Tutorial with quizzes for the AP European History DBQ. Uses the 2008 DBQ on the German Peasants' Revolt.

1. Doing the DBQ
Eric Beckman
Anoka HS, MN

2. Skill 1: Working with documents
You will write 2-3 sentences for most of the
documents that you use in the essay.
Mark up the documents while reading them:
○ Who made it?
○ What is it?
○ What are they saying that helps to complete the
task?
○ How are they saying it?
○ In what ways are these related?

3. Example
In a report to Ludwig, Duke of Bavaria, dated
February 15, 1525 Bavarian Chancellor
Leonard von Eck claimed that the teachings of
Martin Luther were the main cause of the
peasants' revolt (Doc. 1). As a noble Eck's view
of the peasants as "blinded, led astray, and
made witless" by Lutheran ideas may reflect
his lack of first hand understanding of peasant
life.

4. Skill 1: Working with documents
Three parts
1. Attribution--who created it, include
everything
2. Interpretation--what is the document
communicating
3. Sourcing analysis--how does or how might
#1 influence #2

5. Working with documents: Attribution
Create a part of a sentence that uses the
words in the source description
Use this sentence clause to lead into
interpretation or sourcing analysis
In parentheses after the first sentence using a
document write "Doc." and # of doc
○ (Doc 3)

6. Working with documents:
Interpretation
1. Can be the main idea or one key idea
2. Interpret in light of the task:
a. How will you use the document to answer the
question?
b. Which part of the task can you use the document to
address?

7. Working with documents: Sourcing
Questions to consider:
1. What is the author's social position?
a. class or occupation
b. gender
c. age
d. location
e. ideology
2. How might the author's point of view affect what s/he
has to say or how s/he says it?
3. What is the form of the document?
4. How might the form affect the style, content, or
believability of the document?

8. Working with documents: Sourcing
What
about the source might have an impact on the document?
How
might it affect the document?
Why
might it have this effect?

9. Sourcing Analysis, aka Analyzing POV
● “Because this is a statement written by two preachers,
it accurately reflects the attitudes of the people
during this time period (doc 2).”--incomplete
● “Since Caspar Nutzel is a local government official
writing to a superior, his acknowledgement of
‘excessive’ actions by authorities seems credible since
it may have been somewhat risky to offer criticism of
authority during this time period (doc 9).”--complete

10. ●
●
●
“The reply of the Memmingen Town Council to the Articles of the
Peasants of Memmingen was biased when they stated that serfdom is no
hindrance to salvation (doc 4).”
“Lorenz Fries writes a secret report to the archbishop to explain what a
peasant assembly in Wurzburg believed that the rich should share with
the poor (doc 8).”
“Leonard von Eck, as a chancellor, would likely hold this view since as a
government official he is probably very concerned with preserving order
and the stability of the political structure (doc 1).”

11. Working with documents: Practice!
1. Review the task. What questions do you
need to answer using the documents ?
2. Pick a document from the DBQ
3. Write 2-3 sentences using the document to
address the prompt.
a. Attribution: everything about the source
b. Interpretation: what is the source saying
c. Sourcing analysis: what impact might the author's
POV or the type document have on the document's
style or content

12. Quiz!
● 15 minutes to read and mark on documents
● 15 minutes to write
Tasks:
1. Write about as many documents as you can
a.
Three is a good number for the first time
2. Write 2-3 sentences using each document to address
the prompt.
a.
b.
c.
Attribution: everything about the source
Interpretation: what is the source saying
Sourcing analysis: what impact might the author's POV or the type
document have on the document's style or content or credibility
original quiz idea from Dr. Todd Beach, Eastview HS, MN

13. Skill 2: Grouping!
Group=two or more documents that are similar
Best practice: group documents based on how
you use them to do the task
For example: Which documents provide a
similar interpretation of the causes of the
Peasants' Revolt

14. Groups: Practice
List documents that could be grouped together
--name the groups with a phrase

15. Groups: How do they help?
Groups-->body paragraphs in the DBQ essay
For each of your groups, write a topic
sentence for the paragraph that they would
create
--hint: look back at the task!

16. Groups
Your goal:
● four groups that respond to the prompt
● Focus on the task
Notes:
● documents can appear in more than one
group
○ but, you need to use most of the documents, so
don't overdo this
○ a group requires at least two documents
○ if a group has more than four docs, split it

17. Skill3: Thesis
● use your groups to create your thesis
● original
○ more than a restatement
● comprehensive
○ accomplishes all of the tasks; completes all parts

18. Quiz!
● 15 minutes to read and mark on documents
● 15 minutes to write
Tasks:
1. Group the documents, using the task
2. For each group, write a topic sentence
a.
list the numbers of the documents after the sentence
3. Construct a thesis
a.
b.
c.
may be multiple sentences
Original-specifies how you are responding to the prompt
Comprehensive-responds to the entire prompt
original quiz idea from Dr. Todd Beach, Eastview HS, MN

19. Sample Quiz Response
Using 2008 Peasants' Revolt DBQ
Group: Some people believed that religious influences caused the Peasants'
Revolt (Docs: 1, 6).
Group: Other authors blamed the revolt on the peasants desire to end
serfdom (2, 3, 4).
Group: Some people responded to the revolt with condemnation (7, 10)
Group: Other Germans responded to the revolt with sympathy for the
peasants (5, 9)
Thesis: At the time of the German Peasants' Revolt, some people argued that
religion was the primary cause, while others blamed the peasants' desire to
end serfdom. Responses to this revolt included both condemnation and
sympathy.

20. Writing the DBQ
● Thesis, can be more than one sentence
○ Comprehensive
○ Original
○ Groups-->Thesis
● Body paragraphs/groups
○ Write about at least two documents for each group
○ Analyze sourcing as often as possible
○ Some documents can get shorter treatment
● Conclude by restating thesis, which may
have evolved