SPICE-T Smarts
The building of the Great Wall of China is a classic example of this SPICE-T theme.
What is Political (P) or Interaction with Environment (I)?
A soldier's letter home from the front lines of World War I. The writer's personal experience as a combatant gives you insight into this HIPP element.
What is Point of View (POV)?
The first essential component of any DBQ or LEQ thesis.
What is a claim/argument? (Or "It must be debatable.")
This is the number of documents you must use to earn the second evidence point on the DBQ rubric.
What is 6?
The "E" in the ACE strategy stands for this, which is the most commonly missed step.
What is Explain?
The development of the caste system in India is best analyzed through this SPICE-T theme.
What is Social (S)
A government propaganda poster from WWII. When you ask "What did the creator want people to do or feel?" you are analyzing this.
What is Purpose?
Fix this thesis: "The Industrial Revolution had positives and negatives."
(Accept any answer that makes it specific and arguable, e.g., "While the Industrial Revolution generated wealth, its social costs for the working class were overwhelmingly negative.")
The "H" in HIPP stands for this, which is about the time and place a source was created.
What is Historical Context?
For the prompt "Identify ONE cause of urbanization," a student writes: "Industrialization." They are missing these two other parts of ACE.
What are Citing specific evidence and Explaining?
The spread of Buddhism from India to China along the Silk Roads connects most directly to these TWO SPICE-T themes.
What are Cultural (C) and Economic (E)?
A map drawn by a Spanish cartographer in 1550 showing newly discovered lands in the Americas. The fact it was created in the era of exploration and colonization is its most relevant HIPP element.
What is Historical Context (H)?
In the thesis formula "X. However, A and B. Therefore, Y," the "X" serves this purpose.
What is acknowledging complexity/a counter-argument/the other side?
The point on the DBQ rubric that requires you to add a historical fact NOT found in any of the documents.
What is Outside Evidence?
An SAQ asks for "ONE similarity." The safest way to structure your answer to avoid losing points is to put the similarity where?
What is in the first sentence (the Answer)?
The use of the astrolabe by European explorers to navigate the oceans fits under this SPICE-T theme.
What is Technology (T)?
Martin Luther's 95 Theses were written in Latin for church officials, but quickly printed in German for the public. These two different groups represent two different versions of this HIPP element.
What is Intended Audience (I/A)?
A strong thesis for this prompt must have this structure: "Evaluate the extent to which the printing press caused the Reformation."
(Accept: It must make a claim about how much it was a cause (e.g., primarily, partially, not at all).)
You have 60 minutes for the DBQ. The recommended time for reading and planning before you start writing is this.
What is 15 minutes?
True or False: An SAQ requires a formal thesis statement.
What is False?
The Columbian Exchange, which involved the movement of plants, animals, and diseases between hemispheres, is a foundational example of this SPICE-T theme.
What is Interaction with Environment (I)?
"As the emperor of Rome, I commissioned this statue to remind the people of my divine right to rule." This statement is explicitly addressing this HIPP element.
What is Purpose (and Point of View)?
Name TWO things a thesis should NEVER be.
What are: 1) A restatement of the prompt, 2) A statement of fact, 3) Vague/general? (Any two)?
To earn the "Complexity" point, you might do this with a cause or an effect you are discussing.
What is explain both (cause AND effect) / explain a nuance or continuity? (Any valid pathway)
The maximum number of points you can earn on a single SAQ part (a, b, or c).
What is 1?