
Critically examine the contents of the
documents before you write DBQ essays
In order to understand how a DBQ essay needs to be written, it is first necessary to understand a
Document Based Question completely. This is a kind of exercise that a research scholar is expected to master. In fact, in many colleges today students are tutored on how to glean information from
documents and answer questions that are based on them. It might sound easy to most people. Unfortunately, many students think that this is another form of writing comprehension. In reality, it is a lot more complex than that. One cannot hope to work on a
Document Based essay if you are not familiar with the steps that researchers have to follow.
A few points to be remembered while answering
Document Based Questions
1/- The main prerequisite of this kind of task is to look at the
documents provided, with a critical eye. It could also be referred to as a critical
analysis essay or a critical lens essay. The student cannot merely refer to the
document in his essay. Instead, he has to ensure that the
document is studied in depth and understood likewise.