: What were the motives behind imperialism, Answer: The motives behind imperialism were multiple, encompassing economics, politics, and ยท Analyze the prompt. First, read the prompt itself. You will need to develop an argument using the skill of causation: How, what is a document-based question or DBQ? A document-based question is a writing task in which a student analyzes important evidentiary documents and other data to reach an informed speaker. position, then presents this information in a convincing, logical and precise essay. The questions are generally open-ended, giving