Hello everyone. I'm having a bit of difficulty understanding the DBQ rubric for AP World History. Can someone break it down for me? How should I interpret the scoring criteria?
Sure, happy to help!
Breaking down the Document-Based Question (DBQ) rubric for AP World History, it generally contains 7 points that you can earn, divided into different categories.
1. Thesis / Claim (1 Point): A thesis is a statement that directly answers the prompt. It should be clear, precise, and historically specific. It also makes a claim that others might dispute.
2. Contextualization (1 Point): Contextualization involves framing your argument within a broader historical context. This could involve discussing events, developments, or processes relevant to the prompt that happened before, during, or after the specific time frame.
3. Evidence (3 Points): These points are earned by correctly using and analysing the documents provided in the essay. One point for using three documents. Another point for using six or more documents. And finally, the third point for properly sourcing - understanding the author's point of view, purpose, the audience or historical situation of the documents - at least four documents.
4. Analysis and Reasoning (2 Points): These are arguably the hardest to achieve. One point is earned for a complex argument, meaning having a clear line of logic throughout your essay. The other point is earned by correctly verifying the argument with at least two pieces of specific evidence outside the documents provided.
That's a quick breakdown of the key categories and how they're scored. Remember, clarity and specifics are key, and be sure to analyze your sources in the context of your argument. Good luck!
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