The short-answer part of the test, which appears after the multiple-choice questions, consists of four questions—and you must answer three.
Unlike the DBQ and LEQ later in the exam, your response to each short-answer question will be a brief, to-the-point answer to each question’s three required tasks. You should use complete sentences, but there is no need to write a thesis or provide any additional information.
The types of short-answer questions will always be the same:
As is the case for every free-response question, you should follow the 4-Step Kaplan Method. Before walking through a sample prompt step-by-step, let’s look at some special considerations for short-answer questions:
The following is a step-by-step walk-through of a sample short-answer question.
Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.
“Since the decline of Gothic* architecture the ideas which have prevailed respecting it have been for the most part confused and incorrect. Until recently this art has received little serious attention. The very name Gothic originated in a spirit of contempt which has naturally precluded any disposition to study, as it deserves, this splendid manifestation of human genius. The architects and amateurs of the schools in Italy, where the revival of taste for antique art had led to an abandonment of medieval forms of design, could not be expected to admire anything so far removed from the spirit of the art which was in fashion during the sixteenth century. . . .
Finally, it should be considered that the Gothic edifice, with its myriads of sculptured forms, was like a vast open page whereon were written, in imagery which the most illiterate could read, the legends and traditions of the medieval faith. These legends and traditions must be reckoned among the chief sources of inspiration and stimulus to the imaginations of the Gothic builders. They appealed to the warmest sympathies and quickened the highest aspirations of the people, and filled them with devotion to the fabric which they sought to make, at whatever cost of labour and of treasures, a fitting expression of their beliefs and hopes. . . . Of the greater cathedrals the one in which the Gothic principles were first distinctly and systematically carried out is that of Notre Dame in Paris. Here is a vast nave so admirably roofed with stone that the work has lasted intact for seven hundred years, and will probably, if not wantonly injured, last for centuries to come.”
*Gothic architecture, which first developed in France and was adopted for use in cathedrals throughout Europe from the twelfth through sixteenth centuries, used new architectural techniques that permitted the construction of higher walls and taller stained glass windows.
Charles Herbert Moore, Development and Character of Gothic Architecture, 1890
Closely read or analyze the source stimulus, marking important details. When finished, briefly paraphrase the purpose of the source in your own words to solidify your understanding. See a high-scoring response writer’s sample paraphrase below. Don’t bother trying to absorb all of the details; focus on the big picture.
¶1: Gothic was held in contempt, author thinks it's “genius”
¶2: Gothic buildings inspired medieval faith
Look for any additional information that may be provided about the source. For this source, note that the footnote provides a description of Gothic architecture. Here you learn when (the 1100s to 1500s) and how (for cathedrals) the style was used. Finally, the source line indicates that the author wrote about Gothic architecture in 1890; this is a secondary source.
As you did with the source, read the three parts of the prompt carefully, underlining exactly what each requires. Box, underline, or otherwise mark the action words (which, for this sample prompt, are identify, describe, and explain). Make sure to respond in a way that fulfills what each action word requires.
The paragraphs below describe what a high-scoring writer might notice and think about when planning a response. Samples of what that high-scoring writer might write as notes are provided for each part of the prompt.
This short-answer prompt contains some underlined words and phrases—pay special attention to these hints. Often, underlines are used when parts of a question test different time periods or have other slightly different requirements, so be careful to keep straight what you need to provide for each part of the prompt.
For Part A, the prompt directs you to the first paragraph for a historical development from 1450 to 1750. The high-scoring response writer would refer to the first paragraph, in which Moore states that in sixteenth-century Italy there was a revival of antiquity and a contempt for Gothic style, and think about what historical development this reflects. Note that the writer only has to briefly identify, not describe or explain, a historical development.
Part A:
Part B requires a description of a function of big architecture between 1200 and 1750 from any world region. The high-scoring writer would note that the passage already mentions how architecture can inspire religious devotion. The high-scoring writer would brainstorm other functions of architecture, choosing one for which she can write multiple descriptive details. Including a specific example would help support the response.
Part B:
Part C asks for an explanation of how a political structure in Afro-Eurasia made large-scale architecture possible. The high-scoring writer would brainstorm political structures in Afro-Eurasia and take notes about how she can describe the relationship between those political structures and architecture.
Part C:
To form your response, just write out the information, using your planning notes. As you write, remember to label each part of your response (A, B, C) and to keep your writing legible. Refer back to the question’s action words to make sure you’re doing the correct tasks. See the following sample high-scoring response and scoring explanation at the end of this section. One of the best ways to improve your own free-response answers is to read sample responses, thinking carefully about what makes the responses effective and what features you can copy.
Leave a minute or so for a quick proofread, neatly correcting any errors you catch.
(a) Moore mentions the “revival of taste for antique art” in the sixteenth century. This reflects the time period during which increased contacts through trade with Islamic and Asian merchants introduced new ideas and technologies into Europe, including the rediscovery of Classical Greek and Roman texts. This infusion of ideas helped spark new art, philosophy, and science.
(b) Large-scale architecture was used by rulers to help legitimize their rule by showcasing their wealth, power, and divine approval. For instance, the impressive temple of the sun in Cuzco demonstrated the power of the Incan ruler, both in his association with the sun god and through his ability to orchestrate the labor and resources required for its construction.
(c) In the 1200s, feudal systems still persisted through much of Europe. In this political and economic framework, serfs could farm portions of the lords’ manors in exchange for laboring for the lord. The lords themselves were granted manors by monarchs, who were gradually centralizing their power. Large-scale architecture could thus be funded by the wealth of the lords and monarchs; the wealthiest would construct castles and palaces to signify and defend their power. The Catholic Church also became enmeshed in the feudal system, with some clergy and monasteries controlling manors and amassing political power. In Italy, for example, the wealth of the church enabled the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
The following is scoring information an AP reader might use to grade this free-response question. A successful short-answer response accomplishes all three tasks set forth by the prompt. Each part of the prompt is worth 1 point, for a total of 3 possible points.
To earn this point, the response must identify how the first paragraph of the source reflects a historical development. The writer of the sample response does so effectively by accurately identifying a historical trend associated with a short quote from the author.
To earn this point, the response must describe a function of large-scale architecture in the period from 1200–1750. The writer of the sample response goes beyond merely identifying, using details to thoroughly describe how rulers legitimized their power through architecture. The writer effectively supports her claims by identifying the specific example of the sun temple in Cuzco and describing ways in which the temple legitimized the Incan ruler’s reign. Since the question stem specifies that the response must use a function that is not mentioned in the passage, the response must describe a function other than inspiring religious devotion.
Additional examples of functions of large-scale architecture include: facilitating religious practice, as in the muezzins in the lofty minarets of Islamic mosques (such as the Great Mosque of Djenné in the Mali Empire) calling believers to prayer; proclaiming rulers’ divine right to rule and serving as a means to regulate aristocrats, as in Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles; and providing defense, as in the improvements to the Great Wall of China during the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
To earn this point, the response must explain a way in which political structures in Afro-Eurasia from 1200 to 1750 impacted the building of large-scale architecture. The writer of the sample response effectively explains the role of political structures by first analyzing the relationship between how feudal political structures funded and legitimized architecture, and then by demonstrating how a specific example (the cathedrals at the Vatican) provides evidence of this relationship.
Other examples of political structures include: the incorporation of diverse groups in bureaucracies leading to effective territorial administration, such as the Yuan Dynasty in China being able to fund public works such as the Grand Canal of China; the use of forced labor of subjects to construct architecture, such as the Ming Dynasty in China using forced labor to improve the Great Wall of China; and the development of imperial tax-collection systems to fund imperial projects, such as the zamindar tax collection system of the Mughals in India permitting the funding of the construction of the Taj Mahal.