Chapter 2
How to Approach Short Answers and Essays
THE BASICS
There are three types of essay questions on the AP European History Exam. The first are the Short-Answer Questions. There are four of these, and they require students to use historical-thinking skills to respond to a primary source, a historian’s argument, secondary sources such as data or maps, or general propositions about European history. No thesis is necessary. You have 50 minutes to complete them, and they count for 20 percent of your score.
The second type of essay question is the Document-Based Question (DBQ), which requires you to answer a question based on approximately seven source documents and whatever outside knowledge you have about the subject. There are no choices for this section, besides selecting which documents you will address in your essay. You have 55 minutes, which includes a suggested 15-minute reading period. It counts for 25 percent of your score.
The third type is the Long-Essay Question. This is more like a typical essay on a history exam in your class. For this essay, you are given two choices, usually from different time periods but often related by theme. You are required to pick one and are given 35 minutes to write it. This counts for 15 percent of your score.
We will discuss each of these question types in greater detail in the rest of this chapter. First, let’s talk about the basics of writing a successful long AP essay.
WHAT ARE THE AP ESSAY GRADERS LOOKING FOR?
In conversations with those who grade AP European History Exams, it is clear that what they want above all else is for you to address the question. In some of your classes, you may have gotten into the habit of throwing everything but the kitchen sink into an essay without truly addressing the question at hand. Do not try to fudge your way through the essay. The graders are all experts in history, and you will not be able to fool them into thinking you know more than you actually do.
It is also very important to focus on the phrasing of the question. Some students are so anxious to get going that they start writing as soon as they know the general subject of the question, and many of these students lose points because their essays do not answer the question being asked. Take, for example, an essay question that asks you to discuss the effects of fascism on the daily life of the average German in the 1930s. If you are an overanxious test taker, you might start rattling off everything you know about German fascism—the reasons for its electoral success in the years leading up to 1933, the personality cult around Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust, and so on. No matter how well this essay is written, you will lose points for one simple reason—not answering the question!
Second, a good essay does more than rattle off facts. Just as the multiple-choice questions seek to draw out certain general principles or the “big picture” of European history, the essay questions seek to do the same. The readers are looking to see that you understand some of the fundamental issues in European history and that you can successfully discuss this material in a coherent manner.
If all this sounds intimidating, read on! There are a few simple things you can do to improve your grade on the AP essays.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
AP graders know that you are given very little time to write the DBQ and the long essay question. They also know that is not enough time to cover the subject matter tested by the question. The fact is, many very long books have been written about any one subject that you might be asked about on the DBQ and the free-response question.
The College Board’s AP European History Course and Exam Description (which can be downloaded from AP Students) advises students to write an essay that has a well-developed thesis, provides support for the thesis with specific examples, addresses all parts of the question, and is generally well organized. Therefore, expressing good ideas and presenting valid evidence in support of those ideas are important. Making sure you mention every single relevant piece of historical information is not so important.
Also, you should remember that graders are not given a lot of time to read your essays. When they gather to read the exams, they each go through more than one hundred per day. No one could possibly give detailed attention to all points in your essay when he or she is reading at such a fast clip. What he or she can see in such a brief reading is whether you have something intelligent to say and whether you have the ability to say it well. As many teachers and professors will tell you, when you read several bad essays (and there will be quite a few even among AP students), you tend to give those that are not completely awful more credit than they possibly deserve. Just hope that the essay being read before your own was written by someone who didn’t buy this book and was therefore completely unprepared.
THINGS THAT MAKE ANY ESSAY BETTER
There are two essential components to writing a successful timed essay. First, plan what you are going to write before you start writing! Second, use a number of tried-and-true writing techniques that will make your essay appear well-organized, well-thought-out, and well-written. This section is about those techniques.
Before You Start Writing
Read the question carefully. Underline key words and circle dates. Then, brainstorm for one or two minutes. Write down everything that comes to mind in your test booklet. (There is room in the margins and at the top and bottom of the pages.) Look at your notes and consider the results of your brainstorming session as you decide what point you will argue in your essay; that argument is going to be your thesis. Tailor your argument to your information, but by no means choose an argument that you know is wrong or with which you disagree. If you do either of these things, your essay will be awful. Finally, sort the results of your brainstorm. Some of what you wrote down will be “big picture” conclusions, some will be historical facts that can be used as evidence to support your conclusions, and some will be garbage.
Next, make an outline. You should plan to write five paragraphs for each of the two essay questions, and plan to go into special detail in each of the paragraphs on the DBQ. (Remember: You will have the documents and your outside knowledge to discuss on the DBQ. Plus, you will have more time.) Your first paragraph should contain your thesis statement, in which you directly answer the question in just a few sentences. Your second, third, and fourth paragraphs should each contain one argument (for a total of three) that supports that statement, along with historical evidence to support those arguments. The fifth paragraph should contain your conclusion and reiterate your answer to the question.
Before you start to write your outline, you will have to decide what type of argument you are going to make. Here are some of the classics.
1. Make Three Good Points
This is the simplest strategy. Look at the results of your brainstorming session, and pick the three best points supporting your position. Make each of these points the subject of one paragraph. Make the weakest of the three points the subject of the second paragraph, and save the strongest point for the fourth paragraph. If your three points are interrelated and there is a natural sequence to arguing them, then by all means use that sequence, but otherwise, try to save your strongest point for last. Begin each paragraph by stating one of your three points, and then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. Use specific, supporting examples whenever possible. Your first paragraph should state what you intend to argue. Your final paragraph should explain why you have proven what you set out to prove.
2. Make a Chronological Argument
Many questions lend themselves to a chronological treatment. Questions about the development of a political, social, or economic trend can hardly be answered any other way. When you make a chronological argument, look for important transitions and use them to start new paragraphs. A five-paragraph essay about the events leading up to the French Revolution, for example, might start with an introductory discussion of France and the role of royal absolutism. This is also where you should state your thesis. The second paragraph might then discuss the economic crisis that led to the calling of the Estates-General. The third paragraph could deal with concern among members of the third estate that their interests might not be represented at Versailles, despite the vital economic role they played in eighteenth-century France. The fourth paragraph could be concerned with the events leading up to and including the King’s agreement to meet the three estates as a National Assembly. Your conclusion in this type of essay should restate the essay question and answer it. For example, if the question asks whether the French Revolution was inevitable, you should answer “yes” or “no” in this paragraph.
3. Identify Similarities and Differences
Some questions, particularly on the long essay question, ask you to compare events, issues, and/or policies. Very often, the way the question is phrased will suggest the best organization for your essay. Take, for example, a question asking you to compare the impact of three events and issues on the decision to execute the English monarch Charles I in 1649. This question pretty much requires you to start by setting the historical scene prior to the three events/issues you are about to discuss. Continue by devoting one paragraph to each of the three, and conclude by comparing and contrasting the relative importance of each. Again, be sure to answer the question in your final paragraph.
Other questions will provide options. If you are asked to compare Italian and Northern humanism during the Renaissance, you might open with a thesis stating the essential similarity or difference between the two. Then, you could devote one paragraph each to a summary of certain trends and authors, while in the fourth paragraph you could point out the major similarities and differences between Italian and Northern humanism. In the final paragraph, you could draw your conclusion (for example, “their similarities were more significant than their differences,” or vice versa).
Or, using another angle altogether, you might start with a thesis, then discuss in the body of your essay three pertinent philosophical, religious, or political issues, then discuss how Italian humanists dealt with such questions, then move on to the Northern humanists, and wrap up with an overview of your argument for your conclusion.
4. Use the Straw Dog Argument
In this essay-writing technique, choose a couple of arguments that someone taking the position opposite yours would take. State their arguments, and then tear them down. Remember that proving your opposition wrong does not mean that you have proved you are correct; that is why you should choose only a few opposing arguments to refute. Summarize your opponent’s arguments in paragraph two, dismiss them in paragraph three, and use paragraph four to make the argument for your side. Or, use one paragraph each to summarize and dismiss each of your opponent’s arguments, and then make the case for your side in your concluding paragraph. Acknowledging both sides of an argument, even when you choose one over the other, is a good indicator that you understand that historical issues are complex and can be interpreted in more than one way, something teachers and graders like to see.
Conclusion
No matter which format you choose, remember to organize your essay so that the first paragraph addresses the question and states how you are going to answer it. (That is your thesis.) The second, third, and fourth paragraphs should each be organized around a single argument that supports your thesis, and each of these arguments must be supported by historical evidence. Your final paragraph ties the essay up into a nice, neat package. Your concluding paragraph should also answer the question. And remember, stay positive!
As you are writing, observe the following guidelines:
• Keep sentences as simple as possible. Long sentences get convoluted very quickly and will give your graders a headache, putting them in a bad mood.
• Throw in a few big words. But don’t overdo it, because it will look like you are showing off. Remember that good writing does not have to be complicated; some great ideas can be stated simply. NEVER use a word if you are unsure of its meaning or proper usage. A malapropism (misuse of a word) might give your graders a good laugh, but it will not earn you any points, and it will probably cost you.
• Write clearly and neatly. As long as we are discussing your graders’ moods, here is an easy way to put them in good ones. Graders look at a lot of chicken scratch; it strains their eyes and makes them grumpy. Neatly written essays make them happy. When you cross out, do it neatly. If you are making any major edits—if you want to insert a paragraph in the middle of your essay, for example—make sure you indicate these changes clearly.
• Define your terms. Most questions require you to use terms that mean different things to different people. One person’s “liberal” is another person’s “conservative,” and yet another person’s “extremist.” What one person considers “expansionism,” another might call “colonialism” or “imperialism.” The folks who grade the test want to know what you think these terms mean. When you use them, define them. Take particular care to define any such terms that appear in the question. Almost all official College Board materials emphasize this point, so do not forget it. Be sure to define any term that you suspect can be defined in more than one way.
• Use transition words to show where you are going. When continuing an idea, use words such as furthermore, also, and in addition. When changing the flow of thought, use words such as however and yet. Transition words make your essay easier to understand by clarifying your intentions. Better yet, they indicate to the graders that you know how to make a coherent, persuasive argument.
• Use structural indicators to organize your paragraphs. Another way to clarify your intentions is to organize your essay around structural indicators. For example, if you are making a number of related points, number them (“First…Second…And last…”). If you are writing a compare/contrast essay, use the indicators “on the one hand” and “on the other hand.”
• Stick to your outline. Unless you get an absolutely brilliant idea while you are writing, do not deviate from your outline. If you do, you will risk winding up with an incoherent essay.
• Try to prove one “big picture” idea per paragraph. Keep it simple. Each paragraph should make one point and then substantiate that point with historical evidence.
• Back up your ideas with examples. Yes, we have said it already, but it bears repeating: Do not just throw ideas out there and hope that you are right (unless you are absolutely desperate). You will score big points if you substantiate your claims with facts.
• Try to fill the essay form. An overly short essay will hurt you more than one that is overly long.
• Make sure your first and last paragraphs directly address the question. Nothing will cost you points faster than if the graders decide you did not answer the question. It is always a safe move to start your final paragraph by answering the question. If you have written a good essay, that answer will serve as a legitimate conclusion.
• Always place every essay into a historical context. For example, if you are given an essay asking you to compare and contrast Newton’s and Einstein’s ideas on the universe, don’t make it an essay on science. Instead, show how each of these men was a product of his respective time period, and show how their ideas influenced their contemporaries as well as future generations.
Summary
◦ Read questions carefully. Be sure you are answering the question that is asked. You must answer the question in order to get full credit.
◦ Do not start writing until you have brainstormed, chosen a thesis, and written an outline.
◦ Follow your outline. Stick to one important idea per paragraph. Support your ideas with historical evidence.
◦ Write clearly and neatly. Do not write in long, overly complex sentences. Toss in a couple of “big” words you know you will not misuse. When in doubt, stick to simple syntax and vocabulary.
◦ Use transition words to indicate conti-nuity of thought and changes in the direction of your argument.
◦ Provide a strong historical context. You may be faced with questions focusing on science, economics, philosophy, literature and art, religion, and other disciplines. Always remember this is a history exam.
◦ Remember also that this is a European history exam (not an American history exam). So, for example, if you get a question on technological changes in the nineteenth century, you should focus on Marconi, Siemens, or Bessemer, not on Edison or Bell. Similarly, on Cold War questions, don’t avoid the United States, but have your answer reflect Europe’s situation as much as possible.
◦ Study the question. Make sure you understand what it is asking you to write about. Address all parts of the questions. If it asks for “social, political, and economic changes,” make sure you discuss all three. If you cannot address the whole question, either choose another question or fake it. If you don’t know anything about the social impact, then try to use logic—how would something like this affect society?
◦ Try for at least two or three concrete facts to support each of your themes or assertions.
CRACKING THE SHORT ANSWERS
The short-answer section is the second part of Section I of the exam, immediately following the multiple-choice questions. There is no break between the multiple-choice and short-answer portions. There are four short-answer questions, which you’ll have 50 minutes to complete.
This is supposed to be a fairly straightforward section designed to test your recall of historical material. Each question will be accompanied by some piece of source material (whether a graph, passage, or map) or a historian’s argument. The questions ask you to analyze the source and incorporate it into your response. Responses should not be lengthy; they are not meant to be long essays. Instead, write a few sentences or a full paragraph to concisely answer the question.
A short-answer question might look something like this:
2. Use the passage below and your knowledge of European history to answer all parts of the question that follows.
“In England the legal method of executing a witch was by hanging; after death the body was burnt and the ashes scattered. In Scotland, as a rule, the witch was strangled at the stake and the body burned, but there are several records of the culprit being sentenced to burning alive. In France burning alive was the invariable punishment. In cases where popular fury, unrestrained by the law, worked its own vengeance on individuals, horrible scenes occurred; but these were the exception, and, examining only the legal aspect of the subject, it will be found that witches had a fair trial according to the methods of the period, and that their punishment was according to the law.”
Margaret Alice Murray, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, 1921
a) Briefly explain TWO factors that led to a change in the way suspected witches were punished.
b) Briefly explain ONE thinker who may have opposed the burning of witches on intellectual grounds.
This is deceptively difficult, since witchcraft isn’t exactly covered in most AP European curriculums. You need to connect this subject with something that you learned in your course. The words traditional European would tell you that this occurred prior to the disruptions of modern European life. You should also sense that witchcraft might’ve been a major issue during the religious period of European history, which was prior to the Scientific Revolution.
A high-scoring response to this question might look like this:
One factor included a change in intellectual thought. As Europe moved from a system of law based religious tradition (that had been popular since the medieval period) and towards a system of law based on reason, the idea of burning suspected witches became harder to justify. Another factor might include a more political change: with the rise of representative democracy, the whim of a single mayor, governor, noble, or king no longer carried as much weight, and suspected witches probably couldn’t be condemned as quickly. John Locke, the great Enlightenment thinker, most likely considered witchcraft irrelevant, if he even believed in it at all, since his organizing principles of life included liberty and personal property.
Part (b) of the question was the tipoff that the test makers want you to connect witchcraft with the rise of Enlightenment thought. Notice also the conjecture that was present; if you get a question like this, feel free to speculate based on your studies.
Summary
◦ The AP European History Exam features a short-answer section, which is found in Section I after the multiple-choice section. There are four short-answer questions that you will have 50 minutes to complete.
◦ The short-answer questions will be based on a primary or secondary source, which may be a chart, map, or excerpt from a historical document, for example. These questions will require you to analyze the source and connect it to your knowledge of European history.
◦ Do not go overboard in composing your responses! Short-answer questions are meant to be just that—short. Although length may vary, a paragraph will usually suffice.
CRACKING THE DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION (DBQ)
What Is the DBQ?
DBQ stands for “Document-Based Question.” The DBQ is an essay question that requires you to interpret primary source documents. (There are typically no more than seven documents in a DBQ.) These documents might come from newspaper articles and editorials, letters, diaries, speeches, excerpts from legislation, political cartoons, charts, or graphs. The documents will not include excerpts from current textbooks. Occasionally, one or two of the documents will be taken from something “classic” that you may have seen previously, but generally, the documents will be new to you. However, they will discuss events and ideas with which you should be familiar. All of the documents will pertain to a single subject. The average document is about six lines long, although occasionally you will see something longer.
The 55-minute DBQ is the first part of Section II of the exam. At the beginning of the DBQ, you will be handed a green booklet in which the essay question and documents are printed, as well as a separate form on which to write your essay. The DBQ session begins with a suggested 15-minute reading period, during which you are allowed to read the documents and take notes in the DBQ booklet. It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the documents and 40 minutes writing your response. You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.
To give you an idea of what you can expect on your DBQ, let’s look at what appeared on a previous test. The question asked students to discuss and evaluate problems in the relationship between the English and Irish in the period from 1800 to 1916. The documents included excerpts from the following:
• A quote from English Prime Minister William Pitt, the creator of the Act of Union of 1801, in which he states that “Ireland must be governed in the English interest”
• A parliamentary speech by a Protestant Irish leader dating from 1805 demanding the continuation of exclusive Protestant political rights within the United Kingdom
• A poem written in 1842 by an Irish Nationalist that speaks of the commonality of interests between Irish Protestants and Catholics
• An article in the English Conservative Party newspaper from 1848 that claims that anything good in Ireland is due to the influence of England, while the Irish have only themselves to blame for all their problems
• A declaration of principles from 1879 by the National Land League that states that the “land of Ireland belongs to the people of Ireland.”
• A piece of writing from 1900 by Maud Gonne, founder of the Daughters of Ireland, in which she declares that her organization wants to help establish Irish independence in part through a revival of indigenous Irish culture
• A map showing the distribution in 1901 of Protestants and Roman Catholics in the Irish population
Although you may not know much about the authors of these documents, the tensions between England and Ireland might be familiar to you. In other words, you will not be starting from square one, even when the documents are new to you.
Is There a “Right” Answer to Each DBQ?
No. DBQs are worded in such a way that you can argue any number of positions. In the previous example, the documents provide evidence for various issues that stand at the heart of the Irish-English conflict, such as religious bigotry and questions concerning Home Rule. As long as you support your argument with evidence, you can argue whatever thesis you want.
Graders are supposed to take into account the strength of your argument and the evidence you offer in support of it. In other words, if you forget to mention a good, illustrative historical event but manage to back your point up in some other way, you will not be penalized.
However, the best DBQ responses will contain relevant outside information. As you can see from the rubric on the next page, you cannot get the maximum number of points for this essay unless you incorporate outside evidence and knowledge.
Using the Documents AND Your Knowledge of the Subject…
“Your knowledge of the subject” is the outside information. It includes historical facts and ideas that are relevant to the question but that are not mentioned in the DBQ documents. For example, in the England and Ireland DBQ described earlier, any information offered about the writers’ backgrounds would count as outside information, as would information concerning, for example, Charles Stuart Parnell and the Land League. Some students make the mistake of throwing everything they know about a subject into their essays, whether or not it pertains to the question. That type of information receives partial credit at best.
HOW IS THE DBQ SCORED?
You can earn up to 7 points on the DBQ. For a breakdown of those points, here’s the rubric that we showed you on this page:
DBQ Scoring Rubric (Note: Numbers marked with an asterisk [*] are based on a document-based question that contains 7 documents.) |
||
| Task | Points Possible | Description |
| Thesis and Argument Development | 2 | 1. Presents a thesis that can be backed by historical evidence and responds to all parts of the question. The thesis must be at least one sentence, located in either the introduction or conclusion. (1 point) 2. Develops and supports a cohesive argument that addresses historical complexities and shows the relationships among historical evidence. (1 point) |
| Document Analysis | 2 | 1. Uses at least 6* of the documents to support the thesis or a relevant argument. (1 point) 2. Explains the significance of the author’s point of view or purpose, audience, and/or historical context for at least 4* documents. (1 point) |
| Using Evidence Beyond the Documents | 2 | 1. Contextualization: Places the argument within the broader historical context—events, developments, processes, etc.—relevant to the question. Note that this requires an explanation (consisting of several sentences or a full paragraph), not just a brief mention. (1 point) 2. Evidence Beyond the Documents: Gives an example or additional piece of evidence beyond what is found in the documents to support an argument. Note that the example must be different from the evidence used to earn other points on the rubric, and include an explanation of how that evidence supports or qualifies the argument. (1 point) |
| Synthesis | 1 | Extends the argument by explaining the connections between the argument and ONE of the following: a. A development in a historical period, era, or geographical area that is different from the one in the question b. An AP European History course theme and/or approach to history (e.g., political, economic, cultural) that is not the focus of the essay c. A different discipline or field (e.g., economics, art history, anthropology) |
| Maximum Points: 7 | ||
Getting the Points
Here are concrete ways to earn the points for each of the DBQ tasks.
• Study the question carefully; make sure you are writing about what the question is actually asking. Misinterpreting the question is the most common mistake students make and results in a zero on the essay. Also, be careful to provide a thesis that is not a regurgitation of the exam question. Failure to come up with your own thesis will also result in a zero.
• Try to use every document. For a DBQ that contains seven documents, you need to explicitly use six of them to support your argument in order to earn those points on the rubric.
• Show your reader that you understand the basic meaning of the documents. This doesn’t mean that there won’t possibly be a number of ways of interpreting the document, but make it clear that you understand the connection of your document to the topic at hand.
• Try to organize your documents into groups, and then write each of your body paragraphs about one of your document groups. Start off with a topic sentence, and write an analysis of the information drawn from the documents in that group. Use quotes or examples to support your analysis. Just quoting for the sake of quoting is a common error among students. Do not assume that quotations can simply stand on their own without any elaboration. Be sure to show the graders that you understand what the quotation means and use the quote in a manner that furthers your argument.
• The documents may not be fact; they may be opinions. Write the essay in such a way that this is made clear to the reader.
◦ Make a big effort to find point of view. Before you read the document, look at who the author is and when he or she made this statement. Why did the author have this particular point of view? What about the author’s background or the time, place, or historical circumstance shaped the writer’s outlook on life? Is there an ulterior motive behind the statements made? Do not hesitate to use logic. For example: If the DBQ is about the various views on German unification in the 1860s, why would a German poet, the Italian Foreign Minister, and Otto von Bismarck support unification, while an ethnically French citizen of Alsace-Lorraine, a French socialist politician, and Napoleon III all oppose it?
◦ Demonstrate that you are aware that certain documents are more credible than others. A document giving statistics from a government census, for example, is considered more credible than claims made by an editorialist for a party newspaper.
• Have three or more groupings. A group cannot contain just one document, and it’s safest to use more than two (in case one is used incorrectly). It is fine to use a document more than once.
• The thesis is not simply restating the question. It must also answer the question and indicate the various groupings into which the essay is divided.
• Use attribution as much as possible. Attribution means that you give credit to the authors of the statements used. It is also useful to cite the document you are quoting. For example, you might write “British Prime Minister William Gladstone stated in his address to Parliament ‘blah-blah-blah’ (Document 7).” (Citing the document is not mandatory, but it makes it easier for the reader to see which documents you used.) Never write an essay that says, “In Document 7, such-and-such is said, which is contradicted by Document 5.” Your essay is not about the documents; it is about the opinions of the people quoted in the documents.
• To earn the maximum number of points on the DBQ, you now need to bring in outside examples into your essay. This shows a greater historical understanding, so be sure to spend some time during the 15-minute reading period brainstorming a couple examples that go beyond the scope of the documents.
How to Group Documents
How to group will vary according to the question. Some DBQs, for example, may ask you to show how various segments of society view a particular issue; some will ask how views on a particular issue have changed over time. Find the documents that have similar points of view and write about those views; in other words, pro versus con, German versus French, liberal versus conservative, nineteenth century versus twentieth century.
You may group according to the reasons and motives behind the arguments. Your groups might be, for example, individuals influenced by nationalist idealism, individuals representing the power politics of the era, and groups representing the internationalism promoted by Karl Marx.
GETTING STARTED ON THE DBQ: READ THE QUESTION
Start by reading the question. This direction may seem obvious, but it really is not, given how many students write essays on subjects that are only marginally related to the question being asked. Students miss the question because they get anxious during the exam. They panic. They think they are going too slowly. In an effort to speed up, they read half the question, say to themselves, “A-ha! I know what they’re going to ask!” and stop reading. Do NOT make this mistake! The question is probably the shortest thing you have to read on the DBQ. Take your time; savor it. Explore its nuances. Essays that address the question fully earn huge bonuses; those essays that ignore parts of the question are doomed to get lower scores.
Here’s a sample question:
Question 1: Using the documents and your knowledge of European history, evaluate the reasons why the year 1848 brought about an explosion of revolutionary activity throughout Europe.
As you look over the question, you should ask yourself two questions.
• Do I have an opinion about this subject?
• What must I discuss in order to write a successful essay?
Of the two questions, the second is much more important. You can construct a position later, after you have gathered the information you want to include in your essay. First, you need to figure out what issues you must address and what data you will use in your discussion.
To begin, you might want to break down the question in a variety of ways. Perhaps focus first on economic issues, such as the economic downturn of the 1840s, a decade that some referred to as the “hungry forties.” Then move on to critical political issues such as a backlash against the repressive nature of politics in the decades after 1848 or the role of nationalism in the revolutions of 1848. Others might find it more useful to discuss events in 1848 on a nation-by-nation basis, beginning with the collapse of the Orleans monarchy in France and moving on to the revolutionary movements in places such as the German states, the Austrian Empire, Italy, and so on. Finally, you must include a discussion of the given documents and your outside knowledge in the essay.
However you decide to approach the question, it is essential that you take your time. Read carefully to make sure that you understand what issues must be addressed in your essay. Then, determine how to organize the information you plan to collect from the documents and from memory for inclusion in the essay.
Organizing Your Essay: Use Grids and Columns
Many DBQs ask you to draw comparisons. For those questions, you can always organize your thoughts about a DBQ in a grid. Drawing a grid helps in seeing all sides of an argument, which is important because DBQ graders will reward you for acknowledging arguments other than your own.
For the DBQ on the revolutions of 1848, you may find it useful to create a grid like the one shown on the next page. Such a grid will allow you to see the complexity of the events of 1848 and how economics, domestic politics, and nationalism all played a role in fanning the flames of revolution across Europe.
If you cannot draw a grid for a question, you can instead set up column headings. Because every DBQ can be argued from at least two different positions, you can always set up two (or more) columns, designating one for each position. Consider the DBQ about Ireland, which we discussed at the beginning of the chapter. You could create one column, entitled “England,” where you can provide examples of English justification for holding onto Ireland. A second column, labeled “Unionist,” will give the Unionist argument for remaining part of the United Kingdom, and a third, labeled “Nationalist,” can provide their argument for creating an independent Irish state, free from British domination. You might even want a fourth column, for information that you know belongs in your essay but that you cannot yet classify (give that the title “To be classified”).
Good essays do not just flow out of your pen by accident. They happen when you know what you are going to say before you start writing. Although it is difficult (if not impossible) to prepare your entire DBQ essay before you begin writing, given the time constraints, pre-organization and a good outline will get you much closer to that goal.
A Sample Question
Let’s take a look at another possible DBQ.
Question 1: Using the documents and your knowledge of European history, discuss whether Napoleon was a supporter of the ideas espoused in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment or whether he was an enemy of individual liberty.
Your essay will have to show whether you understand certain basic tenets of the Enlightenment and also show your knowledge of the period of Napoleon’s domination over France (1799–1815). You will, of course, have to include both analysis of the documents and outside information. Since the question is asking for a basic comparison, you might want to make a simple three-column grid like the one below:
| Ideals of Enlightenment | Napoleon pro | Napoleon con |
Once you have created your grid, begin organizing information for your essay. At this point, you are probably anxious to start reading the documents. Resist the temptation. You have one more important job to do before you start reading.
Gather Outside Evidence
Most students read the DBQ documents first and then try to think of outside evidence and examples to supplement their essays. This is a mistake. The reason? The power of suggestion. Once you have read the documents—a chore that can take from six to eight minutes—those documents will be on your mind. If you read the provided passages and then brainstorm outside information, you will invariably think of things you just read about, rather than things you have not read about.
Plus, reading and processing the documents is a big task. Once you have accomplished that, you will want to get started right away on organizing and writing your essay while the documents are fresh in your mind. So, brainstorm outside evidence before you read the documents.
Here’s what you should do. Look at your grid or columns and brainstorm. In a separate blank space in your green booklet (not in your grid/columns), write down everything you can think of that relates to the question. Spend just two or three minutes on this task, and then look at what you have written. Enter the useful information into your grid/columns in the appropriate spaces.
Chances are that some of the outside evidence you think of will be mentioned in the documents, which means that it will not be outside information any more. That is no big deal. In fact, you should think of it as something good. If some of what you remembered shows up in the documents, that means you are on the right track toward answering the question!
This is what a brainstorming grid for the Napoleon question might look like.
| Ideals of Enlightenment | Napoleon pro | Napoleon con |
| religious tolerance |
• extended religious freedom throughout the empire • concordat |
|
| rational government |
• Napoleonic Code • increased centralization of government |
|
| equality of individuals | • favored meritocracy |
• created imperial title and a new aristocracy • placed relatives on foreign thrones |
| freedom from repression |
• created secret police censorship • jailed and executed political opponents |
Read the Documents
After you have gathered outside evidence and examples to include in your essay, you are ready to read the documents. As you read, keep the following things in mind:
• The order in which documents appears may be helpful. The documents in the DBQ may appear in chronological order, which could indicate that you are expected to trace the historical development of the DBQ subject. On such questions, you do not have to write an essay that adheres strictly to chronological order, but chronology should play an important part in the development of your thesis. When the documents appear in an order other than chronological, they are usually organized so that you can easily compare and contrast different viewpoints on a particular event or issue. On these questions, one of your main goals should be to draw those same comparisons.
• Watch for inconsistencies within and among the documents. The documents will not necessarily agree with one another. In fact, they are almost certain to present different viewpoints on issues and almost as certain to present conflicting accounts of a historical event. Some documents might even contradict themselves! This is intentional. The exam is testing your ability to recognize these contradictions. You are expected to resolve these conflicts in your essay. To do so, you will have to identify the sources of the documents. (See below.)
• Identify the sources of the documents. Why do two accounts of the same event contradict each other? Why do two historians, looking at the same data, come up with dissimilar interpretations of their significance? Is it because the people giving these accounts—the sources of the documents—have different perspectives? Identify the sources and explain why their opinions differ. As you explain these differences, look for the following differences among sources:
• political ideology
• class
• race
• religion
• gender
Consider the question on Napoleon. A supporter of the exiled Bourbons would offer a very different point of view on this question than a member of Napoleon’s inner circle. The graders will be looking specifically to see if you have tried to explain those differences.
• Look for evidence that could refute your argument. Once you have decided what your thesis will be, you will be looking through the documents for evidence to support your argument. Not all the documents will necessarily back you up. Some may appear to contradict your argument. Do not simply ignore those documents! As you read them, try to figure out how you might incorporate them into your argument.
As you read the documents, be aware that each one holds a few morsels of information for your essay. Do not fixate on any one document, but at the same time, do not ignore any. Also, as you read the documents, take note of any outside information that the document reminds you of and enter it into your grid/columns.
Don’t Discount Counter-Evidence
Let’s consider the Napoleon DBQ. Suppose you argue that Napoleon was a supporter of the ideals of the Enlightenment. Now suppose that one of the documents presents evidence that Napoleon kidnapped a Bourbon prince living in exile in one of the German states and then had him killed. You might be tempted to pretend that the document does not exist. However, you will be better off if you incorporate the document into your essay. By doing this you are acknowledging that this historical issue, like all historical issues, is complex. This acknowledgment is good. AP essay graders are instructed to look for evidence that you understand that history has no simple answers and to reward you for it.
DRILL
Below is a “mini-DBQ” (it has only four documents, which is fewer than you will see on the actual exam). Read through the documents, taking notes in the margins and blank spaces.
Question 1: Using the documents and your knowledge of European history, evaluate the roles of women in the religious conflicts of the sixteenth century.
Source: A printed pamphlet addressed to Katharina von Bora, the wife of Martin Luther.
Woe to you, poor fallen woman, not only because you have passed from light to darkness, from the cloistered holy religion into a damnable shameful life, but also that you have gone from the grace to the disfavor of God, in that you have left the cloister in lay clothes and have gone to Wittenberg like a chorus girl. You are said to have lived with Luther in sin.
Source: Letter written in 1523 by Argula von Grumbach, the daughter of a Bavarian noble, to the faculty of the University of Ingolstadt after they had forced a young member of the teaching staff to recant his belief in Luther’s theology.
What have Luther and Melanchthon taught save the Word of God? You have condemned them. You have not refuted them. Where do you read in the Bible that Christ, the apostles, and the prophets imprisoned, banished, burned, or murdered anyone? You tell us that we must obey the magistrates. Correct. But neither the pope, nor the Kaiser, nor the princes have any authority over the Word of God.
Source: Examination of Elizabeth Dirks before a Catholic court in 1549 on the charge of being an Anabaptist.
Examiner: We understand that you are a teacher and have led many astray. We want to know who your friends are.
Elizabeth: I am commanded to love the Lord my God and honor my parents. Therefore I will not tell you who my parents are. That I suffer for Christ is damaging to my friends.
Examiner: What do you believe about the baptism of children, seeing that you have had yourself baptized again?
Elizabeth: No my Lords, I have not had myself baptized again. I have been baptized once on my faith, because it is written, “Baptism belongs to believers.”
Source: The Way of Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582), a prominent Catholic reformer and author of spiritual books.
At about this time there came to my notice the harm and havoc that were being wrought in France by these Lutherans and the way in which their unhappy sect was increasing. I felt that I would have laid down a thousand lives to save a single one of all the souls that were being lost there. And, seeing that I was a woman, and a sinner, I determined to do the little that was in me—namely, to follow the evangelical counsels as perfectly as I could, and to see that these few nuns who are here should do the same.
Here’s How to Crack It
Here you are provided with four different examples of the ways in which women participated in the religious disputes of the sixteenth century.
Document 1 may initially look somewhat confusing until you take a moment to think about the source: It is a pamphlet addressed to the wife of Martin Luther. If you forgot about the story of Katharina von Bora and her marriage to Luther, you’re in luck, since the document provides you with some background. You should be aware, however, that the position taken in the pamphlet is entirely hostile to both Katharina and Martin Luther. Therefore, it does not take much of a leap of faith to conclude that the document was written by a Catholic who was horrified by Katharina’s leaving the cloistered life and by her marriage to Luther.
Document 2 reveals another side of the participation of women in the religious debates of the Reformation. It is from a woman who actively participated in such questions by championing a young Lutheran teacher. The author, Argula von Grumbach, will not be a familiar name to you, but you can see from the document that she was fully aware of the major issues of the conflict, such as Luther’s emphasis on the Bible as the sole source of faith and his rejection of papal authority. Challenging the authorities on behalf of this young man is an interesting example of open defiance, something not usually expected from women in the sixteenth century.
Document 3 is part of a transcript of a trial of a woman who was accused of being an Anabaptist. Don’t panic if you have forgotten what the Anabaptists believed in, since the document explains that Anabaptists believed in adult baptism. As the accused woman Elizabeth Dirks says, “Baptism belongs to believers,” implying that it’s not appropriate for unaware infants. There are other things that you can pull from this document. One of the accusations that the Catholic authorities mentioned is that she was a teacher, albeit one who was leading people astray. Considering that women were rarely literate in this age, her profession is something to be noted, as should her intense loyalty to her friends, whom she refuses to betray by revealing their presence at her rebaptism. She must have been aware that such a refusal would bring her additional torture, the typical means of extracting a confession.
Document 4 can be compared with Document 2, since, once again, a woman actively threw herself into the religious debates of the period. This time, however, our author, St. Teresa of Avila, used her pen not to challenge the Catholic Church but to defend it. She revealed that she found herself as a defender of the Church in response to Lutheranism taking root in France. She also grappled with the question as to how, as a woman, she could best serve her church. She would have liked, if the opportunity arose, to “have laid down a thousand lives to save a single one of all the souls that were being lost there,” but since that cheery prospect was not open to her, she had to find some other outlet for her anger. So she organized the nuns who still remained in the monastery and recommitted them to the Catholic Church.
That’s it for the documents. Now, formulate a thesis, figure out how and where to fit all your information into your argument, and write an essay. Relax. It is easier than it sounds.
Develop a Thesis
Before you decide on your thesis, GO BACK AND READ THE QUESTION ONE MORE TIME! Make sure that your thesis addresses all the pertinent aspects of the question. Your thesis should not simply restate the prompt; it also needs to answer the question and pose an argument or position.
For this sample question, your thesis might read as follows:
Women played an active role in the religious debates of the sixteenth century, both as supporters of a break with Rome and as defenders of the Catholic Church.
You can then bring in the variety of experiences revealed in the four sources to buttress this thesis.
Create an Outline
At this point, you should still have time left in the suggested 15-minute reading period. Create an outline with one Roman numeral for each paragraph. Decide on the subject of each paragraph and on what information you will include in each paragraph. Do not rely on your grid/columns if you do not have to. The grid/columns are good for organizing your information but are less efficient for structuring an essay.
Write Your Essay
The most important advice when writing your exam is to stay confident. Everyone else taking the test, all across the country, is at least as nervous about it as you are.
Summary
◦ The DBQ consists of an essay question and approximately seven historical documents. Most likely, you will not have seen most of the documents before, but they will all relate to major historical events and ideas you should be familar with. You’ll have 55 minutes to prepare and write your essay. It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the documents and 40 minutes writing your response.
◦ There is no single “correct” answer to the DBQ. DBQs are framed so that they can be successfully argued from many different viewpoints.
◦ Read the essay question carefully. Circle and/or underline important words and phrases. Once you understand the question, create a grid or columns in which to organize your notes on the essay.
◦ Before you start reading the documents, brainstorm about the question. This way you will gather additional evidence before you submerge yourself in the documents.
◦ Read the documents. Pay attention to contradictions and connections within and among the documents and also to who is speaking and what sociopolitical tradition he or she represents. If you have decided on a thesis, keep an eye out for information that might refute your thesis, and be prepared to address it in your essay.
◦ Decide on a thesis; then write an outline for your essay.
◦ Use the provided historical background sparingly in your essay.
◦ Your introductory paragraph should set the historical scene and include a thesis that takes a position on the issue posed by the question.
◦ Try to include as many of the documents as you can in your essay.
◦ When you write the essay, do not be concerned with literary merit. Be sure your essay is logically organized, easy to understand, and always focused on the thesis.
◦ Stay positive. Do not panic. Everyone else is as nervous as you are.
CRACKING THE LONG ESSAY QUESTION
What Is the Long Essay?
The long essay section consists of two questions, and you must choose ONE to answer.
The long essay question is found in Section II, immediately following the DBQ. It’s the final portion of the exam, and you do not get a break before it begins. You’ll have 35 minutes to write this essay.
The long essay question, like the DBQ, has no single “correct” answer. Unlike the DBQ, though, the long essay questions are not accompanied by documents; everything you include in your essay response will be outside information. Also, because you have less time to plan and write the long essay, it will likely be shorter than your DBQ response. A clear, relevant thesis, accompanied by an organized essay laying out supporting evidence and solid examples, should earn a good score. Here are two examples of the types of questions you might see on this section.
Question 2: Evaluate the extent to which the growth of industrialization in Great Britain in the first half of the nineteenth century C.E. can be considered a pivotal point in European history. In the development of your argument, consider what changed and what changed the same after the growth of industrialization in Great Britain after the first half of the nineteenth century C.E.
Question 3: Evaluate the extent to which Renaissance humanism and its effects on the concept of the individual can be considered a pivotal point in European history. In the development of your argument, consider what changed and what stayed the same after the revival of humanistic thought during the European Renaissance.
As you can see, the long essay allows you to expound upon the themes and topics you learned in the course to craft a historical argument.
The maximum number of points you can earn on the long essay is 6. Here’s how that total score breaks down:
Long Essay Scoring Rubric |
||
| Task | Points Possible | Description |
| Thesis | 1 | Presents a thesis that can be backed up by historical evidence and that responds to all parts of the question. The thesis must be at least one sentence, located in either the introduction or conclusion. |
| Using Targeted Historical Thinking Skills | 2 | Skill #1—Comparison: Develops and supports an argument that: a. Describes the similarities and differences among historical figures, developments, processes, or events. (1 point) b. Explains the reasons for the similarities and differences among historical figures, developments, processes, or events. OR (depending on the essay prompt) Evaluates the significance of historical figures, developments, processes, or events. (1 point) Skill #2—Causation: Develops and supports an argument that a. Describes causes and/or effects of a historical event, development, or process. (1 point) b. Explains the reasons for the causes and/or effects of a historical event, development, or process. (1 point) [Note: If the question asks about both causes and effects, you must discuss both in order to earn the full 2 points.] Skill #3—Continuity/Change over Time: Develops and supports an argument that a. Describes historical continuity and change over time. (1 point) b. Explains the reasons for historical continuity and change over time. (1 point) Skill #4—Periodization: Develops and supports an argument that a. Describes how the historical development from the essay prompt is different from and similar to developments that preceded and/or followed it. (1 point) b. Explains the extent to which the historical development from the essay prompt is different from and similar to developments that preceded and/or followed it. (1 point) |
| Using Evidence | 2 |
1. Addresses the essay topic with specific examples and a broad range of evidence. (1 point) 2. Uses specific examples and a broad range of evidence to completely and effectively support or justify the stated thesis or a relevant argument. (1 point) |
| Synthesis | 1 | Extends the argument by explaining the connections between the argument and ONE of the following: a. A development in a historical period, era, or geographical area that is different from the one in the question b. An AP European History course theme and/or approach to history (e.g., political, economic, cultural) that is not the focus of the essay c. A different discipline or field (e.g., economics, art history, anthropology) |
| Maximum Points: 6 | ||
Which Question to Choose
Choose the question about which you know the most specific details, NOT the one that looks easiest at first glance. The more you know about the subject, the better your final grade will be.
How to Write the Essay
Since we have covered this information already in the previous two chapters, here are brief directions for how to structure your essay.
• Read the question and analyze it.
• Assess your information and devise a thesis.
• If you have time, write a quick outline.
• Write your essay.
A Final Note
This section is short, not because the the long essay question is unimportant, but because we have already discussed in previous chapters what you need to know to write successful AP essays. Many students are tempted to ease up when they finish the DBQ because 1) it’s so challenging, 2) they’re tired, and 3) the test is three-fourths of the way over. Do not make that mistake. Reach down for that last bit of energy like a long-distance runner coming into the home stretch. After all, this is where you can truly shine—with no stimulus material whatsoever, the more you recall, the more you will shine. You can take it easy after you finish this final essay.
Summary
◦ The long-essay portion of the exam consists of two prompts. You must answer one of them.
◦ Choose the question about which you know the most specific details, not the one that looks easiest.
◦ Study each question carefully. Make sure you are answering the question exactly. If you misinterpret a question and write about something other than what the prompt asks, you will receive a 0 for that question.
◦ Circle all key words. Consider the dates given; they are clues to what you are to write about. If, for example, a question asks, “How did the nature of the Soviet regime change after 1924?”, the question is in fact asking you to show the differences between the leadership and policies of Lenin and Stalin.
◦ Do not ignore any part of the question. If a question asks you to “Compare and contrast the different personalities and leadership styles of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and his son Philip II, King of Spain, and how these influenced the methods they used to counter the Protestant movement,” be sure to address personalities, leadership styles, and the ways these influenced policy toward the Reformation. If you find yourself in a situation in which you do not know enough to answer a part of the question, do not ignore that part. Use the historical knowledge you have, combined with logic, to guess at the answer.
◦ Decide on a thesis, and then write an outline for your essay.
◦ Follow your outline. Stick to one important idea per paragraph. Provide concrete examples to support the point you are making. We recommend at least two examples per issue.
◦ Stay focused on the question, and don’t go off on tangents. Write only about what the question asks, and carefully choose the evidence to support it. You have very little time to throw together these essays. Do not spend time including information that isn’t directly relevant.
◦ Your introductory paragraph is more than just your thesis statement. It should also set the historical scene (time, place, historical situation) so that the reader can more clearly understand what your essay is about. In your thesis, do not simply restate the question; be sure to also answer the question. The thesis tells the reader what the main points of the essay are.
◦ Remember: This is a European history exam. If you write about the Cold War, for example, put as much focus as possible on what the Europeans are doing. If your essay deals with literature, art, philosophy, science, economics, social issues, and so on, place the discussion in the correct historical context.
◦ Do not be concerned with literary merit. Be sure your essay is logically organized, easy to understand, and always focused on the thesis. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence, and the essay should close with a concluding paragraph.
◦ Write clearly and neatly. Do not write in overly complex sentences. Toss in a couple of “big” words that you know you will not misuse. When in doubt, stick to simple syntax and vocabulary.
◦ Use transition words to indicate continuity of thought and changes in the direction of your argument.
◦ Keep a close watch on the time. Remember that 35 minutes for an essay is less time than you may think. Be sure to pace yourself by taking no more than five minutes to brainstorm and outline, and by working steadily through the essay. Remember that the style of the sentences is less important than the quality of the ideas.
◦ Stay positive. Do not panic. Everyone else is at least as nervous as you are.