AP European History

1. AP European History Exam Date Friday May 6, 2011

2. What am I in for? • Section I: 50% Multiple Choice (80 questions 55 minutes) • Section II: 50% Essays (1 DBQ, 2 FRQs, 130 minutes) 15 minutes reading – 115 minutes writing 1 DBQ 1 out of 3 choices FRQ 1 out of 3 choices FRQ

3. Why are they torturing me? • The Multiple Choice Question determines content knowledge. • The Data Based Question evaluates your ability to analyze information and draw links. • The Free Response Question focuses on your ability to apply the information you have learned and make connections!

4. The Almighty Free Response Question • The FRQ is not a journal, diary, blog, email or any other method of stream of thought writing activity. • Your job is to formulate a cohesive, well supported, knowledgeable, factually correct response to an analytical question that will employ the groundwork of good historical thinking…………..

5. FRQ ….You should be able to categorize your response in one of the following classifications: Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Change Over Time Pro vs. Con

6. How will I know which is which? • These classifications can be determined by carefully reading the question. • Look for key words, or clues that will help you determine the focus of your response. • You are historians, so begin thinking like them!

7. Then what? • Each type of question has a practical graphic organizer that will assist you in collecting your thoughts Cause/Effect T Chart Venn Diagram Compare/Contrast Timeline Change over time Pro/Con T Chart

8. But the question is still too hard! • Think: P E R S I A OLITICS CONOMICS ELIGIOUS OCIAL NTELLECTUAL RTISTIC

9. Political Rule/Govt Wars Leadership Political Military Treaties Territorial Participation Expansion

10. Economic Trade Money/Barter Products Jobs / Work Economic Banking Standard of Living Taxes Technology Inventions

11. Religious Religious Culture/ Customs Religion Gods Worship Religious Religious Minorities & Responses Religious Acts by Leaders

12. Social Family Children Gender Roles Social Education Disease Customs Leisure

13. Intellectual Science Philosophy Intellectual Attitudes, especially towards institutions Literature

14. Artistic Artistic Characteristics of Art and Architecture Reflection of the Era

15. Make a mole hill out of a mountain! • Break down the assignment into smaller more achievable parts. • One step at a time!

16. Success onEssays R ead the question O rganize B rainstorm O utline T hesis

17. Read the Question • Circle or highlight key terms • Recognize types of essay questions • Translate terms: technology = microphone mass culture = propaganda

18. Organize • Put key phrases at top: include dates • Use Venn diagrams and T charts • Create segments to address all parts of the question

19. Brainstorm • Place some evidence in each area created • Evidence does not need to be even; can have uneven amounts • Learn a few specifics about each subject; 3 facts go a long way • Start with a word you know and think about the answer

20. Outline • Create a mini outline to prioritize the order of your points

21. Thesis • Shape the thesis to address the question • Write for the audience, direct and concise • Avoid general descriptions and terms • Don’t just restate the question

22. Tips • A summary of two parts is NOT analysis of compare and contrast • Must answer both pro and con, even if only one statement about the lesser • Must address ALL of the chronological period

23. More Tips • Demonstrate understanding of initial term before applying it to the rest of the analysis • Make connections. Be explicit; don’t assume that people can understand. Avoid burying your ideas in sophisticated language.

24. Even More Tips • State everything you know, as long as it pertains • EXPLAIN WHY! Not just what, analysis is not a summary.

25. Dissect the Question 2008 – Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period (1789-1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics and human nature.

26. What are the Key Words? 2008 – Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period (1789-1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics and human nature.

27. Dissect the Question 2008 – Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period (1789-1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics and human nature.

28. Dissect the Question 2008 – Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period (1789-1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics and human nature.

29. What is my Chart? 2008 – Analyze the ways in which the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period (1789-1815) led people to challenge Enlightenment views of society, politics and human nature.

30. Analyze, French Rev – Nap, challenge Enlight, society politics human nature

31. What was the intent of this question? • The intent of the question was to analyze how Enlightenment views concerning society, politics, and human nature were challenged both during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods and after 1815. The prompt implicitly required students to have an understanding of pre-Revolutionary Enlightenment thought on the subjects of society, politics, and human nature, and of the period from 1789 to 1815. They were expected to analyze the challenges to these Enlightenment views presented by the events of the period, both in the specific time frame of 1789–1815 and afterwards. However, most students read the question as intending to cover only the period 1789–1815, and this was considered a reasonable reading. Hence, it was possible to score in the top category without referring to the post-1815 period, though many stronger essays did discuss events after Napoleon’s fall.

32. What were common student errors or omissions? • Of the three views, students had the most difficulty with the Enlightenment view of human nature. True analysis, as opposed to description/discussion, was found only in the highest-scoring essays. Some students attached correct Enlightenment views to the wrong Enlightenment thinker. Some referred to Freud and Nietzsche as post-1815 responses to the French Revolution, without clearly linking them to the French Revolution.

33. Based on your experience of student responses at the AP Reading, what message would you like to send to teachers that might help them to improve the performance of their students on the exam? Teachers need to stress to students the importance of following the prompts of the question. Also, students need to have an understanding of the difference between verbs such as “analyze” and “discuss” and how these verbs change the task that is stated in the prompt.

34. 9–8 Points • Thesis is explicit and fully responsive to the question (clearly provides brief introduction of Enlightenment thought and how events challenged the three Enlightenment views). • Organization is clear with consistent and effective analysis in support of the argument (may analyze each event and how they challenged Enlightenment views or may address in separate paragraphs). • Essay provides a balance between BOTH analyzing the major events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period that challenged the three Enlightenment views proposed before 1789 AND the response to those events at some length (response may also include the post-1815 period). • Analysis of how previous Enlightenment views were challenged by events that occurred between 1789 and 1815 are supported by multiple pieces of relevant evidence. • May contain errors that do not detract from the argument; even a “9” need not be flawless.

35. 7–6 Points • Thesis is explicit and responsive to the question (provides brief introduction of Enlightenment thought and how events challenged the three Enlightenment views). • Organization is clear with effective support of the argument but is not consistently followed. • Essay provides a balance between BOTH analyzing the major events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period that challenged the three Enlightenment views proposed before 1789 AND the response to those events at least briefly (response may also include the post-1815 period). • Analysis of how previous Enlightenment views were challenged by events that occurred between 1789–1815 are supported by at least one piece of relevant evidence. • Categories (Enlightenment views) may be conflated even at this level. • May contain an error that detracts from the argument.

36. 5–4 Points • Thesis is explicit but not fully responsive to the question (may put more emphasis on Enlightenment thought or how events challenged Enlightenment views). • Organization is apparent and effective in support of the argument but not consistently followed. • Essay shows some imbalance; mentions BOTH the events of the French Revolution and Napoleonic period that led to challenges to Enlightenment views proposed before 1789 AND the response to those events, but may discuss only one (may address only two of the Enlightenment views). • Most of the discussion of how previous Enlightenment views were challenged by events that occurred between 1789–1815 is supported by at least one piece of relevant evidence. • May contain a few errors that detract from the argument.

37. 3–2 Points • No explicit thesis or a thesis that merely repeats/paraphrases the prompt. • Organization is unclear and ineffective. • Essay shows serious imbalance and may completely ignore one of the question’s tasks (analyzing the ways the events challenged Enlightenment views OR the response). • Only one or two major assertions are supported by relevant evidence. • May contain several errors that detract from the argument.

38. 1–0 Points • No discernable attempt at a thesis. • No discernable organization; may attempt to answer the question but fails to do so. • One or none of the major topics suggested by the prompt is mentioned (may suggest a challenge to Enlightenment thought but supports it with evidence that is out of the time period). • Little or no supporting evidence used. • May contain numerous errors that detract from the argument.

39. How well did students perform on this question? Overall student performance on this question was mixed. The mean score was 3.05 out of a possible 9 points. Some students did not clearly address Enlightenment views on the three subjects in their analysis, or they tended to conflate Enlightenment views, especially when addressing human nature. Many students discussed rather than analyzed how Enlightenment views were challenged by the events of 1789–1815.