Guide to APUSH DBQ

Many have asked me to write a guide on how to approach an APUSH DBQ, so for your convenience, here is all I know (or have learned from my experiences) regarding how to approach an APUSH DBQ.

Keep in mind that APUSH DBQs ["free responses"] are different in expectations and content from other DBQs.

So how do you write a DBQ? See the below guidelines.

HOW TO TAKE A DBQ

1. Read the question very carefully making sure to answer each part of the question
   
2. Prepare an outline and thesis sentence
3. Organize your essay thematically. This is very important!
4. Skip a line between paragraphs and keep margins so you have a place to add any last minute thoughts.
   
5. You are never finished until time is up. You earn no points staring off into space. Keep writing!! Find one more doc to discuss. Bring in one more piece of outside knowledge. Make one more compare/contrast analysis. Be relentless in your pursuit of excellent!

WHAT YOU MAKE SURE YOU DO

1. Refer to a "substantial" amount of documents, that is, half + 1 of the docs. You need not discuss them all.
2. Mention important people when you recognize them in the docs and/or title of the docs.
   
3. Look for "change over time" and make sure to mention it. This is important it. This is often evident by comparing the last doc or two to previous ones.
   
4. Quote from docs, but only in phrases and not entire sentences if it can be helped. Longer is not better here.
   
5. Show how docs relate to each other. This is important for analysis. You must show analysis of docs or how outside knowledge compares/contrasts to docs. In one sentence state how two docs are similar or how they contrast with each other -- really important!
   
6. Bring in your outside knowledge, at least twice. But remember that in a DBQ the points are document-oriented, not original knowledge-oriented.
7. Remember that the last doc is often important, especially as it often shows change over time.
   
8. Look for bias and point of view. Remember that political cartoons are biased by nature. Pointing out bias or the reason for a source's point of view is your analysis.
9. Make sure that you answer (each part of) the question in your introductory paragraph using key words.

WHAT TO AVOID

1. DO NOT discuss the docs in order. This is called a "laundry list" Look for themes instead.
   
2. DO NOT bother to use whiteout. Just cross out and continue writing.
   
3. DO NOT worry about creative writing or literary style. Keep that to your English class. Power through with evidence to support your thesis.
   
4. DO NOT repeat the historical background paragraph that is often found at the very beginning of the DBQ.
   

APUSH Practice Questions

AP US History: DBQs 1973 Through 2007

Resource Review:

This resource offers ALL of the DBQs in the official APUSH May Exam and is extremely useful. Especially useful is the fact that it is organized in chronological order as it appeared in history (and not by the year it was issued in), so the students can easily anticipate DBQs that might be given by teachers, as they can know the exact DBQs that tests on the time period they just studied in.

Some of the DBQs are in the "old-style DBQ" way, where the question directly involves a document and involves deeper analysis than the contemporary DBQ. However, the basic question can still be obtained from it, making it good practice.

The resource however, does not include the documents themselves. Nevertheless, knowing the questions would still be a good drill for the student to test themselves.

Furthermore, APUSH DBQs with the questions and the documents as well as the answer guidelines from the exams administered in 2001 - 2008.

Alternatively, the webpage containing the list below as well as other links can be found here

Free-Response Questions

2008 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/229K)
2008 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/235K)
2007 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/425K)
2007 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/279K)
2006 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/183K)
2006 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/174K)
2005 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/617K)
2005 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/353K)
2004 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/400K)
2004 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/150K)
2003 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/380K)
2003 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/522K)
2002 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/821K)
2002 Form B Free-Response Questions (.pdf/7.16M)
2001 Free-Response Questions (.pdf/3.91M)

Scoring Guidelines

2008 Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/487K)
2008 Form B Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/345K)
2007 Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/448K)
2007 Form B Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/272K)
2006 Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/135K)
2006 Form B Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/123K)
2005 Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/181K)
2005 Form B Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/133K)
2004 Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/129K)
2004 Form B Scoring Guidelines (.pdf/121K)

Resource Review:

This is as official as it gets, as these are the official exams. While the MCs (multiple choice) are not included, the free response alone corresponds for 50% of the exam, with the DBQ accounting for 45% of the exam and the two essays together accounting for the remaining 55%. And as nothing serves better as an "essay improver" than practice, drilling yourself through these prompts is better and as realistic as it gets! Remember, these come from the testmaker itself! Even better is that the scoring guidelines offer what is "required" in each essay response. For example, when answering a question regarding Jamestown, "the starving times" would be listed in the answer key. With this useful resource containing both the prompts and the "scoring guidlines" aka "scoring key", you can both have the practice, the feel of the actual time constraints, as well as in the end see how well you did and review/remind/or learn any new concepts.

As a result, this resource is highly recommended to boosting the FRQ section score of the AP exam!