There are three types of essay questions on the AP World History: Modern Exam: the short-answer questions, the document-based question (DBQ), and the long essay question. In this chapter we will review some essay basics and discuss the short-answer section in more detail. In the chapters that follow, we will discuss the DBQ and the long essay question more in depth.
Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Free-Response Questions
AP graders know that you are given very little time to write the DBQ and the long essay question. They also know that you don’t have enough time to cover the broad scope of the subject matter tested by the question. The fact is, many long books have been written about any one subject that you might be asked about on the DBQ and the long essay.
The College Board’s AP World History Course Description (which can be downloaded from the College Board’s AP Students website) advises students to write an essay that has a well-developed thesis, provides support for the thesis with specific examples, addresses all parts of the question, and is well organized. Therefore, expressing good ideas and presenting valid evidence in support of those ideas are hugely important. Making sure that you mention every single relevant piece of historical information is not so important.
Also, you should remember that graders are not given a lot of time to read your essays. When they gather to read the exams, the graders each go through more than one hundred essays per day. No one could possibly give detailed attention to all points in your essay when he or she is reading at such a fast clip. What he or she can see in such a brief reading is whether you have something intelligent to say and whether you have the ability to say it well. As many teachers and professors will tell you, when you read several bad essays, you tend to give those that are not completely awful more credit than they possibly deserve.
In conversations with those who grade AP World History: Modern Exams, it is clear that what they want above all else is for you to address the question. In some of your classes, you may have gotten into the habit of throwing everything but the kitchen sink into an essay without truly addressing the question at hand. Do not try to fudge your way through the essay. The graders are all experts in history, and you will not be able to fool them into thinking you know more than you actually do.
It is also very important to focus on the phrasing of the question. Some students are so anxious to get going that they start writing as soon as they know the general subject of the question, and many of these students lose points because their essays do not answer the question. Take, for example, an essay question that asks you to discuss the effects of technological advances on the ability of European explorers to travel more widely around the globe in the fifteenth century. If you are an overanxious test taker, you might start rattling off everything you know about the Age of Exploration. No matter how well this essay is written, you will lose points for one simple reason—not answering the question!
Furthermore, a good essay does more than rattle off facts. Just as the multiple-choice questions seek to draw out certain general principles or the “big picture” of world history, the essay questions seek to do the same. The readers want to see that you understand some of the fundamental issues in world history and that you can successfully discuss this material in a coherent manner.
If all this sounds intimidating, read on! There are a few simple things you can do to improve your grade on the AP essays.
There are two essential components to writing a successful timed essay. First, plan what you are going to write before you start writing! Second, use a number of tried-and-true writing techniques that will make your essay appear well organized, well thought out, and well written. This section is about those techniques.
Read the question carefully. Underline key words and circle dates. Then brainstorm for one or two minutes. Write down everything that comes to mind in your test booklet. (There is room in the margins and at the top and bottom of the pages.) Look at your notes and consider the results of your brainstorming session as you decide what point you will argue in your essay; that argument is going to be your thesis. Tailor your argument to your information, but by no means choose an argument that you know is wrong or with which you disagree. If you do either of these things, your essay probably won’t be a successful or effective one. Finally, sort the results of your brainstorm. Some of what you wrote down will be “big picture” conclusions, some will be historical facts that can be used as evidence to support your conclusions, and some will be irrelevant points that you can discard.
Next, make an outline. You should plan to write one paragraph for each of the short-answer questions and five paragraphs each for the DBQ and long essay. Plan to go into special detail in each of the paragraphs on the DBQ. (Remember, you will have the documents and your outside knowledge to discuss on the DBQ. Plus, you will have more time.) For the essays in Section II of the exam, your first paragraph should contain your thesis statement, in which you directly answer the question in just a few sentences. Your second, third, and fourth paragraphs should each contain one argument (for a total of three) that supports that statement, along with historical evidence to support those arguments. The fifth paragraph should contain your conclusion and reiterate your answer to the question.
Before you start to write your outline, you will have to decide what type of argument you are going to make. Here are some of the classics.
This is the simplest strategy. Look at the results of your brainstorming session, and pick the three best points supporting your position. Make each of these points the subject of one paragraph. Make the weakest of the three points the subject of the second paragraph, and save the strongest point for the fourth paragraph. If your three points are interrelated and there is a natural sequence to arguing them, then by all means use that sequence; otherwise, try to save your strongest point for last. Begin each paragraph by stating one of your three points, and then spend the rest of the paragraph supporting it. Use specific, supporting examples whenever possible. Your first paragraph should state what you intend to argue. Your final paragraph should explain why you have proven what you set out to prove.
Many questions lend themselves to a chronological treatment. Questions about the development of a political, social, or economic trend can hardly be answered any other way. When you make a chronological argument, look for important transitions and use them to start new paragraphs. A five-paragraph essay about the events leading up to the French Revolution, for example, might start with an introductory discussion of France and the role of royal absolutism. This is also where you should state your thesis. The second paragraph might then discuss the economic crisis that led to the calling of the Estates-General. The third paragraph could deal with concern among members of the third estate that their interests might not be represented at Versailles, despite the vital economic role they played in eighteenth-century France. The fourth paragraph could be concerned with the events leading up to and including the King’s agreement to meet the three estates as a National Assembly. Your conclusion in this type of essay should restate the essay question and answer it. For example, if the question asks whether the French Revolution was inevitable, you should answer “yes” or “no” in this paragraph.
Some questions, particularly on the long essay question, ask you to compare events, issues, and/or cultural practices. Very often, the way the question is phrased will suggest the best organization for your essay. Take, for example, a question that asks you to compare the impact of three events and issues on the decision to execute the English monarch Charles I in 1649. This question requires you to set the historical scene prior to the three events/issues you are about to discuss. Continue by devoting one paragraph to each of the three, and conclude by comparing and contrasting the relative importance of each. Again, be sure to answer the question in your final paragraph.
Other questions will provide options. If you are asked to compare Italian and Northern European humanism during the Renaissance, you might open with a thesis stating the essential similarity or difference between the two. Then, you could devote one paragraph each to a summary of certain trends and authors, while in the fourth paragraph you could point out the major similarities and differences between Italian and Northern European humanism. In the final paragraph, you could draw your conclusion (for example, “their similarities were more significant than their differences,” or vice versa). Or, using another angle altogether, you might start with a thesis, then discuss in the body of your essay three pertinent philosophical, religious, or political issues, then discuss how Italian humanists dealt with such questions, then move on to the Northern European humanists, and wrap up with an overview of your argument for your conclusion.
For this technique, choose a couple of arguments that someone taking the position opposite yours would take. State those opposing arguments, and then tear them down. Remember that proving your opposition wrong does not mean that you have proved that you yourself are correct; that is why you should choose only a few opposing arguments to refute. Summarize your opponent’s arguments in paragraph two, dismiss them in paragraph three, and use paragraph four to make the argument for your side. Or, use one paragraph each to summarize and dismiss each of your opponent’s arguments, and then make the case for your side in your concluding paragraph. Acknowledging both sides of an argument, even when you choose one over the other, is a good indicator that you understand that historical issues are complex and can be interpreted in more than one way, something teachers and graders like to see.
No matter which format you choose, remember to organize your essay so that the first paragraph addresses the question and states how you are going to answer it. (That is your thesis.) The second, third, and fourth paragraphs should each be organized around a single argument that supports your thesis, and each of these arguments must be supported by historical evidence. Your final paragraph ties the essay up into a nice, neat package. Your concluding paragraph should also answer the question. And remember, stay positive!
As you are writing, observe the following guidelines:
Keep sentences as simple as possible. Long sentences get convoluted very quickly and will give your graders a headache, putting them in a bad mood.
Write clearly and neatly. As long as we are discussing your graders’ moods, here is an easy way to put them in good ones. Graders look at a lot of chicken scratch; it strains their eyes and makes them grumpy. Neatly written essays make them happy. When you cross out, do it neatly (better to erase). If you are making any major edits—if you want to insert a paragraph in the middle of your essay, for example—make sure you indicate these changes clearly.
Define your terms. Most questions require you to use terms that mean different things to different people. One person’s “liberal” is another person’s “conservative” and yet another person’s “extremist.” What one person considers “expansionism,” another might call “colonialism” or “imperialism.” The folks who grade the test want to know what you think these terms mean. When you use them, define them. Take particular care to define any such terms that appear in the question. Almost all official College Board materials emphasize this point, so do not forget it. Be sure to define any term that you suspect can be defined in more than one way.
Use transition words to show where you are going. When continuing an idea, use words such as furthermore, also, and in addition. When changing the flow of thought, use words such as however and yet. Transition words make your essay easier to understand by clarifying your intentions. Better yet, they indicate to the graders that you know how to make a coherent, persuasive argument.
Use structural indicators to organize your paragraphs. Another way to clarify your intentions is to organize your essay around structural indicators. For example, if you are making a number of related points, number them (“First…Second…And last…”). If you are writing a compare/contrast essay, use the indicators on the one hand and on the other hand.
Stick to your outline. Unless you get an absolutely brilliant idea while you are writing, do not deviate from your outline. If you do, you will risk winding up with an incoherent essay.
Try to prove one “big picture” idea per paragraph. Keep it simple. Each paragraph should make one point and then substantiate that point with historical evidence and examples.
Back up your ideas with examples. Yes, we have said it already, but it bears repeating: Do not just throw ideas out there and hope that you are right (unless you are absolutely desperate). You will score big points if you substantiate your claims with facts and specific examples.
Try to fill the essay form. An overly short essay will hurt you more than one that is overly long.
Make sure your first and last paragraphs directly address the question. Nothing will cost you points faster than if the graders decide you did not answer the question. It is always a safe move to start your final paragraph by answering the question. If you have written a good essay, that answer will serve as a legitimate conclusion.
Always place every essay into a historical context. For example, if you are given an essay asking you to compare and contrast Newton’s and Einstein’s ideas on the universe, don’t make it an essay on science. Instead, show how each of these men was a product of his respective time period, and show how their ideas influenced their contemporaries as well as future generations.
The short-answer section of the exam (Part B of Section I) involves answering three short-answer questions in which you will respond to a primary source, historical argument, data or maps, or general propositions about world history. The questions may have multiple components, and you will be required to address all parts of a given question. Since these are short-answer prompts, you are not required to develop and support a thesis statement.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of the short-answer section is the time allotted. You have a total of 40 minutes to answer three questions. You’ll be given up to a page to write each essay, but it is not necessary to fill all of the provided space. Quality matters more than quantity, though a longer essay will likely look more impressive to the reader. So there is no time to dawdle on the short essays! You must keep brainstorming to a minimum (no more than two or three minutes in total), and keep your pencil moving!
The short-answer questions will consist of multiple parts, which center on a key learning objective. Some questions may give you the opportunity to choose from among several topics. For the questions that do not give you the opportunity to pick from a list of choice topics, read the question and each of the parts carefully. Many of these questions will resemble the following example.
3. Use the image below to answer all parts of the question that follows.
The image above shows the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran. The mosque was constructed between 1611 and 1629.
a) Briefly explain how mosques such as the one pictured above are evidence of Islamic influence across parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries.
b) Briefly explain the role of mosques such as the one pictured above in the religious and political dynamics of early modern (fifteenth through eighteenth centuries) Islamic civilizations.
Here’s How to Crack It
1. Think.
You’ve probably seen photos of mosques like this before. The first step is to make sure to read the information provided under the photograph very carefully and glean whatever you can from that information. In the case of the photograph pictured above, note that we are dealing with a mosque in Iran, built in the early part of the seventeenth century. Next, let’s turn to the questions. Part (a) wants you to explain this photograph in terms of Islamic influence, while part (b) wants you to contextualize the photograph as it relates to early modern Islamic religious and political dynamics. Once you are sure that you understand the questions, brainstorm a little bit and jot down a few notes for yourself about key themes or concepts that relate to the questions asked.
For part (a), your brainstorming might look something like this:
Islamic culture: known for architecture, math, science, medicine, etc.
Islamic architecture—contains scripture, art, minerets, and domes
Mosques built for worship (also denoted an Islamic presence/dominance in the area)
Islamic culture spread throughout parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe and had a lot of influence on the cultures of those regions
Muslims conquered Persia, where this mosque is located (Safavid Empire)
Places conquered by Muslims sometimes adopted Arabic as well as Islamic intellectual/technological advancements
For part (b), your brainstorming might look something like this:
Mosques built for worship
Islamic empires maintained close ties between religion and politics
As Islamic empires spread, government leaders ordered the construction of mosques in newly conquered regions
Ottoman and Mughal rulers acted in accordance to Islamic law.
Civil laws were influenced by the Qur’an
2. Write.
Here is a sample short-answer response using some of the ideas outlined above:
In early modern Islamic cultures, religion dominated most aspects of daily life. Muslim leaders were, for the most part, quite devout, and dedicated significant resources to spreading the Islamic faith and honoring Allah. Because religion was such an important aspect of the Islamic empires, Muslims built mosques in major cities and towns in order to show the centrality of their faith. The establishment of mosques in conquered territories informed Muslims and non-Muslims alike of the dominant religion in the region. During the early modern period, Islamic empires expanded their influence in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. In places where Muslims had conquered, Islamic settlers had enormous cultural impact upon local populations. Some places adopted the Arabic language, and many places were also influenced by Islamic architecture, universities, libraries, scientific discoveries, and technologies.
Read questions carefully. Be sure you are answering the question that is asked. You must answer all parts of the question in order to get full credit.
Do not start writing until you have brainstormed, chosen a thesis, and written an outline. The only exception to this is the short-answer section; the questions there do not require a thesis, and you will not have enough time to write an outline.
Follow your outline. On the longer essays, stick to one important idea per paragraph. Support your ideas with historical evidence.
Write clearly and neatly. Do not write in long, overly complex sentences. Toss in a couple of “big” words you know you will not misuse. When in doubt, stick to simple syntax and vocabulary.
Use transition words to indicate continuity of thought and changes in the direction of your argument.
Provide a strong historical context. You may be faced with questions focusing on science, economics, philosophy, literature and art, religion, and other disciplines. Always remember that this is a history exam, so everything you discuss needs to be situated within a broader context.