Lawrence Clark Powell “Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow...” E. Napp

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Lawrence Clark Powell

“Write to be understood, speak to be

heard, read to grow...”

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TO PRACTICE IS TO PREPARE

The World History AP examination consists of 70 multiple-choice questions and three essays

Students will be given 55 minutes to complete the 70 multiple-choice questions and 130 minutes to complete the free-response section (the three essays)

Of the 130 minutes for the free-response section, students will begin with a mandatory 10-minute document-reading period for the DBQ essay

During the 10-minute document-reading period, students may take notes on the documents but may not work on an actual essay

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After the mandatory 10-minute document-reading period, students may begin writing essays. Students should spend roughly 40 minutes on each essay. Obviously, the DBQ essay should be the first essay written while the documents are still fresh in the student’s mind. Therefore, let’s practice writing an actual DBQ essay from an actual World History AP examination (courtesy of ETS and the College Board).

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FROM THE 2007 WORLD HISTORY AP EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD):

1. Using the documents, analyze Han and Roman attitudes toward technology. Identify one additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help your analysis.

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Prior Knowledge About Han:

Prior Knowledge About Romans:

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Han DocumentsDocument 1: Source: Han government official, writing to local

officials concerning flood prevention, early second century B.C.E.

I request that you establish water conservation offices in each district and staff them with people who are experienced in the ways of water. There should be one high official and one deputy with just enough workers to meet the need. For the area on both sides of each river select one person as a chief hydraulic engineer. Order inspections of the waterways, the walls of the cities and their suburbs, the dikes and rivers, canals and pools, and government buildings and cottages, and supply enough workers to those who are to carry out the repair work in each district.

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ANALYSIS: DOCUMENT 1

Who is the author of the text or what is the source of the document?

Provide any relevant information about the author (gender, religious affiliation, background, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, etc.) or about the source.

When was the text written?

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What is the author’s or source’s point of view or opinion?

What part of the question does the document address?

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Document 2:

Source: Huan Guan, Han government official, Discourses on Salt and Iron, first century B.C.E.

In earlier times workers were allowed to do both foundry work and salt-boiling as long as they reported the work and paid a tax. Tools manufactured by individual families to do this work were well-made. Today the iron tools that workers are required to use are produced by the state using convict labor; these tools are often crude and not very functional.

Document 2 continues on next slide

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In previous times the tools manufactured by workers for their own use and for sale were of excellent quality. Now that the state has monopolized the salt and iron trades, most of the tools provided to the workers are hard and brittle and the responsible government officials are often not available to take complaints. Good implements are hard to come by. Salt and iron are now sold at very high prices by the state and many common people cannot afford to buy either. Some of the poorest peasants now have no choice but to till the soil with wooden plows and cannot afford salt to season their food.

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ANALYSIS: DOCUMENT 2




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NOW, THAT THERE ARE TWO DOCUMENTS

Is this document similar to a previous document?

Is any conceivable strategy for organizing documents emerging yet?

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Document 3:

Source: Huan Tan, upper-class Han philosopher, New Discourses, about 20 C.E.

Fuxi* invented the pestle and mortar. Later on, the pestle and the mortar were cleverly improved in such a way that the whole weight of the body could be used, thus increasing the efficiency ten times. In time, the power of animals – donkeys, mules, oxen, and horses – was added. Later, water power was also applied, and the benefit was increased a hundredfold.

*Fuxi is a mythological wise emperor.

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ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENT 3:




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Is there potential for categorization with previous documents?

Document 4 Source: History of the Early Han Dynasty

(government-sponsored history), about 200 C.E.

Tu Shih was appointed governor of Nanyang [about 31 C.E.]. He was a generous man and his policies were peaceful. He destroyed evil-doers and established the dignity of his office. Good at planning, Tu Shih loved the common people and wished to save their labor. He invented a water-powered blowing-engine for the casting of iron agricultural implements that allowed people to enjoy great benefit for little labor. His invention has been widely adopted and used.

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ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENT 4:




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Roman DocumentsDocument 5: Source: Cicero, upper-class Roman political

leader, On Duty, first century B.C.E.

Now, as to which crafts and other means of earning a living are suitable for a gentleman to practice and which are degrading, we have been taught more or less the following: Vulgar and unbecoming to a gentleman are all the jobs hired workers take on, whose labor is purchased rather than their skill. All craftsmen spend their time in vulgar occupations; no workshop can have anything enlightening about it.

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ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENT 5




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Document 6: Source: Plutarch, Greek-born Roman citizen

and high official, describing second-century B.C.E. Roman political leader Gaius Gracchus, first century C.E.

He was especially anxious about road building and paying attention to utility as well as to that which was beneficial to grace and beauty. For the roads were carried straight through the country without wavering, and were paved with quarried stone, and made solid with tightly packed sand. Hollows were filled up and bridges were built across whatever wintry streams or ravines cut the roads.

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And both sides were an equal and parallel height with the result that the road for its entire course had a level and beautiful appearance. Besides these things, he measured the whole road mile by mile and set up stone columns as distance indicators. He also placed stones on either side of the road at lesser intervals so that it would be easier for those who had horses to mount them from the stones without requiring a groom to help.

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Document 7:

Source: Seneca, upper-class Roman philosopher and adviser to Emperor Nero, first century C.E.

I do not believe that tools for crafts were invented by wise men. The question of whether the hammer or the tongs came first does not seem important to me. Both were invented by someone with a mind that was nimble and sharp, but not great or elevated.

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Document 8:

Source: Frontinus, Roman general, governor of Britain, and water commissioner for the city of Rome, first century C.E.

All the aqueducts reach the city at different elevations. Six of these streams flow into covered containers, where they lose their sediment. Their volume is measured by means of calibrated scales. The abundance of water is sufficient not only for public and private uses and applications but truly even for pleasure. The water is distributed to various regions inside and outside

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the city, to basins, fountains and public buildings, and to multiple public uses.

Compare such numerous and indispensable structures carrying so much water with the idle pyramids, or the useless but famous works of the Greeks.

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SORTING TIME

Look for complexities Don’t simply sort in the obvious way A culture has its preferences but within that

very same culture, there may be contradictions or dissenting voices

Like the Lego figure in the image, maybe the red has something in common with the blue

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AND DON’T FORGET THE MISSING VOICE

The “missing voice” is the point of view that is missing in the documents

For example, were any of the sources from women?

Were any of the sources from peasants? Were any of the sources from the landed

gentry? Who was not represented? In order to receive total points for the basic

core points, the student must identify one type of additional document needed and for expanded core points, the need for two or more additional document types must be included

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BUT THE MISSING VOICE CAN ALSO BE

A Map A Diagram A Chart with specific information A Journal Entry

Most importantly, the student must explain why the missing document would be useful in answering the question.

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AND DON’T FORGET THE QUESTION:

“Identify one additional type of document and explain briefly how it would help your analysis.”

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WHO IS THE “MISSING VOICE”?

Make a list of at least two additional document types needed in the space below:

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REMEMBER SCORING FOR THE BASIC CORE

Acceptable thesis (1 point) Addresses and shows understanding for all (or

all but one) of the documents (1 point) Thesis is supported by evidence from all

documents or all but one (2 points) -But if only supported by all but two

documents, only 1 point Analyzes point of view in two or more

documents (1 point) Analyzes documents by clustering them in two

or three ways (1 point) Identifies one type of additional document and

explains why it is needed (1 point)

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THE EXPANDED CORE

If the student addresses all tasks required for full points in the basic core, the student is eligible for the expanded core points

Expanded Core: -Expands beyond the basic core -The student has addressed all aspects of the

basic core’s task and provided more information than was required by the basic core

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THE THESIS?

Clearly, the thesis is the foundation upon which the essay is built

So, how does the student create a thesis statement for this essay?

-Look at the question again -What conclusions reached from the

documents answer the question?

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Hmmm, it seemed that in three of the four documents concerning the Han, innovation and efficiency regarding technology were encouraged by the elite but in one document, a state monopoly led to inferior technology. Conversely, in two of the four documents concerning the Romans, innovation and technological efficiency were considered negatively yet in two documents, these very traits were praised.

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TIPS FOR THE THESIS PARAGRAPH Present a clear, analytical, and

comprehensive thesis or at least, an acceptable thesis

Correctly identify the nature of the documents

Tell the reader how the documents will be categorized

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SAMPLE THESIS PARAGRAPH

A society’s attitudes toward technology often determines the degree of its inventiveness and progress. Yet sometimes within the very same society, conflicting views regarding technological innovation exist. While scholars and officials in Han China often encouraged inventiveness, there were some government policies that actually discouraged it. In Roman society, a greater degree of dissent regarding technology existed. Some Roman writers and philosophers praised Roman inventiveness while others considered the work of the hands as degrading and beneath scholarly pursuits. Even today, technology has its proponents and its detractors.

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OF COURSE, THERE ARE MANY ROADS

There is not one acceptable thesis statement but many

Yet an acceptable thesis statement clearly addresses the question, the nature of the documents, and the categorizations which will be employed

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FINAL REMINDERS:

Aim for -An acceptable, clear, analytical, and

comprehensive thesis statement -Address and show understanding of all

documents -Support thesis with evidence from all

documents -Analyze point of view in all documents -Analyze documents by grouping or

clustering in multiple ways -Identify the missing voices

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TO BE PREPARED IS TO SUCCEED

Read for understanding Consider each document’s point of view Determine missing voices Craft a strong thesis statement Use evidence to support the thesis statement Write a balanced essay that incorporates all

documents

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A DBQ IS GREAT PRACTICE FOR DEVELOPING AN ANALYTICAL MIND