1. ANSWERING APUSH ESSAY QUESTIONS

2. Essay Prompt
All college-level essay test answers are written in response to an essay “prompt.”
You must answer the question asked in order to score well.
Answering essays is a skill that takes practice.

3. Overview READ the entire prompt! Reread & Mark the IMPORTANT WORDS.
Understand your TASK (question verb).
Define any “loaded” TERMS.
Make a quick OUTLINE.
Cover the entire TIME PERIOD.
Determine your THESIS.
Write your ESSAY, using facts to prove your thesis

4. 1. Read the ENTIRE prompt.
The first mistake that many students make is in reading and answering only part of the prompt.

5. 2. Carefully REREAD the prompt & mark the IMPORTANT WORDS
Verbs,
Conjunctions, and
the time period

6. 2. Mark the important words
Analyze the impact of the American Revolution on both slavery and the status of women in the period from 1775 to 1800.
Compare and contrast United States foreign policy after the First World War and after the Second World War. Consider the periods and

7. 2. Mark the important words
In what ways did the French and Indian War ( ) alter the political, economic and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? Use your knowledge of the period along with the documents provided.

8. 3. Understand the TASK
Commonly used verbs and explanations for the tasks they indicate:
Analyze: Explain how AND why something occurred. Any question that uses “how” and/or “why” is an analysis question even if the word “analyze” is not in the prompt.
Discuss or Explain: frequently used in recent prompts. They should be written as analysis essays, not merely a list of events or facts.

9. 3. Understanding the Task: Commonly used verbs and verb phrases
To what extent: How true is some development or description of history? AP essay questions will invariably be about a complex topic that is not completely true or false.
Assess the validity: How true is a given statement? (variant: “Evaluate the validity”)

10. 3. Understanding the Task: Commonly used verbs and verb phrases (cont’d)
Evaluate: Which factor was most important? You usually need to rank several events or factors and specify which is most and which is least significant.
Compare AND contrast: Discuss BOTH similarities AND differences between two events or periods.

11. 4. Define any “loaded” TERMS in the prompt that need clarification
Examples:
Assess the validity of the following statement: “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals,”
jot down some “democratic ideals” and be prepared to explain how they are democratic.
“From 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.” Using your knowledge of the period, evaluate this statement.
(2) 1985 DBQ mod.

12. 5. BRAINSTORM: sketch out a quick, informal OUTLINE
This is crucial in helping you to:
Cover the entire question asked,
Organize your response, and
Include as many important details as possible.

13. Outlines do not have to be formal, just sketch or a structure
How did the American Revolution affect American society? Be sure to explain the political, social and economic effects during the period
Political Economic Social

14. 6: Outline
similarities
differences
Compare and contrast United States foreign policy after the First World War and after the Second World War. Consider the periods and

15. 6: Outline Alternatively:
similarities
differences
Alternatively:
Compare and contrast United States foreign policy after the First World War and after the Second World War. Consider the periods and

16. 6. Cover the TIME PERIOD in the prompt
If the prompt asks you to discuss reform between 1865 and 1900, you must include information for the ENTIRE time period.
Dates included in prompts are not random: test writers put a lot of thought into them

17. 7. Develop your thesis Historical essays require that you
take a clear position that responds to the prompt (state a thesis) and
defend your thesis with facts.
Thesis: sentence that states a clear position in response to the prompt
Better theses also tell the reader what evidence the essay will prove the thesis is true – they give a brief overview of the essay.
[We will discuss developing a thesis in our next session on answering essays.]

18. 8. Write your essay
4 -7 well-organized paragraphs, incl’g intro & conclusion
2-3 lined pages in minutes
Write with a goal: Prove and support your thesis using evidence (facts) and explanation (analysis)
Discuss/analyze as many relevant facts as possible
Analysis, analysis, analysis - don’t just list facts/events. You must explain why they are significant and/or how they support your thesis.
Don’t ignore important facts that don’t support your thesis. Acknowledge them & show why they don’t undermine your thesis
In-class essays are a rough draft

19. 8. Write your essay: analysis
Description:
Who
What
Where
When
Analysis:
How
Why
How much (to what extent)
Causes, effects

20. Summary READ the ENTIRE prompt!
Mark the IMPORTANT WORDS – verbs, conjunctions, time period
Understand your TASK. What exactly what you are being asked to do?. Consider the entire prompt.
Define any important “loaded” TERM(s).
Make a quick OUTLINE. Organize your thinking before you begin writing.
Cover the entire TIME PERIOD.
Determine your THESIS.
Write your essay, using facts to support your thesis

21. Practice Question 1
Analyze the impact of the American Revolution on both slavery and the status of women in the period from 1775 to 1800.
2004 FRQ

22. Practice Question 2
Evaluate the relative importance of the following as factors promoting Americans to rebel: parliamentary taxation, restriction of civil liberties, British military measures and the legacy of colonial religious and political ideas.
1992 FRQ

23. Practice Question 3
“The United States Constitution of 1787 represented an economic and ideological victory for the traditional American political elite.” Assess the validity of that statement for the period 1781 to 1789.
2006B

24. Practice Question 4
How did economic, geographic, and social factors encourage the growth of slavery as an important part of the economy of the southern colonies between ?
2001 FRQ

25. An Actual Example
In what ways did the French and Indian War ( ) alter the political, economic and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies? Use your knowledge of the period along with the documents provided to answer the question.
2004 DBQ

26. Sources
Originally based on a presentation by Mr. Keith Wood, Murray H.S., Utah,