APUSH Exam Info. and Tips

APUSH Exam Set-up

General Info. The coverage of the periods in the exam as a whole will reflect the approximate period weightings. Students’ understanding of all nine periods of U.S. history will be assessed throughout the exam.

Multiple Choice Question Sets

Multiple Choice Question Sets Between two and five questions per set Stimulus material — a primary or secondary source, including texts, images, charts, graphs, maps, etc. Stimulus material will reflect the types of evidence that historians use in their research on the past. While a set may focus on one particular period of U.S. history, the individual questions within that set may ask students to make connections to thematically linked developments in other periods.

Tips Answer all questions No penalty for incorrect answers 55 minutes for 55 questions 1 minute per question – just like every single test you’ve taken in class this year!!

Short Answer Questions

Short Answer Questions Four Short Answer Question Sets on the Test At least two of the four questions will have elements of internal choice All of the short-answer questions will include the following A primary source A historian’s argument Nontextual sources such as data or maps General propositions about U.S. history. Each question will ask students to identify and analyze examples of historical evidence relevant to the source or question.

Tips 50 minutes for 4 questions = 12 minutes per set 2 minutes for pre-write/brainstorm (do this at the top of the booklet in the margins – not in the box for the answer) 10 minutes to write your answers NOT AN ESSAY – do not write a thesis! These are like identifications Must have historical knowledge and specific evidence 2-4 sentences per question Label each part!! No bullet points will be accepted – must write in complete sentences Write only in box provided – nothing outside the box counts NO quoting NO asking questions Do tasks in order – most of your answers should naturally lead to the next answer Irritates the readers if they’re out of order BE specific! Get to the point! – no extra points for sophisticated answers Start your answer by restating/rewording the question – use the words in the questions

Example:

Example:

ESSAYS No document-based question or long essay question will focus exclusively on events prior to 1607 (Period 1) or after 1980 (Period 9).

DBQ

DBQ Judged on students’ ability to formulate a thesis support it with relevant evidence outside information document information assess the value of different sorts of documents Outside knowledge beyond the specific focus of the question is important and must be incorporated into the student’s essay to earn the highest scores.

DBQ Tips During the 15 minute reading period... Break down the prompt Create categories Brainstorm THEN...read the docs, make notes, put in categories Do NOT quote from the docs Do NOT paraphrase the docs (summarize) Do NOT describe the docs Remember to reference one of the HIPP things At least 4 pieces of outside info per body paragraph!! How to use a doc correctly: State the information like it’s a fact connect it to a piece of outside info. name the doc at the end in parentheses

How to use a document correctly Prompt: Analyze major changes and continuities in the social and economic experiences of African Americans who migrated from the rural South to urban areas in the North in the period 1910–1930. Evidence from doc Outside information Analysis/HIPP Relation to prompt Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system. Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system. Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system. Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system. Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system. Many African Americans made the move to Northern cities like Detroit or New York during the Great Migration during and after WWI due to crop failures in the South. (Doc. 1) This was a major adjustment for most African Americans because the jobs in the North were not farming jobs, but rather industrial ones. However, the newfound economic freedom that was available was a welcome change since they no longer had to give up half their earnings to the “white man” under the sharecropping system.

Long Essay

Long Essay 35 minutes to brainstorm and write 15% of total score Choose from two prompts Format of questions will be the same Prompts will encompass large time span Student essays must include the development of a thesis or argument supported by an analysis of specific, relevant historical evidence

Long Essay Tips Break down the prompt Create categories Brainstorm specific facts, people, events, issues, acts, etc. into your categories Write thesis – do NOT restate the prompt (you won’t get your thesis point) Thesis must be in your first paragraph!! Synthesis Point: Add another category (if it asks for S, E – then add P) Connect to another time period Easiest to put in the X statement or the conclusion Must be specific and have enough information to count as a counter point

Examples: 1. Some historians have argued that the American Revolution was not revolutionary in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer. 2. Some historians have argued that the New Deal was ultimately conservative in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer.