WRITING THE DBQ

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WRITING THE DBQ TEACHING POINT OF VIEW

• AP WORLD HISTORY

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THE BASIC CORE

• Students must obtain points to get to the gate
• Most often missed point is Point of View
• Possible to obtain Expanded Core points ONLY if
  students obtain ALL Basic Core points

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THE BASIC CORE

• Point 4 Analyzes Point of View in at least
  TWO documents
• Tends to be Killer Point for students, since
  many simply have not been taught Point of View

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THE KEY TO SCORING WELL ON THE DBQ

• Getting to the gate on DBQ then is based on how
  well a student can demonstrate Point of View or
  Bias
• Remember that students must demonstrate it at
  least two times
• Demonstrating Point of View or Bias indicates
  student is capable of writing in-depth paper

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WHAT IS BIAS OR POINT OF VIEW?

• In the simplest of terms, Point of View or
  Bias is prejudice or influence
• Why author said what he/she said
• Why includes factors that influenced authors
  position
• Keys to these factors found
• In the documents themselves (information in the
  box)
• Through knowledge of author or of what is being
  said

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KEY FACTORS

• Several factors influence determination of Bias
  or Point of View Name, Position, Nationality,
  Document Date and/or Document Type
• Relating authorial Point of View to authors
  place in society
• Evaluating reliability of the source
• Recognizing that different types of documents
  were authored to serve different purposes
• Much information is located In the Box, saving
  students valuable time

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FURTHER EXPLAINATION

• Students should analyze each document
• Is author male, female? Government official?
  From a particular social class?
• How might authors position or title have
  influenced what was written or said?
• Is document an official pronouncement, a
  newspaper article, a speech, or maybe a diary or
  private letter?

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SAMPLE AP WORLD HISTORY DOCUMENT
Source Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar,
favored by the Tang imperial household, essay,
On the Nature of Man, early ninth century
C.E. Confucius, Laozi, and Buddaha were all
perfect sages. They established their teachings
according to the demands of the ages and the
needs of various beings. They differ in their
approaches in that they encourage the perfection
of good deeds, punish wicked ones, and reward
good ones all three teachings lead to the
creation of an orderly society and for this they
must be observed with respect.
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KEYS TO FINDING POINT OF VIEW IN THIS DOCUMENT

• Author was Buddhist scholar, favored by the
  Tang ruler
• A Buddhist scholar in high position in a time
  when Buddhism was being threatened would
  expectedly extol the virtues of Buddhism
• Ties Buddhism to traditional Chinese philosophies
  of Confucius and Laozi

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A SAMPLE POINT OF VIEW USING THIS DOCUMENT

• There are a variety of ways for students to
  include point of view in their paper some are
  more sophisticated than others
• As a Buddhist scholar in a time when Buddhism is
  being threatened in China, it is expected that
  Zong Mi would closely tie Buddhism to
  Confucianism in order to keep his favored
  position at the imperial court.

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POINT OF VIEW

• Practice looking for Point of View
• Each group has a specific document to review,
  looking for Point of View
• Remember, some keys might include
• Name or Position of Author
• Description or Nationality of Author
• Type of Document or Date of Document