Test Tips!

1. Test Tips! You can do it!

2. Multiple Choice Historical Eras • >20% of the questions deal with events from 1600 to 1789 • >45% of the questions deal with events from 1790 to 1914 • >35% of the questions deal with events from 1915 to the present Topics • 35% of the questions deal with political institutions, behavior, and public policy • 40% of the questions deal with social and cultural developments • 15% of the questions deal with diplomacy and international relations • 10% of the questions deal with economic changes and developments As you study, concentrate your efforts on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (obviously), fewer questions on events in the twentieth than nineteenth century. • Do not get caught up in a question you do not know. Think of the era, the ideas you remember about that era…and make an educated guess; then move on. Chances are everyone else thought that question was tough too!

3. Free Response & DBQ You will receive two questions about the United States before the Civil War, and two questions after the Civil War, picking from one of each of the choices. Having 70 minutes to answer these questions. Spend 5 minutes “outlining” before writing the essay. Have a strong thesis. Not all of the information needed to earn a “5” in the DBQ is included in the documents. Meaning, use OUTSIDE INFORMATION. Discuss one more than half of the documents. Be descriptive, use examples (add terms: events, treaties, laws, people, amendments, etc.), and tie all paragraphs back into your specific thesis!!!!! The better your ideas and thesis the faster and more organized your essay will be.

4. Essays Continued… • Look over old essays exams w/ teacher comments on them, it will remind you of what you need to make sure you do when writing on exam day. • Topics to review in particular: women, civil rights, depression, and imperialism. Make connections in these areas between earlier and more recent times.  • Go over the Progressive Era because it is good for you.

5. General Tips • Watch your time. • Bring a good (non-messy) snack…peanut butter with limited jelly! • Bring water…do not drink it all the first 5 minutes! Go to the bathroom BEFORE the exam starts. • Take off your shoes!!! Relax. You have studied. Now you need to stay calm and put all of the information in your brain onto paper! • Write fairly neatly. • You do not need luck, you have smarts!

6. Colonial America • How justified were the Americans in initiating a revolution against Great Britain after nearly 150 years of British administration? In you answer, make certain to address the political relationship between Britain and the American colonies. • Explain how English colonies in the New World were different from one another in terms of government, population, and origin.

7. Articles of Confederation and Constitution 1. To what extent were the Articles of Confederation an inadequate form of government? In you answer include discussions on the following topics: foreign affairs problems domestic affairs problems features of the government under the AOC 2. Analyze the differences of opinion between supporters and opponents on whether to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

8. Early Presidents • Compare and contrast the Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian movements in regard to Political philosophy Long-term social and economic outlook Interpretations of the Constitution Federal versus state power 2. Support or refute this statement: An accurate title for the period from the 1820s to the 1850s is Jacksonian democracy.

9. 3. Were the grassroots movements in the Age of Reform successful in achieving their goals? In your answer cite THREE of the following: • women’s rights • Abolition • Public education • Prison reform 4. To what extent did government assist in the rise of corporate capitalism following the Civil War?

10. Imperialism • To what extent is this statement correct? The primary factor in the U.S. adopting a policy of imperialism was economic. • Was the United States justifies in going to war against Spain in 1898? In your response, take into account political, economic, moral, and diplomatic factors?

11. Progressive Era • Discuss the role government played in reforming American social, economic, and political life in the early twentieth century. In your response include TWO of the following: • Reforms at the federal level • Reforms at the state level • Reforms at the local/city level 2. Evaluate the administrations of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson in relation to their records as progressive presidents.

12. Conservatism and Cultural Diversity in the 1920s • Discuss how the 1920s represented social, economic, and cultural discord among Americans. In your essay discuss THREE of the following: • Urban versus rural attitudes • Nativism vs. immigration • Science vs. religion • The red scare

13. The Great Depression Support or refute this statement: A key feature of the New Deal was that it gave too much authority to the federal government and specifically the executive branch.