How to Respond to a DBQ

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How to Respond to a DBQ

• Mr. Collins

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Read the Prompt

• Circle instruction words(usually verbs)
• Underline Key terms that you will need to
  understand in order to address all aspects of the
  prompt.

3
Read all the Context statements

• Make sure you understand the historical context.
• This is usually provided before the actual
  documents, but can sometimes be found at the end
  of each document
• Sometimes both

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Read the documents

• Read all the documents
• Write a summary statement that captures the core
  meaning of the text
• Write it in one sentence
• Group the documents (remember the shoes)

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Write a concise SOAPSTONE _at_ doc. phrases that
tag
S O A P S T
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
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Drafting

• Intro paragraph
• Three body paragraphs
• conclusion

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Intro Paragraph

• Engaging opening sentence with some explanation
• Set the stage
• Write 3-5 sentences that introduces your audience
  to the historical context
• First, this is done with broad strokes
• Then as you approach the end you become more
  specificfunnel design
• Finally leading to your thesis, which should be
  one to tow sentences at the end of your
  introductory paragraph.

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Intro cont. thesis

• Thesis
• Time and Place
• It has a topic and a certain argument about
  that topic
• That argument about the topic is your Claim -
  what your paper should prove
• Claim cannot be wishy-washy, you cannot simply
  restate the prompt, or simply provide categories.
  No lame claims!
• Break the claim into meaningful categories that
  preview (introduces) your body paragraphs your
  grouping strategy.

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Intro thesis examples

• Try creating a thesis with a subordinate clause
• E.g.
• While Confucianism and Legalism are clearly
  responses to the warring states period, one can
  argue that Daoism was as much a response to
  Confucianism as the Warring States Period
• You want to characterize things in terms of the
  the relative degree of influence.
• You might also qualify your thesis by specifying
  that the response of the schools had a different
  impact in terms of the kinds of order and relief
  categorized into social, political, econ etc.

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Body Pargraph

• Topic sentence is a mini thesis, where you
  introduce readers to what you will discuss in
  this paragraph
• Explain, dont simply summarize or merely restate
  the document
• But explain by
• Tagging core meaning
• Discussing the document in relation to
• the prompt (key terms philosophical schools,
  view of human nature, systems of order, etc.,
• Historical context Warring states and times of
  schools
• your thesis topic sentence.

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Body Paragraph (main parts) cont.

1. Topic Sentence
2. Discuss Document 1 by
3. Intro Doc 1(1-2 sentences)
4. Explain central meaning of Doc. 1 (1-3
   sentences)
5. Explain/Discuss document in relation to
   prompt,thesis, Topic sentence (address the prompt
   and all its aspects) 1-3 sentences
6. POV Point of view statement how different
   features of SOAPSTONE Influence what is said
   and reliability of document (1-2 sentences)
7. Repeat step two for next two documents
8. Close with answering What other documents will
   give an alternative perspective and why.

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Body Pargraph cont

• 3. POV Statement
• What it does-
• Clearly and specifically evaluates the level of
  trust one can justifiably grant the information
  in the document.
• Discusses what is really going on
• Uses multiple features of SOAPSTONE to ground
  the claim establishing POV
• Compares and contrasts authors point of view
  with views of others.

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Body par Cont. POV

• POV How
• You want to show how
• Speakers background
• The Occasion
• Purpose
• Audience
• Influences the content of the document (strong
  claim)
• Or is reflected in the document (weaker claim,
  but can be acceptable depending how it is
  handled)

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POV in brief

• Get points by
• Explaining the relationship of the authors POV
  to authors religion, occupation, time period,
  gender etc. OR
• Assessing the reliability of the source OR
• Explaining that different kinds of documents
  serve different purposes OR
• Analyze tone or intent of documents

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Body par. Cont.

• Repeat the previous s 2 3 for each document
• 2- explanation 1-3 sentences
• 3 POV statement 1-3 sentneces
• 4. Conclude with answering the following
  question What other documents will help you
  understand what youre trying to address in this
  paragraph. (What will provide a new perspective
  that will help to balance the picture)

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Conclusion Significance

• Importance influence on people who lived
  through event or times
• Profundity how deeply affected by the event(s)
• Quantity How many people affected
• Durability How long - ripple effect
• Relevance how it helps historians understand the
  events in question
• You do not points for the last one relevance
  unless you meaningfully address 1. Meaningfully
  means being specific , not just labeling.