Strategies for Answering Free-Response/Essay Questions APEH

Answering essay questions takes practice—plan your answer, be methodical BEFORE you put pen to paper. Analyze the questions, know what it is asking for and what needs to be addressed in your answer. Determine what evidence is needed to support your response—review information learned throughout the year that relates to the question, decide how and if it fits.

Clearly state the reason for offering the evidence that you do Clearly state the reason for offering the evidence that you do. Only then elaborate or analyze these pieces of evidence—your answer should reflect the understanding of the subtleties of the questions. Begin writing only when you’ve thought through the evidence and you have a plan to answering the question—you also need to determine your thesis statement BEFORE you begin to write.

Learn how to present your thesis statement: describe your overarching framework and then position your supporting evidence so that it is obviously directed to the question—state your points as clearly as possible.