Introduction to the AP World History Exam (Part 1)

Exam Format (185 minutes\~3 hours)Multiple Choice (50% of the Exam)• 70 Questions • 55 minutes

3 Essays(50% of the Exam)• 1 DBQ question

(Document-based essay)• 1 CCOT question

(Continuity and Change-over-time question)

• 1 COMP question(Comparison question)

• 130 minutes (10 minutes reading and 40+40+40 minutes writing)

AP Scores are reported on a 5-point Scale

• 5- Extremely well qualified• 4- Well qualified• 3- Qualified• 2- Possibly qualified (will not earn college

credit)• 1- No Recommendation (will not earn college

credit)

• Great scores on AP Exams give you an advantage in the college admission process and earn you college credit (you will not have to take the mandatory 100 level World History course as a freshman in college)

How to approach the Document-Based Question

• The first of the 3 essays is the DBQ (document-based question)

• This essay asks you to be a historian!

• Many students panic once they see the DBQ because they do not know much about the topic.

• The question and documents often cover something well outside of the mainstream of a high school class.

• The test writers do this on purpose!• Outside knowledge is not needed for the DBQ.• Writing the DBQ is a skill that can be learned

much like any other skill.

• The entire 130 minute essay time is divided into two parts: the first 10 minutes is reading time.

• Spend that first 10 minutes reading only the DBQ, since this is the essay that requires the most reading time.

• After the 10 minute reading time, you will have 40 minutes to write your DBQ essay.

• First, read the question!

• Reread the question!

• Second, underline the words that are most related to your task.

Sample Question

• “For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the Ottoman government viewed ethnic and religious groups within its empire. Explain how another type of document would help you analyze the views of the Ottoman government.”

• “For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the Ottoman government viewed ethnic and religious groups within its empire.

• “Explain how another type of document would help you analyze the views of the Ottoman government.”

• Read the “Historical Background.”• Be careful! Do NOT quote from the historical

background.

• Take your 10 minutes to read the documents.

• Inside each box will be information on the source of the document, which is very important!

• Feel free to write notes and underline important words in your question booklet as you read the documents

Taking notes on the documents

1. Try to write the following about the authors of the document:

A) social class (Ex. King, wealthy, poor etc.)B) Gender (Male or female)

2. Try to write a short phrase that summarizes the basic meaning of the document. (Why was it written?)

3. Try to write a missing piece of evidence that relates to the document.

Thesis Statement

• Nothing is more important in the first paragraph than the clear statement of a thesis.

• Do Not write your first paragraph before you have a clear idea of what your thesis will be.

• Let’s use the specific question given as an example:“For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the Ottoman government viewed ethnic and religious groups within its empire.”

Thesis statements that Don’t Work

• Ex. There are many ways in which the Ottoman government viewed ethnic and religious groups.

• Far too bland (general)!

• Ex. People of different nationalities reacted differently to Ottoman government depending on their religion.

• This sentence gets the question backward!

• You are being asked for the governments’ view of religious and ethnic groups.

• You are Not asked for the groups’ view of the government.

• Ex. Through out history, people around the world struggled with the issue of political power and freedom. In the Ottoman Empire too, people demanded change.

• This sentence does not address the question! (it is not relevant to the question.)

Thesis statements that work

• Ex. The Ottoman government took the same position on religious diversity as it did on ethnic diversity. Minorities were servants of the Ottoman Turks, and religious diversity was tolerated as long as Islam remained supreme.

• This thesis statement works because:A) It addresses both the ethnic and religious

aspects of the question.B) It describes how these groups were viewed.

• Ex. Government officials in the Ottoman Empire were able to send out the message that all people in the empire were equal. However, the Turks and their version of Islam were superior to other ethnic groups and religions.

• This thesis statement also works because:A) It addresses both the ethnic and religious

aspects of the question.B) It describes how these groups were viewed.

Writing your Essay

• Use evidence from all the sources to support your thesis.

• Always refer to the documents that you are using.

• Ex. “The Young Turks believed that all ethnic and religious groups should be treated equally (doc 7.).”

Discuss the Point of view(POV) of at least three documents

• You can Not just say that an author is biased or prejudiced to receive points.

• You must explain why the author is biased.Ex. For document 2:“The Constitution of 1876 reflects the official

laws, but may not accurately represents the reality within the empire.”

Ex. For document 6:“Since Cevdet’s comments were in the form of an official memo, this document reveals the view of someone close to the power center of the Ottoman Empire.”

Group the Documents together

• Within each of your paragraphs, group the relevant documents.

• Do Not work with only one document in one paragraph.

• Do Not describe each document by paraphrasing what it says.

• Here is an example of successful grouping:• “Document 1 is a chart that clearly demonstrates the

ethnic diversity of the Ottoman Empire at the time of the new constitution. The Turks were a minority of the population but they controlled the government of the Ottoman Empire ( doc1.) The Constitution of 1876 also supports the idea that the empire was formed by various ethnicities and religions. It formally states that all people are granted equality, and that all religions answer to the same law (doc 2.)…

• Here is another example of successful grouping:• “The Ottoman Constitution of 1876

(doc.2) and the Proclamation of the Young Turks (doc 6.) both indicate that Ottoman rulers wanted to ensure that all of their subjects understood that they were equal before the law. In the Ottoman Constitution, subjects are…, while the Proclamation of the Young Turks, subjects are …”

• For our sample essay, you could group the documents in the following ways:

1. By focus on types of groups:• Religious groups (documents 2,3,5,6 and 7)• Ethnic groups (documents 1,4,6 and 7)2. By focus on attitudes toward ethnic and religious

minorities:• Inclusion (documents 2,4, and 7)• Division (documents 3,4,5 and 6)

Explain the need for an Additional Document

• Always part of the DBQ question.• Do not just mention potentially useful 1 or 2

additional documents, but also explain why they would be useful.

• Ex. A document from a religious leader within the Ottoman Empire (such as a Priest, Rabbi or Imam) would provide a sense of how the government’s policies were perceived by the religious communities themselves.

• Be careful! Mentioning a type of document that already exists will cost you a basic point.

• Ex. “A document from a person outside of the Ottoman Empire” would Not count. Because Document 3 is already written from a British perspective.

Conclusion

• Restate your thesis.• Add information from your analysis of the

documents to extent (NOT change) your original thesis.

Other Tips on the DBQ

• Do NOT: 1. DO NOT spend too much time on the DBQ,

since you have two other essays to write.2. DO NOT write in present tense.3. Practice writing with black or blue ink.