Practice Set

DBQ + LEQ Studio

Planning templates and thesis practice for the document-based question (DBQ) and long essay (LEQ).

How to run it

Stick to the time limits to build your stamina.

Spend 10 minutes outlining before drafting.
Organize body paragraphs by argument, not document order.
End with a complexity sentence: another point of view, or a link to a different time or place.

Focus areas

Work on these skills before your next timed set.

Contextualization: setting up the bigger pictureSourcing: who wrote a document, and why that mattersConnecting ideas across units

Build a full practice set

Use this flow when you want a longer timed session.

Pick 2 units to mix in your set
Choose 1 multiple choice question + 1 writing prompt per unit
Run a 30-minute timer and score yourself
Write 3 takeaways + 3 terms to review

Start a session from any unit

Each card shows a practice prompt from that unit.

Unit 1

Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

In the period circa 1200 to 1450, belief systems such as Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islam influenced societies across Afro-Eurasia. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which belief systems shaped political authority in Afro-Eurasia during this period.

Unit 2

Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

In the period circa 1200 to 1450, the Silk Roads carried luxury goods, merchants, and travelers across Eurasia. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the Silk Roads fostered cultural exchange during this period.

Unit 3

Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

In the period circa 1450 to 1750, gunpowder weapons such as cannons and muskets spread across Afro-Eurasia. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which gunpowder technology changed methods of state consolidation during this period.

Unit 4

Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)

Evaluate the extent to which the Columbian Exchange affected the Eastern and Western Hemispheres differently in the period circa 1450 to 1750.

Unit 5

Revolutions (1750-1900)

In the period circa 1750 to 1900, a series of revolutions took place in the Atlantic world. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which TWO of the following revolutions had similar causes and effects: the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution.

Unit 6

Consequences of Industrialization (1750-1900)

In the period circa 1750 to 1900, industrialization spread from Great Britain to other parts of Europe, the United States, Russia, and Japan. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which industrialization transformed social classes during this period.

Unit 7

Global Conflict (1900-Present)

In the period circa 1939 to 1945, World War II was fought across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which World War II reshaped the global balance of power during this period.

Unit 8

Cold War and Decolonization (1900-Present)

In the period circa 1945 to 1975, most colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence from European empires. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the Cold War influenced the process of decolonization in Asia and Africa during this period.

Unit 9

Globalization (1900-Present)

Evaluate the extent to which global economic interactions changed in the period after 1900.