Document-based essay questions in the AP World History course.

From the Advanced Placement Program Course Description: World History (commonly known as the "Acord Book"), January 2000:

"The primary purpose of the document-based essay question is not to test students' prior knowledge of subject matter but rather to evaluate their ability to formulate and support an answer from documentary evidence. It is assumed students have taken the course and understand the broader world historical context. Documents are chosen on the basis of both the information they convey about the topic and the perspective that they offer on other documents used in the exercise. Thus the fullest understanding of any particular document emerges only when that document is viewed within the wider context of the entire series. Designed to test skills analogous to those of the historian at work on source materials, the document-based exercise differs from the task of actual historians mainly in the time available for analysis and the prearranged selection of the documents, which may help illuminate the specifics of the question. There is no single "correct" answer; instead, various approaches and responses are possible, dep4ending on the students' ability to understand the documents and ultimately to judge their significance.

In writing the essay, candidates may find it useful to consider the following points. The document-based question is an exercise in both analysis and synthesis. It requires that students first read and analyze the documents individually and then plan and construct an appropriate response to the essay question based on their interpretation of the documentary evidence as a whole. What is desired is a unified essay that integrates analysis of documents with treatment of the topic.