Chapter 34. STRATEGIES FOR THE DOCUMENT-BASED ESSAY QUESTION

After completing the multiple-choice section, you will have a well- deserved ten-minute break. When you return to your desks, your exam will resume with the DBQ essay. (DBQ stands for document- based essay question.) The DBQ is an essay question that requires you to interpret and analyze nine or ten brief primary-source documents. The documents typically include a graph, map, or political cartoon, as well as excerpts from diaries, speeches, and legislative acts.

The DBQ begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period. You should use this time to read the documents, organize your thoughts, determine a thesis, and prepare an outline for your essay. You will then have 45 minutes to write your essay.

Your DBQ essay will be scored on a 1-to-9 scale. Here are the scoring guidelines used by College Board readers:

8-9: Essay contains a well-developed thesis supported by a number of documents and substantial and relevant outside information.

5-7: Essay contains a consistent thesis supported by some documents and some relevant outside information.

2-4: Essay contains a partially developed thesis supported by brief references to the documents and little or no outside information.

0-1: Essay contains a confused thesis that shows inadequate or incorrect understanding of the questions and documents. The essay contains no outside information and may include substantial factual errors.

Each point on the 1-to-9 scale is worth 4.5 points. So a perfect score of 9 is worth 40.5 points, a 6 is worth 27 points, and a 4 is worth 18 points. It is very important to note the significance of outside information. Essays that lack outside information will not receive a score above 4.

The DBQ causes many students a great deal of anxiety. The question is impossible to predict, and the documents are often taken from unfamiliar sources. Although this is true, it is important to remember that the questions always cover subjects taken from the topical outline. The documents are brief and almost always easy to understand.

PRACTICE MATERIALS

Practice is key to performing well on the DBQ. Although practice will not necessarily lead to a perfect score, it will help you earn a high score. College Board materials are the best source of practice DBQs. The 2006 AP United States History Released Exam and the 2001 AP United States History Released Exam both include actual DBQs and scored sample essays. The College Board book Doing the DBQ includes 22 DBQs. All three of these booklets can be purchased from the College Board's online store. In addition, you should go to the AP United States History Course Homepage at AP Central. You'll find DBQs and sample essays from 1999 to the present.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Using authentic practice materials is important. Following good strategies is essential. This section will use the DBQ from the 2008 APUSH exam to provide you with a guided set of strategies that can be used for any DBQ.

1. Carefully analyze the assignment.

Begin your 15-minute mandatory reading period by carefully examining the assignment. The 2008 DBQ asked students to "Analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War heightened social, political, and economic tensions in the United States between 1964 and 1975." The assignment is asking you to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship between the Vietnam War and three specific types of heightened tensions— social, political, and economic.

2. Carefully examine each document and create an organizational chart.

Your next step is to read, analyze, and organize the documents. The 2008 DBQ included the following nine documents:

A. An excerpt from the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, 1964

B. Lyrics from the song "l-Feel-Like-l'm-Fixin'-To-Die," 1965

C. An excerpt from a speech by Martin Luther King jr. criticizing the Vietnam War, 1967

D. A political cartoon showing that President Johnson's foreign policy was taking funds from his Great Society domestic programs, 1967

E. An excerpt from a speech by Senator Robert F. Kennedy criticizing the Vietnam War, 1968

F. An excerpt by a student describing how college students evaded the draft while working-class young men were drafted, 1969

G. An excerpt from President Nixon's "Silent Majority" speech, 1969

H. An excerpt from Senator McGovern criticizing the Vietnam War and defense strategy, 1972

I. An excerpt from the War Powers Act, 1973

Many students find it very helpful to organize the documents by placing them into a chart. Since your assignment asks you to analyze social, political, and economic tensions, you should create a chart using these headings. Here is an example of what your chart could look like:

The chart clearly identifies the political documents while also showing that there is a relationship between social and economic tensions.

3. Carefully write down outside information.

After reading the documents, pause and brain-storm potential outside information triggered by the documents. This is a crucial step. Remember, if you do not include outside information, your score will be no higher than 4. Given the importance of outside information, it is vital that you clearly and systematically organize your thoughts. Here is a revised chart with possible outside information listed in a separate column:

4. Carefully determine your thesis.

A thesis statement is your position on the assigned topic. Having a clearly defined and focused thesis is absolutely essential. If you have not fully formulated your thesis during the 15-minute mandatory thinking period, do not panic. There is no rule saying that you must begin writing after the 15 minutes are up. It is better to take a few extra minutes to mentally work on your thesis than to rush and end up with a weak thesis.

Here is a sample thesis statement for the 2008 DBQ:

In August 1964 Congress overwhelmingly approved the Tonkin Gulf Resolution (Document A), giving President Johnson a blank check to escalate the Vietnam War. At that time, there were only about 24,000 American advisors in South Vietnam. Americans enjoyed economic prosperity and shared a consensus on the wisdom of containment and the validity of the domino theory.

President Johnson enjoyed great popularity and prepared to launch his Great Society programs and ambitious War on Poverty. The dramatic escalation of the Vietnam War shattered America's political consensus, ended the dominance of the Democratic Party, and weakened the Imperial Presidency. At the same time, the war triggered an inflationary spiral while polarizing American society into an increasingly alienated counterculture and an increasingly angry "Silent Majority."

5. Carefully write the rest of your essay.

Now that you have written a strong thesis, your final step is to finish your essay. As you write your essay, be sure to effectively analyze several documents while incorporating as much relevant outside information as you can. Your chart will be a handy reference that will keep you focused and prevent you from making unnecessary digressions.