What Should I Expect from the DBQ Prompt?

All DBQ prompts are going to be similar in structure… and there are definitely some things to pay attention to as you look at the prompt. The prompts on the exam require you to do some sort of analysis of a historical issue or trend in a specific time period. It is important to pay attention to the time frame as your response will need to center on that period of time. To get full credit, you need to support your argument for that time frame with evidence from either prior to or after that time frame.

Prompt:Evaluate the extent to which railroads affected the process of empire-building in Afro-Eurasia between 1860 and 1918.

Looking at this prompt, you must evaluate how the railroads affected the process of empire-building in Afro-Eurasia between the years of 1860 and 1918.

Take a look at the following prompts that have been used in previous AP World History exams. Notice their similarities to the prompt above.

Compare and contrast the attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward merchants and trade from the religions‘ origins until about 1500.

Analyze the issues that twentieth-century Muslim leaders in South Asia and North Africa confronted in defining their nationalism.

Analyze factors that shaped the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 2002.

Analyze the relationship between cricket and politics in South Asia from 1880 to 2005.

Analyze connections between regional issues and European struggles for global power in the mid-eighteenth century.

Evaluate the extent to which religious responses to wealth accumulation in Eurasia in the period circa 600 B.C.E. to 1500 C.E. differed from state responses to wealth accumulation.

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What do all DBQ prompts have in common?

They will all have a subject and a time frame. The most common verbs used are analyze, compare and contrast, and evaluate.

Take a look at the rubric used for scoring the DBQ and what is required to be awarded full credit for the DBQ essay.

Reporting Category	Scoring Criteria	Decision Rules
Thesis/Claim (0–1 pt)	1 point Responds to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis/claim that establishes a line of reasoning.	To earn this point, the thesis must make a claim that responds to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt. The thesis must consist of one or more sentences located in one place, either in the introduction or the conclusion.
Contextualization (0–1 pt)	1 point Describes a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.	To earn this point, the response must relate the topic of the prompt to broader historical events, developments, or processes that occur before, during, or continue after the time frame of the question. This point is not awarded for merely a phrase or reference.
Evidence (0–3 pt)	Evidence from the Documents 1 point Uses the content of at least three documents to address the topic of the prompt. OR 2 points Supports an argument in response to the prompt using at least six documents.	To earn one point, the response must accurately describe — rather than simply quote — the content from at least three of the documents. To earn two points, the response must accurately describe — rather than simply quote — the content from at least six documents. In addition, the response must use the content of the documents to support an argument in response to the prompt.
Evidence (0–3 pt)	Evidence beyond the Documents 1 points Uses at least one additional piece of the specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the documents) relevant to an argument about the prompt.	To earn this point, the response must describe the evidence and must use more than a phrase or reference. This additional piece of evidence must be different from the evidence used to earn the point for contextualization.
Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 pts)	1 point For at least three documents, explains how or why the document’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience is relevant to an argument.	To earn this point, the response must explain how or why (rather than simply identifying) the document’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, or audience is relevant to an argument about the prompt for each of the three documents sourced.
Analysis and Reasoning (0–2 pts)	1 point Demonstrates a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt, using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument that addresses the question.	A response may demonstrate a complex understanding in a variety of ways, such as: Explaining nuance of an issue by analyzing multiple variables Explaining both similarity and difference, or explaining both continuity and change, or explaining multiple causes, or explaining both cause and effect Explaining relevant and insightful connections within and across periods Confirming the validity of an argument by corroborating multiple perspectives across themes Qualifying or modifying an argument by considering diverse or alternative views or evidence This understanding must be part of the argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

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