Dbq China
Annotated DBQ Rubric: Buddhism in China
Sample DBQ Question: Based on the following documents, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism’s appeal in China?
Point
# Generic Description
Explanation/
Commentary Examples and Commentary
1 Has acceptable thesis.
Thesis addresses the specific focus of the question.
The thesis should reflect a sophisticated understanding of the complexities within the question.
Thesis should be located at the beginning of the essay (1 paragraph). Unacceptable. “There were many responses to the introduction of Buddhism into China.” Thesis is too vague. “Many” is a virtually meaningless qualifier.
“Buddhism had a large impact on China.” Off topic. The question asks the reader to focus on the type of responses to Buddhism, not the amount of impact of Buddhism in China. This is an example of why it is so important to read the question carefully. Not only would this ’thesis’ not earn the Thesis point on the DBQ Rubric, it might distract the author from earning other points
(#3 Evidence, #6 Analysis/Grouping).
Acceptable. “Chinese reacted to Buddhism in both positive and negative ways.” Bare minimum of acceptability. There are at least 2 categories, but good historical analysis should be more descriptive than just ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ (Can you think of anything that hasn’t had both good and bad aspects to it?) “Chinese peasants responded positively toward Buddha’s message, but aristocrats and those with a vested interest in the status quo rejected Buddhism.” This thesis shows the student understands the socio-economic differences within Chinese society (peasants vs. upper class).
“Chinese initially welcomes Buddhism, as it gave them shelter during politically uncertain times, but as imperial security improved, government authorities increasingly saw Buddhism as a threat to their political power and moved to
Sample DBQ Question: Based on the following documents, analyze the responses to the spread of Buddhism in China. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to evaluate the extent of Buddhism’s appeal in China?
Point
# Generic Description
Explanation/
Commentary Examples and Commentary
1 Has acceptable thesis.
Thesis addresses the specific focus of the question.
The thesis should reflect a sophisticated understanding of the complexities within the question.
Thesis should be located at the beginning of the essay (1 paragraph). Unacceptable. “There were many responses to the introduction of Buddhism into China.” Thesis is too vague. “Many” is a virtually meaningless qualifier.
“Buddhism had a large impact on China.” Off topic. The question asks the reader to focus on the type of responses to Buddhism, not the amount of impact of Buddhism in China. This is an example of why it is so important to read the question carefully. Not only would this ’thesis’ not earn the Thesis point on the DBQ Rubric, it might distract the author from earning other points
(#3 Evidence, #6 Analysis/Grouping).
Acceptable. “Chinese reacted to Buddhism in both positive and negative ways.” Bare minimum of acceptability. There are at least 2 categories, but good historical analysis should be more descriptive than just ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ (Can you think of anything that hasn’t had both good and bad aspects to it?) “Chinese peasants responded positively toward Buddha’s message, but aristocrats and those with a vested interest in the status quo rejected Buddhism.” This thesis shows the student understands the socio-economic differences within Chinese society (peasants vs. upper class).
“Chinese initially welcomes Buddhism, as it gave them shelter during politically uncertain times, but as imperial security improved, government authorities increasingly saw Buddhism as a threat to their political power and moved to