Library › Study AI › High school students
Take quick source notes on three DBQ documents
Practice: Asking for a format you can use. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're practicing a World History DBQ and want quick notes before you outline. Get exactly 3 numbered lines, one per document, each in the form 'Doc N: main point | author's point of view or purpose', under 100 words total, plain text. Use only what the documents and captions say, and follow your teacher's note about who wrote Document 2.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking for a summary. The AI writes a paragraph per document and skips point of view, which DBQs grade. Try: Show the line: "Doc N: main point | POV or purpose".
- Not saying how many lines. The AI picks its own number, and it usually picks more lines than you need. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 3 numbered lines."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 22 words."
- Missing the teacher's note. The AI may guess who Ure was, and a wrong guess ruins your sourcing. Try: Add: "Use Mr. Tanaka's note on who wrote Doc 2."
- Letting in outside facts. The AI adds history it knows, like the Factory Act, which isn't one of your documents. Try: Add: "Only the documents and captions. No thesis."
What a strong prompt includes
- Says how many lines
- Asks for point of view
- Shows the line shape
- Uses the teacher's note
- Says to use only the material
Related exercises
- Announce a referral bonus with the steps to claim it (Marketing AI · HR and recruiting)
- Announce a team meeting change people will actually follow (Writing AI · Managers and team leads)
- Answer a 'found an error' question in STAR order (Writing AI · Finance and accounting)
- Answer a wholesale inquiry with clear terms (Writing AI · Small business owners)
- Answer an RFP timeline question in exactly four phases (Writing AI · Sales and customer success)