The short-answer part of the AP US History Exam, which appears after the multiple choice questions, consists of four questions—and you must answer three. Show Unlike the DBQ and LEQ later in the exam, your response to each short-answer question will be a brief, to-the-point answer to each question’s three required tasks. You should use complete sentences, but there is no need to write a thesis or provide any additional information. The types of short-answer questions will always be the same:
AP US History Short Answer StrategiesBefore walking through a sample prompt step-by-step, let’s look at some special considerations for short-answer questions.
The following is a step-by-step walk-through of a sample
short-answer question. Closely read or analyze the source stimulus, marking important details. If the source is a passage, briefly paraphrase the purpose of the source in your own words to solidify your understanding. If the source is an image, take notes about its details and viewpoint. See below a high-scoring response writer’s sample thoughts and notes for the photograph.
Look for any additional information that may be provided about the source. For this source, note that the higher-scoring writer included details from the
title (the date, location, and group involved) in the notes about the source. Step 2: Plan Your Response The paragraphs below describe what a high-scoring
writer might notice and think about when planning a response. Samples of what that high-scoring writer might write as notes are provided for each part of the prompt.
Part B asks for an explanation of a historical development that led to demonstrations like the picketing in the image. The high-scoring writer would brainstorm relevant developments between 1848 and 1917 that are related to the women’s rights movement, choosing one for which she can use evidence and/or reasoning to explain how the development led to the picketing in the image.
Part C requires an explanation of a difference between the women’s rights movements in different periods. The high-scoring writer would carefully note the date ranges provided, brainstorm characteristics of each movement, and choose one for which she can use evidence and/or reasoning to explain how the movements
differed.
Step 3: Action! Write Your ResponseJust write out the information, using your planning notes. As you write, remember to label each part of your response (a, b, c) and to keep your writing legible. Refer back to the question’s action words to make sure you’re doing the correct tasks. See the following sample high-scoring response and scoring explanation at the end of this section. One of the best ways to improve your own free- response answers is to read sample responses, thinking carefully about what makes the responses effective and what features you can copy. Step 4: ProofreadLeave a minute or so for a quick proofread, neatly correcting any errors you catch. (a) The image reflects the perspective that women in 1917 were participating more in American politics, even if they did not yet have the right to vote in national elections. The women are engaging in the political practice of picketing, addressing the president, and, as the caption indicates, these women are part of a political party which represented women’s rights. The women in the photo believed they had the right to
participate in the democratic process, even if they did not formally have the national vote yet. How were women's roles changing in the 1920s?The decade kicked off with passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave white women the vote. Women also joined the workforce in increasing numbers, participated actively in the nation's new mass consumer culture, and enjoyed more freedom in their personal lives.
What were women's rights like in the 1920s?When passed in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. Surprisingly, some women didn't want the vote. A widespread attitude was that women's roles and men's roles did not overlap.
What was the new woman of the 1920s?We tend to associate flappers, the embodiment of the New Woman, with the 1920s. The New Woman, however,emerged during World War I, not only in the women who took on new roles to support the war but in the posters that encouraged both women and men to get involved.
How do you answer AP US History Short answer?AP US History Short Answer Strategies
Carefully analyze the source stimulus—which could be a passage or image—on questions 1 and 2. Note key details, look for relevant information in the titles and source information, and paraphrase in your own words the main purpose of the source.
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