Introduction to the AP EUROPEAN HISTORY exam
** adapted from information contained in
www.historyteacher.net and
www.collegeboard.com
Section I- Multiple Choice
80 questions
55 minutes
Questions divided evenly between two eras 1450 -1815 and 1815 – present.
Exam Format
Section I- Multiple Choice
Represents 50% of score
Section II- Free Response-
Represents 50% of score
Hints on the Multiple Choice Section
Random guessing CAN hurt your score!
1/4th of a point will be deducted for an incorrect answer.
Nothing is deducted for leaving a question blank.
*Therefore, only guess if you can safely eliminate at least one answer.
The AP has been leaning towards more CULTURAL questions lately… (no guarantees for the next exam however!)
Section II- Free Response
Composed of three questions
Two thematic open response essays
One document based question (DBQ)
Tackling the DBQ
The DBQ requires students to analyze 8-12 primary source documents and to utilize them when crafting an answer to a specific question
Students are provided 45 minutes to complete this section of the test plus a 15 minute reading period.
This is worth 45% of the free response section (22.5% of total exam).
Hints on the DBQ
During the reading period READ the question.
Determine the OBJECTIVE of the question and the FORMAT they wish the answer to follow:
OBJECTIVE: “What do they want me to do?”
FORMAT: “How do they want me to answer the question?
“Analyze”- Identify the topic being asked and examine their relationship.
“Analyze the major social and technological changes that took place in European warfare between 1789-1871”.
“Assess/Evaluate”- Judge the value of something
“‘Luther was both a revolutionary and a conservative.’ Evaluate this statement with respect to Luther’s responses to the political and social questions of the day.”
“Compare”- Compare and similarities AND differences
“Compare the rise to power of fascism in Italy and in Germany.”
“Contrast”- Examine to show differences
“Contrast the ways in which European skilled artisans of the mid-eighteenth century and European factory workers of the late nineteenth century differed in their work behavior and their attitudes towards work.”
“Describe”- Give an account of
“Describe and analyze how overseas expansion by European States affected global trade and international relations from 1600 to 1715.”
“Discuss”- Write about; debate; present the different sides of
“Discuss the extent to which nineteenth-century Romanticism was or was not a conservative cultural and intellectual movement.”
“Explain”- Make clear or plain; tell the meaning of
“Explain how economic, political, and religious factors promoted European explorations from about 1450 to about 1525”.
“Identify”- cite SPECIFIC events and show a connection
“Identify the social and economic factors in preindustrial England that explain why England was the first country to industrialize.”
Composing your essay
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
4 to 5 sentences
Establish TIME PERIOD and PLACE
Create a VERY CLEAR THESIS STATEMENT
Create a “road map” of the sub-topics you will discuss in the essay. Do not simply list the topics…explain them briefly!
Body paragraphs
8-12 sentences per paragraph
Identify your sub-topic in the FIRST sentence.
Make sure that your paragraphs are organized. If you start a new idea, devote a new paragraph to it!
Body Paragraphs cont.
Refer to documents that are relevant to support the ideas in the paragraph.
Cite them correctly!
“Voltaire, an Enlightenment era satirist, stated that… (Doc. 1)…”
“As Machiavelli wrote in The Prince, (Doc. 2)…”
NEVER write “In Doc. 1…”
ALWAYS include the document number
Rule of thumb: Half plus One!
A last word on the body paragraphs…
The closing paragraph
Summarize the main points of your essay
2-4 sentences
Scoring the DBQ
Six core points plus three bonus points possible
All six core points must be satisfied before bonus points kick in
DBQ Rubric
CORE POINTS
HAS AN ACCEPTABLE THESIS
USES A MAJORITY OF DOCUMENTS
ADDRESSES ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION
USES AT LEAST FOUR DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT AN ARGUMENT
CITES AT LEAST THREE INSTANCES OF POINT OF VIEW/BIAS
ANALYZES DOCUMENTS BY ORGANIZING THEM INTO AT LEAST THREE GROUPS
BONUS POINTS
1-3 POINTS MAY BE GIVEN
FOR A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING:
CONTAINS AN EXTREMELY CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE THESIS
USES ALL OR ALMOST ALL DOCUMENTS
USES DOCUMENTS VERY PERSUASIVELY
NOTICES SMALL POINTS NOT EASILY RECONGIZED
ANALYZES POINT OF VIEW IN MORE THAN FOUR DOCUMENTS
CREATES MORE THAN THREE GROUPINGS OF DOCUMENTS
BRINGS IN RELEVANT OUTSIDE INFORMATION
A bit more detail…
Core#1- Acceptable Thesis
Shows that the writer read all the documents
Shows that the writer has developed a STRONG stance on question
Does NOT simply restate the question. “Some people supported the Russian Revolution, other people didn’t.”
*** THIS IS THE CORE POINT THAT MANY STUDENTS FAIL TO SATISFY***
Core #2- Uses a majority of documents
“Majority” is defined as “Half Plus One”
Using a document entails citing it as EVIDENCE, not simply mentioning it.
Core #3- Address ALL parts of the question
Read the question carefully for the OBJECTIVE (Analyze, Assess, Compare, Contrast, etc.) of the question. Pay special attention to:
TIMEFRAMES- If timeframes are mentioned, be sure to cite documents from the ENTIRE SPAN of the timeframe
LOCATIONS- Pay attention to different locations, especially in compare and contrast questions. There is no use referring to Spain when the question asks about France and England
Core #4- Uses at least four documents to support an argument
Remember your opening paragraph! Any sub-topic mentioned there should be supported by at least one document.
Students are allowed only ONE error when analyzing documents. Common errors include:
An incorrect grouping of documents
A misreading of the text
Core #5- Cites at least three examples of point of view or bias
Almost every document contained within the DBQ contains point of view
Most documents contain hints to indicate the author’s bias: occupation, religion, location, background, quotes within the text, etc.
Students MUST be able to IDENTIFY the bias and ACCOUNT how the bias skews the document
No more that ONE error is allowed (this is actually grouped in with Core #4)
FAILURE TO IDENTIFY POV IS THE MOST COMMON ERROR ON THE DBQ!
It is IMPERITIVE that bias is identified clearly within your essay!
TECHNIQUES:
Attribution: cite the author by name, title, position, gender, class, nationality, or political affiliation, if possible.
“John Tyler, an English writer, said…”
“A Dominican monk in Florence described…”
“A Lutheran pastor was naturally upset by the celebration of a Saint’s day since Lutherans don’t venerate saints.”
Reliability- Identify any problems or strengths regarding the accuracy of the document
“Machiavelli’s book on the political tactics of the Renaissance was probably accurate as he observed the behavior of the prince, Cesare Borgia, for many years.”
Tone- Identify obvious references to tone (satire, irony, indirect commentary, etc.) or intent (public speech, secret document, forced testimony, etc.)
“In his great sculpture ‘David’, Michelangelo wanted to convey the confidence, and even the arrogance of Renaissance Florence at its peak of its influence in 15th century Europe.”
Political cartoons are great sources of tone!
Core #6- Analyzes documents by organizing them in at least three groups
A group is two or more documents that are used to support a single point
Typical groupings include:
Similar political views
Similar religious views
Similar social class
Same nationalities
Same era
Same gender
Same occupation
Same type of document
The list goes ON and ON!
Only one error in grouping is allowed… this is the SAME single error accounted for in Core #4
Bonus Points
ONE to THREE bonus points will be awarded ONLY if the six main core points are satisfied
There is no distinct formula how these are awarded.
Keeping this in mind, ATTEMPT ALL MEANS POSSIBLE!
Make sure your thesis is EXTREMELY clear and addresses ALL parts of the question
Use almost all, or better yet, ALL the documents
Use all the documents persuasively– do not simply mention them
Analyze POV in at least FIVE documents
Try to identify an unusual, BUT CORRECT, aspect of the document
Group the documents at least FOUR ways
Always bring in at least ONE example of relevant and correct outside historical content
Hints on the DBQ
Don’t be daunted by an OBSCURE question or topic. Many times you can glean understanding by the documents presented.
Make sure your writing is relatively NEAT. Real people read these essays and they may hold biases against illegible handwriting
Contrary to popular belief, there are NO red herrings!
DISCUSS the document, don’t just summarize them
Group the documents in a variety of ways
Utilize not only the quotations, but also the author’s name and title of the written work.
Dates can be extremely helpful to link a document’s relationship to a specific event
Create a simple chart within the test booklet to keep track of docs used and grouping combinations
Thematic Essay Questions
Students will write on two of the three options provided
130 minutes provided for this section
Questions are random in nature- no apparent groupings or patterns
Each thematic essay makes up 27.5% of the Part II- Free Response section (13.75% of the total exam)
Hints on the Thematic Essay
These are similar in nature to questions you typically answer in history classes
Standard rules of good writing apply.
Well constructed thesis statement
Evident stance on question
Good transition sentence
Excellent organization
It is suggested that writers take five minutes to outline the essay and thirty minutes writing each essay.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment