AP Test- US History

U.S. History AP Test

May 11 (Friday, 8:00 AM)

3 hours, 5 minutes

The test is broken into:

· 35% political history

· 35% social history

· 15% diplomatic history

· 10% economic history

· 5% cultural/intellectual history

Format

Part I: Multiple Choice

· 80 questions

· 55 minutes

· 50% of the composite score

· difficulty level increases for the last 40 questions

Part II: Free Response

· 15 minute reading period

· Part A-Document Based Question (DBQ)-45 minutes, 22 ½% of the composite score (from the period of 1810 to 1860)

· Part B-essay, choose one of two, 35 minutes, 13 ¾% of the composite score (on a time period not covered in the DBQ)

· Part C-essay, choose one of two, 35 minutes, 13 ¾% of the composite score (on a time period not covered in the DBQ)

Scoring Guide for DBQ's and Essays

8-9

· Thesis is clear, well developed, and answers the question through evaluation, effective analysis, or understanding the complexity of the question (is not merely a restatement of the question)
· Effectively uses a number of documents (6 to 8)
· Supports thesis with substantial, relevant, and specific outside information
· Is clearly organized and well written
· May contain minor errors (1810 instead of 1910)

5-7

· Thesis is clear but has limited development or insufficient focus
· Limited analysis or understanding of the complexity of the question
· Essay is descriptive (rather than analytical)
· Uses some documents effectively
· Supports thesis with some factual, relevant outside information
· Shows evidence of acceptable organization and writing; grammar errors do not interfere with the comprehension of the essay
· May contain minor errors that do not detract from the overall quality of the essay

2-4

· Thesis is confused, undeveloped, or missing
· Answer lacks supporting information or information is minimal or irrelevant
· Shows little or no understanding of the complexity of the question
· Contains little outside information or information that is generally inaccurate or irrelevant
· May contain major errors

0-1

· Contains no thesis or a thesis which does not address the question
· Exhibits inadequate or inaccurate understanding of the question
· Is so poorly organized or written that it inhibits understanding
· Contains numerous errors, both major and minor

Scoring

1. Scorers are ranking, not scoring the papers. A 9 is NOT a perfect paper. It is among the best that will be seen.

2. A paper does not have to fit every bullet in a category to be in that category.

3. In theory students are not penalized for poor handwriting, but readers do NOT have time to analyze work that is difficult to read. Consider your own impression of work that is difficult to read as opposed to good handwriting.

4. Students do not have to specifically site documents ("Doc A"), but there is also no penalty for doing so. On the other just because a document is cited does not mean that it has really been used.

5. In the DBQ, outside information that is close to the time period but not specifically tied to the answer, generally receives neither credit nor incurs penalty. However, out of the period material should receive credit if it provides context for or transition in or out of the era being discussed.

6. In general, the top category of 8 or 9 will be an analytical essay focusing clearly on answering the question that was asked.

7. The category of 5 to 7 will be more of a narrative with limited analysis addressing the question that was asked.

8. The bottom two categories of 2 to 4 and 0 to 1 tend to be confused, simplistic, or only deal with generalities.

Tips for Writing a Successful DBQ

1. Read the question carefully to determine what is being asked and quickly jot down the major ideas that come to mind before reading the documents.

2. Look for key command words. The question may read "To what extent….".

3. Answer the question asked. Every word in the question is important. Do not simply discuss or paraphrase documents. Think of the question as a free response essay. Do NOT write in the first person (no I think….).

4. Use the reading period to study the eight to ten documents.

5. Begin with a thesis statement which clearly states your position and explains how you will prove it. This will be the most important sentence in the introduction. Take a stand, either for or against the issue presented. Do NOT argue both sides. It is acceptable and often shows additional insight if a "however" or "although" clause is added that shows understanding for the side you are NOT arguing. Follow the normal essay writing procedure (not necessarily five paragraphs). Be sure the essay "proves" the position stated in your thesis statement.

6. A title is not necessary.

7. Stay within the time period the question is referring to!!!!

8. Outside information (not found in the documents) MUST be incorporated in this essay.

9. You may write on the test documents and underline key words and phrases.

10. You do not need to use all eight to ten documents to score at the highest levels on the DBQ, but you should use most of them. Do NOT quote extensively from the documents. Using a fragment or a sentence from the documents is acceptable, but "more than that is as a waste of time and detracts from your analysis." In citing the sources, it is far better to mention the author or subject of a document-for example, "Carter Woodson maintains" or "the chart on illiteracy illustrates"-rather than referring to "Document I" or "Document B."

11. Be sure that your conclusion supports the thesis sentence found in the introduction!! If time is about to expire, quickly compose a short (two to three sentence) conclusion. However, no conclusion is better than a "disastrous one in which the thesis sentence is ignored or contradicted."

12. Pace yourself so that you can finish within the allowed time. Unlike the Georgia High School Exit Exam, no extra time is allowed.

Essay Outline Format for AP History (borrowed from S. Reeder, AP scorer)

A strong, well written essay integrates English and American History skills. The introduction is really the key to the essay because it proposes the original thesis and sets the stage for how the thesis will be proven. Therefore, it is imperative to demonstrate a clear thesis and concise plan of attack in the introduction. The body of the essay must be fact filled with accurate evidence which is chronologically correct. The conclusion restates the thesis and how it was proven.

I. Introductory paragraph

A. Establish the time frame. A time frame MUST be stated, although not necessarily with dates.

B. Define the thesis.

C. List the plan of attack.

D. Transition sentence

II. Body (paragraphs follow in order stated in the "plan of attack")

A. 1st topic sentence (an insightful statement that connects with the thesis)

1. Use of outside facts that are accurate and chronologically correct and that support the topic

2. Transition sentence

B. 2nd topic sentence (insightful as well as a smooth transition from previous paragraph)

1. Use of outside facts that are accurate and chronologically correct that support the topic

2. Transition sentence

C. 3rd topic sentence (insightful as well as a smooth transition from previous paragraph)

1. Use of outside facts that are accurate and chronologically correct that support the topic

III. Conclusion

A. Restatement of the thesis in different words

B. Memorable ending sentence