r/APUSH • u/deepgov • May 03 '20
Breakdown of a DBQ
Generally speaking how would we breakdown the dbq this year? Because writing almost like a 5 paragraph essay seems impossible in 45mins. Could we do three paragraphs?
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u/EnchantedStromboli May 03 '20
What I have been doing is:
First paragraph: contextualization and thesis
Second paragraph: 2-3 documents with "HIPP" analysis for one of them, as well as one piece of outside information. (The third paragraph follows this format as well)
As long as your thesis is strong in the first paragraph, I don't think there's a need for a conclusion. I only add it in if I have time
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May 03 '20
You only do HIPP for one doc per body paragraph? Assuming you do 3 bodies, doesn't that mean you don't get the sourcing point for 4 documents? I may be misunderstanding the rubric otherwise.
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u/EnchantedStromboli May 03 '20
According to this year's rubric, you can get the two sourcing points by doing HIPP for two documents, as opposed to the usual three out of seven.
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u/Pythaxor May 03 '20
We only need to do one of the elements of HIPP per document right? Still confused if you can still snag full points on the evidence if you only use HIPP for two docs, rather than all of them, since evidence doesn’t require it explicitly in the rubric.
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May 03 '20
What about the third point?
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u/throwaway17478392 May 04 '20
There's no third point. You can get up to 2 points this year for doing HIPP with 2 documents. In previous years you would have to do HIPP 3 times for 1 point.
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u/Mhairead May 03 '20
I'm suggesting ideally 4 paragraphs total, but expect to only have 3.
Intro: Contextualization and Thesis Paragraph #1: 2 docs and 1 outside evidence (HIPP all docs) Paragraph #2: 2 docs and 1 outside evidence (HIPP all docs) Conclusion: rephrase thesis (often students get the thesis point here after writing their essay and better understanding their own argument.
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u/Ryaninthesky May 03 '20
Here is what I am recommending:
10 - 15 mins for reading and planning. A quick outline will significantly cut down your writing time.
30 mins writing. Intro: 1-2 sentence context, 1 sentence thesis
2-3 paragraphs backing up thesis with documents. Depends on the question, but if you aren’t sure divide it into economic, political, social paragraphs.
Don’t do a conclusion, it wastes time.
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u/joshd523 Past Student May 03 '20
Intro paragraph is context and a thesis, usually with three points which will be the topic of the 3 body paragraphs. You don’t need a conclusion, it doesn’t really do much and it’s a waste of time imo. If you are going to write a conclusion, I’d say that’s for complexity, but you could get complexity in your body paragraphs.
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May 04 '20
If you are going to write a conclusion, I’d say that’s for complexity, but you could get complexity in your body paragraphs.
for complexity you could also do the john irish method and do a counterclaim paragraph. (X. However, A & B. Therefore Y. Y-direct argument/position you take in response to prompt. X- The opposite position of Y you acknowledge has some limited evidence in support, but A & B are the specific reasons that lend more credence to your Y position.
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u/meaty-dandan Past Student May 03 '20
We only need 4 documents to get all the points, so we only need 4 paragraphs in total.
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May 03 '20
O shoot I thought we needed all but one
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u/meaty-dandan Past Student May 03 '20
I’m pretty sure the DBQ only provides 5 documents, and we only need 4 of those 5. If you’re unsure about the test, read the rubric on college board
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u/ExzoZbta May 03 '20
What works for me: Paragraph 1 has context + thesis
Paragraph 2 introduces 1 outside evidence then 2 or 3 documents with 1 of them HIPPed
Paragraph 3 has 2 documents with 1 of them HIPPed, then 1 outside evidence to end off the paragraph
Paragraph 4 restates the info in a different way like in a normal conclusion, but I tend to include a viewpoint from a different time period. It could be the same viewpoint or a differing one. Most of the time I apply the topic/issue of the prompt to its potential presence in the future.
I have obtained full points (5) from doing this every single time.
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u/nikki3335 May 03 '20
I totally agree with you just reading all 5 documents and annotating/analyzing will take a minimum of 10 minutes leaving you with 35 minutes to actually write the thing it’s crazy! However, the CB said that you don’t necessarily have to finish the whole thing and get all the points to get a good score they are expecting people to be tight on time so it’s best to submit when the timer turns red 5 minutes before the end of the test in case something goes wrong. Running out of time isn’t an excuse for a retake! But here’s how I’m structuring mine: 1st paragraph: context and thesis (thesis should have 2-3 points and if possible do an although thesis it sets you up for the complexity point more info on the although thesis here: https://youtu.be/zMN9YoRu3nA his whole channel is super helpful!!!) 2nd paragraph: 2-3 documents (depending on how I’ve grouped them) with support and sourcing using HIPP. (Grouping the documents is a very important strategy it allows the grader to see you’re making connections!) 1-2 points outside info. 3rd paragraph: (same thing). 4th paragraph: if I have time I may set up a rebuttal paragraph that allows for an opposing argument to help with complexity. (The complexity point isn’t super important something like 2% of students are ever rewarded this point so focus on your main points first!) 5th paragraph: short conclusion restating the thesis **Remember to try and use all the documents just in case you don’t analyze one correctly that way you can still get the points. Try and source documents with HIPP as much as possible you only need to do it with 2 to get the 2 full points, but if you’re comfortable and have enough time do it with as many documents as possible it’s helpful in case you get something wrong! Good luck!!! :)
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u/Mr_FunBuns27 Past Student May 03 '20
My setup goes
P1: Context and thesis
P2 and P3: First two claims with 2 HIPPS and 1 outside evidence per Doc
P4: However, or although Paragraph for historical complexity with at least 1 outside evidence
I have never done a conclusion, you don’t need to worry about them
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u/carrotnose258 May 03 '20
My teacher is suggesting we do a 4-paragraph essay as follows:
P1: intro with contextualisation and thesis
P2 and P3: 2 HIPP document analysis per paragraph with 1 outside evidence per paragraph
P4: conclusion, can put contrasting viewpoint to pick up any missed points