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← Arii's AP HISTORY FRQ GUIDE (WORLD, APUSH, EURO):

Please note that AP World History, AP US History and AP European History have the exact same test format. What they cover in terms of materials, time periods, locations and themes are different.

For the DBQ and LEQ, this "dissect a prompt" guide may be helpful to you!

Dissect a Prompt:

AP's prompts can be... a lot. I'd recommend marking up your prompt, and noting the four major ingredients - skills tested, categories asked about, time range given, and area given.

Identify the Skill:

WHY? This is what the CollegeBoard is testing you on, the WHY behind the essay. They're trying to test one of three core skills. Identify which one you have and use the corresponding modified "general thesis".

(The "general thesis" is Although X, Y, because A and B).

Comparison - Similar and Different
Watch for: "Compare, Similarities, Differences"
More Different Than Same:
Although THESE TWO THINGS WERE SIMILAR IN X WAY, THEY WERE DIFFERENT IN Y WAY, WITH 1 BEING A and 2 BEING B.
More Same Than Different:
Although THESE TWO THINGS WERE DIFFERENT IN X WAY, THEY WERE SAME IN Y WAY, WITH THESE TWO THINGS SHARING A and B.

Causation - What Caused, What Did It Cause
Watch for: "Cause, Led To, Effect, Resulted From"
Although X DID CAUSE THE THING, Y CAUSED THE THING MORESO, because A and B.

Continuity and Change Over Time - What Changed and What Stayed the Same
Watch for: "Change"
More Change Than Same:
Although X STAYED THE SAME, Y CHANGED, AS SEEN WITH A and B.
More Same Than Change:
Although X CHANGED, Y STAYED THE SAME, AS SEEN WITH A and B.

Identify the Category:

WHAT? What is the CollegeBoard asking you about? Women's roles in society? International relations? They come down to one of these things in most cases - although some like environmental effects, may not lie in these categories.

Political - States, Power, Laws, Domestic Policy
Diplomatic - War, Treaties, Foreign Policy
Economic - Trade, Spending, Wealth
Social - Class, Race, Gender, Hierarchy, Labor
Cultural - Religious, Language, Beliefs, Art
Intellectual - Innovation, Technology, Science

Identify the Time Range:

WHEN? What time range does the CollegeBoard want you to be answering within?

Remember, chronological reasoning! Know in rough order, what happened, not the exact dates, but the sequence of events. Making timelines or causation guides while study is helpful for this.
Be clear on the dates! Write out 1800s for 19th century if you need to!

Identify the Area:

WHO and WHERE? This is the specific group or area CollegeBoard wants you to focus on.

SAQs:

There are 3 SAQs, the first is required and spans from 1600-2001 for Euro, 1754-1980 for APUSH, and 1200-2001 for World, it uses a secondary-source stimulus and typically consists of analyzing the author's claims compared to another author's. The second is also required, and spans from the same timespan as the first - it has a primary source stimulus. Students select either SAQ 3 or 4, but must answer 1, it does not have a stimulus and spans from 1450-1815 for Euro, 1491-1877 for APUSH, and 1200-1750 for World on SAQ 3 and from 1815-2001 for Euro, 1865-2001 for APUSH, and 1750-2001 for World on SAQ 4.

The SAQs are worth 20% of your total exam score. You have 40 minutes to do three. Try to spend ~12m or less on each.

Formula:

ANSWER THE QUESTION
CITE EVIDENCE
EXPLAIN YOUR EVIDENCE

Objectives:

  • Clearly restate the question, with your answer as a part of it.
  • Cite (if needed) case studies, examples, or other pieces of evidence, all while using historic vocabulary.
  • Explain (if needed) your evidence and how it applies to the question and your answer, all while using historic vocabulary.

Tips:

  • ATFP! Answer The ... Prompt! Give a clear and decisive answer! Always!
  • Outline your argument before writing it.
  • Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or language, if it's legible and you have the content, you're fine.
  • Pay attention to the task verbs! Define or state? A few sentences is fine. Discuss? Talk EXTENSIVELY!
  • Many times the SAQs come down to reading comprehension and explaining differences between documents, although the 3rd one is more like a paragraph argument. CLOSE READ THE STIMULI!

DBQs:

There is 1 DBQ, it spans from 1600-2001 for Euro, 1754-1980 for APUSH, and 1450-2001 for World, and is worth 7 points.

The DBQ is worth 25% of your total exam grade. Spend at least an hour on this, as it will make or break your grade. If you spend about 80m on it, like I did for Euro, you can still do your LEQ if you work fast. Try to spend 60m to 80m on the DBQ.

Formula:

INTRO

  • Contextualization
    • Relevant Historical Analysis
  • Thesis - Although X, Y, because A and B.
    BODY
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - Attempt PAPA
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - Attempt PAPA
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - Attempt PAPA
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - Attempt PAPA
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - (Maybe) Attempt PAPA
  • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - (Maybe) Attempt PAPA
  • "Counterclaim" - Show Other "X" Perspective, But Why "Y" is Correct (Note that the number of counterclaim sources may vary based on your document grouping and prompt.)
    • Document, Describe, Support, Explain - (Maybe) Attempt PAPA
      CONCLUSION
  • Restate Argument
  • So What?

Objectives:

  • Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
    • TAKE A SPECIFIC STANCE IN YOUR THESIS!
  • Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
    • DISCUSS WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE PROMPT (as it's relevant to the prompt. If it's asking you about Revolutionary France don't talk about Mansa Musa). THE CLOSER THE BETTER. 3-4 SENTENCES. BE SPECIFIC AND USE VOCABULARY!
  • Support an argument in response to the prompt using at least four documents.
    • USE THE DOCUMENTS 4x TO BACK YOUR ARGUMENT! DON'T JUST DESCRIBE - SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT!
  • Use at least one additional piece of specific historical evidence (beyond that found in the documents) relevant to an argument about the prompt.
    • Use historical vocabulary and evidence outside of what's in the document to back your argument.
  • For at least two documents, explain how or why the document’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or audience is relevant to an argument.
    • DO 2 PAPAS!
  • Demonstrate a complex understanding of a historical development related to the prompt through sophisticated argumentation and/or effective use of evidence.
    • See below.
      For Complexity: (Which You Want)
  • Analyze multiple themes, perspectives.
  • Connect your argument to other points or places in history.
  • Similarity AND Difference. Continuity AND Change. Cause AND Effect.
  • Multiple Similarities and Differences. Multiple Continuities and Changes. Multiple Causes and Effects.
  • Use all 7 documents effectively.
  • Use PAPA 4x effectively.
  • Use documents and evidence beyond the documents (extra evidence) effectively.

Tips:

  • ATFP! Answer The ... Prompt! Give a clear and decisive answer! Always!
  • Outline your argument before writing it.
  • Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or language, if it's legible and you have the content, you're fine.
  • CLOSE READ your documents and summarize them off to the side.
  • Read the stimuli source before reading the stimuli, sometimes you get all of or more information from that than the document (please, do read the document though).
  • Use topic sentences and "steal" from your thesis.
  • Group all of your sources beforehand into 2-3 groups based on contents and how they'd fit into a prompt.
  • Note anything interesting about the authors.
    • e.g. Are they a figure you know? Is there anything about them you can (relatively) safely?
      • IF SO. DO. A. PAPA.
  • Form your thesis based on where the evidence leads you, even if you don't agree.

PAPA - Purpose, Audience, Period and Time, and Authorial Intent. This an analysis required at least twice. This means, after describing a source and before explaining its relevance, you need to analyse the author and their historical situation. If you AT ANY POINT see a name or group you recognize and you can say something about that group - DO A PAPA. If you see the source was written by John Adams, or by an ethnic Han in Qing China, or a woman worker in Industrializing England - and you know that John Adams would be concerned about American merchants on the high seas amidst the French-British Revolutionary wars, an ethnic Han would likely resent Qing rule, or a woman worker would likely have many troubles for herself and her family on her mind - SAY THAT! Just remember, PAPA is an inference, it is not true. Qualify your statements with words like "likely".

Most importantly with a PAPA - why does that inference matter. Would John Adams, or an ethnic Han, or woman worker have a particular slant or reason why they might be saying or doing what they're saying or doing? How does that matter to the document as a whole?

Purpose - Why would they write this in the manner they did? WHY is it a letter, memoir, newspaper, etc?
Audience - Who was this for? Why did that matter?
Period and Time - What was occuring during this time period? How did this influence the author?
Authorial Intent - What did the author want to do? Assure people? Inform? Create outrage?

LEQs:

There are 3 LEQ options for a prompt it spans from 1450-1700, 1648-1914 or 1815-2001 for Euro, 1491-1800, 1800-1898, or 1890-2001 for APUSH, or 1200-1750, 1450-1900 or 1750-2001 for World.

There are no documents on the LEQ - all evidence must be provided by YOU!

The LEQ is worth 15% of your total exam grade. Compared to the DBQ, the LEQ does NOT matter as much. If you need to, only spend about 20m on your LEQ to make a better DBQ. A bad DBQ will tank your grade on your exam. A meh or bad LEQ score with a stellar rest of your exam can still get you a 5. Try to spend 20m to 40m on the LEQ.

However, don't just give up at this point - it's tempting - but better a slog of an okayish LEQ than 0 points.

Formula:

INTRO

  • Contextualization
    • Relevant Historical Analysis
  • Thesis - Although X, Y, because A and B.
    BODY
  • At Least 4 Pieces of Specific and Relevant Evidence Backing "Y" - VOCABULARY
  • "Counterclaim" - Show Other "X" Perspective, But Why "Y" is Correct
    CONCLUSION
  • Restate Argument
  • So What?

Objectives:

  • Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
    • TAKE A SPECIFIC STANCE IN YOUR THESIS!
  • Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
    • DISCUSS WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE PROMPT (as it's relevant to the prompt. If it's asking you about Revolutionary France don't talk about Mansa Musa). THE CLOSER THE BETTER. 3-4 SENTENCES. BE SPECIFIC AND USE VOCABULARY!
  • Support an argument in response to the prompt using at least two pieces of specific and relevant evidence.
    • USE HISTORICAL VOCABULARY AND EVIDENCE 2x TO BACK YOUR ARGUMENT! DON'T JUST DESCRIBE - SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT!
  • Demonstrate a complex understanding of a historical development related to the prompt through sophisticated argumentation and/or effective use of evidence.
    • See below.
      For Complexity: (Which You Want)
  • Connect your argument to other points or places in history.
  • Analyze multiple themes, perspectives.
  • Similarity AND Difference. Continuity AND Change. Cause AND Effect.
  • Multiple Similarities and Differences. Multiple Continuities and Changes. Multiple Causes and Effects.
  • Use evidence effectively.
  • Use historical vocabulary and evidence 4x in a nuanced understanding.

Tips:

  • ATFP! Answer The ... Prompt! Give a clear and decisive answer! Always!
  • Don't worry about spelling, grammar, or language, if it's legible and you have the content, you're fine.
  • Use topic sentences and "steal" from your thesis.