AP World History Free Response Questions
During the Free Response section of the exam you will be given 15 minutes reading / note-taking time, and then 2 hours to answer the three questions.
This section is worth 50% of the exam and the questions will consist of a Document Based Question (DBQ), a Change and Continuity Over Time Question (CCOT) and a Comparative Question. Over the course of the year who will learn and constantly practice the necessary skills and techniques needed in order to get a high score. All of these questions can seem quite daunting when you begin the course in September, and its not unusual for students to still lack confidence late in year. But the point is you don't have to be a master of the questions in February, you need and will be good at them in May.
This section is worth 50% of the exam and the questions will consist of a Document Based Question (DBQ), a Change and Continuity Over Time Question (CCOT) and a Comparative Question. Over the course of the year who will learn and constantly practice the necessary skills and techniques needed in order to get a high score. All of these questions can seem quite daunting when you begin the course in September, and its not unusual for students to still lack confidence late in year. But the point is you don't have to be a master of the questions in February, you need and will be good at them in May.
The Document Based Question
The DBQ is often the question that students fear most when they begin the course when they see examples of previous questions for the first time. Initially, students feel that it is almost impossible to read, understand, summarize, analyse and organize up to 10 to 12 documents, and then write an essay in less than an hour. However, long before the end of the course this question will be the section of the exam you will feel the most confident about going into the exam in May. By following simple steps that you will master through the year you will develop a formulaic style that you can use regardless how obscure the topic might be.
Download the following file for detailed explanation of what you need to do to gain a high score and common mistakes to avoid. Of course, you are not expected to be a 'DBQ Master' after reading through this file but it will help you with the basics.
Download the following file for detailed explanation of what you need to do to gain a high score and common mistakes to avoid. Of course, you are not expected to be a 'DBQ Master' after reading through this file but it will help you with the basics.
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Change and Continuity Over Time Essay
This question seems simple in theory, list all the things that changed and stayed the same during a given time period. However, the key part of the question is explaining why some things changed and why some things stayed the same. If you simply list the changes and continuities laundry list fashion then you will not receive a high grade. In order to enable you to do this we will constantly be highlighting changes (and the reasons for those changes) that happened as history progressed. Additionally, at the end of each unit you will complete a CCOT chart based on the Five Themes of the course..
Below is an example of how you can plan your essay.
Below is an example of how you can plan your essay.
Compare and Contrast Essay
This questions again seems a relatively simple task:; list all of the similarities and differences between two different civilizations. However, (as you practice throughout the year) the most important part of this task is explain why there were similarities and why there were differences. For an illustration of how to do this click the following link and scroll down to the section entitled "Analyzing Why"
