How to Write a DBQ
, How to write a Historical DBQ
● DBQ= “Document Based Question”
● “Mini essay”
● Use documents/ evidence
○ 3-10 documents - 7 most common
○ Question based on documents
■ Open-ended questions
The Form of a DBQ
● Introduction (one Paragraph)
○ Background information
○ claim/counterclaim
○ Thesis
■ Last sentence of the
introduction
○ No evidence
● Body
○ One paragraph minimum
○ Argument, all evidence/documents
● Conclusion
○ Restated thesis
○ No evidence
How is this different from English Class?
● Similar to English (grammar-wise)
● What Should I NOT do in a DBQ?
○ No personal Pronouns
○ No, referring to the paper itself
○ No stating opinion
How do I write a Thesis?
● Always come at the end of the Introduction Paragraph
● Restating thesis reverse chicken Foot
How Should I do Citations?
● Use Chicago Manual style/ Use footnotes
,Africa 450-1600s
, Africa 450-1600s
Geography: Diverse Continent Islam In Mali:
1. Savannas ● Mansa Musa expanded the Nigel River
2. Rainforest (Congo rainforest) to the Atlantic
3. Deserts (Sahara) ● Controlled Sahara trades
4. Unnavigable rivers (The Nile) ● Established Timbuktu
5. Mountains ● Brought Islam to Mali
● Went on Hajj in 1324
Effects of Geography: ● Returned with Scholars
● Barriers ● Translated the Quran
● Difficult travels
● Rich in resources Decline of the Kingdom:
● Little cultural diffusion (except Bantu) ● Mali collapsed in 1371
● Diverse people ● West Africa became centralized by the
● Difficult centralized empires Songhai
● Sustenance ● Constant invasion from neighboring
● De-centralized groups
● Animist religion ● The shift in power and the slave trade
weakened Africa.
Trans-Saharan Trade:
● Sahara prevented trade
● The centralised empire rises, protected
by lucrative
○ Trading Kingdoms
■ Ghana
■ Mali
■ Songhai
The Wealth of Mali:
● Most prosperous- Great Mali
● Replaced Ghana around 1200 BCE
● Vast wealth is gained by controlling the
use of military power
● First to compete in globalized trade
during the reign of Mansa Musa.
Personality Cult: When one leader comes to define a nation's government, when
the person dies, the government falls
, How to write a Historical DBQ
● DBQ= “Document Based Question”
● “Mini essay”
● Use documents/ evidence
○ 3-10 documents - 7 most common
○ Question based on documents
■ Open-ended questions
The Form of a DBQ
● Introduction (one Paragraph)
○ Background information
○ claim/counterclaim
○ Thesis
■ Last sentence of the
introduction
○ No evidence
● Body
○ One paragraph minimum
○ Argument, all evidence/documents
● Conclusion
○ Restated thesis
○ No evidence
How is this different from English Class?
● Similar to English (grammar-wise)
● What Should I NOT do in a DBQ?
○ No personal Pronouns
○ No, referring to the paper itself
○ No stating opinion
How do I write a Thesis?
● Always come at the end of the Introduction Paragraph
● Restating thesis reverse chicken Foot
How Should I do Citations?
● Use Chicago Manual style/ Use footnotes
,Africa 450-1600s
, Africa 450-1600s
Geography: Diverse Continent Islam In Mali:
1. Savannas ● Mansa Musa expanded the Nigel River
2. Rainforest (Congo rainforest) to the Atlantic
3. Deserts (Sahara) ● Controlled Sahara trades
4. Unnavigable rivers (The Nile) ● Established Timbuktu
5. Mountains ● Brought Islam to Mali
● Went on Hajj in 1324
Effects of Geography: ● Returned with Scholars
● Barriers ● Translated the Quran
● Difficult travels
● Rich in resources Decline of the Kingdom:
● Little cultural diffusion (except Bantu) ● Mali collapsed in 1371
● Diverse people ● West Africa became centralized by the
● Difficult centralized empires Songhai
● Sustenance ● Constant invasion from neighboring
● De-centralized groups
● Animist religion ● The shift in power and the slave trade
weakened Africa.
Trans-Saharan Trade:
● Sahara prevented trade
● The centralised empire rises, protected
by lucrative
○ Trading Kingdoms
■ Ghana
■ Mali
■ Songhai
The Wealth of Mali:
● Most prosperous- Great Mali
● Replaced Ghana around 1200 BCE
● Vast wealth is gained by controlling the
use of military power
● First to compete in globalized trade
during the reign of Mansa Musa.
Personality Cult: When one leader comes to define a nation's government, when
the person dies, the government falls
