 I. Documents supporting the thesis
 II. POV on one document
 III. Additional document needed
Economic
 I. Documents supporting thesis
 II. POV on one document
 III. Additional Document needed
???
III. Group TWO
IV. Group THREE
V. Conclusion