Professional Documents
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History 2021
Daniel P. Murphy
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TERMS OF USE
Preface
Introduction: 5-Step Program
The Basics
This guide provides you with the specific format of the AP U.S.
History exam, three sample AP U.S. History tests, and a
comprehensive review of major events and themes in U.S. history.
After each review chapter, you will find a list of the major concepts,
a time line, and several review multiple-choice and short-answer
questions.
Reading this guide is a great start to getting the grade you want
on the AP U.S. History test, but it is important to read on your own
as well. Several groups of students who have all gotten a 5 on the
test maintain that the key to success is to read as much as you
possibly can on U.S. history.
Reading this guide will not guarantee you a 5 when you take the
U.S. History exam in May. However, by carefully reviewing the format
of the exam and the test-taking strategies provided for each section,
you will definitely be on your way! The review section that outlines
the major developments of U.S. history should augment what you
have learned from your regular U.S. history textbook. This book
won’t “give” you a 5, but it can certainly point you firmly in that
direction.
Five-Step Program
The first icon points out a very important concept or fact that you
should not pass over.
The third icon indicates a tip that you might find useful.
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Learn about the test, what’s on it, how it’s scored, and
what benefits you can get from taking it.
Key Ideas
Most colleges will award credit for a score of 4 or 5. Even if you
don’t do well enough on the exam to receive college credit,
college admissions officials like to see students who have
challenged themselves and experienced the college-level
coursework of AP courses.
Since 2015, the exam has had a new format. The new exam de-
emphasizes the simple memorization of historical facts. Instead,
you have to demonstrate an ability to use historical analytical
skills and think thematically across time periods in American
history.
In addition to multiple-choice and short-answer questions, the test
contains a DBQ (document-based question) and one long essay
question.
AP Scores
Once you have taken the exam and it has been scored, your raw
scores will be transformed into an AP grade on a 1-to-5 scale. A
grade report will be sent to you by the College Board in July. When
you take the test, you should indicate the college or colleges that
you want your AP scores sent to. The report that the colleges
receive contains the score for every AP exam you took this year and
the grades that you received on AP exams in prior years. In addition,
your scores will be sent to your high school. (Note that it is possible,
for a fee, to withhold the scores of any AP exam you have taken
from going out to colleges. See the College Board website for more
information.)
As noted above, you will be scored on a 1-to-5 scale:
• 5 indicates that you are extremely well qualified. This is the
highest possible grade.
• 4 indicates that you are well qualified.
• 3 indicates that you are qualified.
• 2 indicates that you are possibly qualified.
• 1 indicates that you are not qualified to receive college credit.
Achieving a good score on the AP U.S. History exam will require you
to do more than just memorize important dates, people, and events
from America’s history. To get a 4 or a 5 you have to demonstrate an
ability to master primary and secondary sources, construct an
argument, and utilize specific historical analytical skills when
studying history. In addition, you will be asked to demonstrate your
ability to think thematically and evaluate specific historical themes
across time periods in American history. Every question on the AP
U.S. History exam is rooted in these analytical skills and historical
themes. You’ll find more information about these analytical skills and
historical themes in Chapter 4.
As far as specific content, there is material that you need to
know from nine predetermined historical time periods of U.S. history.
For each of these time periods, key concepts have been identified.
You will be introduced to a concept outline for each of the historical
periods in your AP course. You can also find this outline at the
College Board’s AP U.S. History website. These concepts are
connected to the historical themes and analyzed using historical
analytical skills.
To do well on this exam you have to exhibit the ability to do
much of the work that “real” historians do. You must know major
concepts from every historical time period. You must demonstrate an
ability to think thematically when analyzing history, and you must
utilize historical thinking skills when doing all of this. The simple
memorization of historical facts is given less emphasis in the new
exam. This does not mean that you can ignore historical detail.
Knowledge of historical information will be crucial in explaining
themes in American history. Essentially this exam is changing the
focus of what is expected of AP U.S. History students. It is asking
you to take a smaller number of historical concepts and to analyze
these concepts very carefully. The ability to do this does not
necessarily come easily; one of the major functions of this book is to
help you “think like a historian.”
Section I
• Part A: 55 multiple-choice questions—55 minutes recommended
—40% of the exam score.
• Part B: Three short-answer questions—40 minutes recommended
—20% of the exam score. Questions 1 and 2 are required; you
can choose between 3 and 4. These questions will address one or
more of the themes that have been developed throughout the
course and will ask you to use historical thinking when you write
about these themes.
Section II
• Part A: One document-based question (DBQ)—60 minutes
(including a 15-minute reading period) recommended—25% of
the exam score. In this section, you will be asked to analyze and
use a number of primary-source documents as you construct a
historical argument.
• Part B: One long essay question—40 minutes recommended—
15% of the exam score. You will be given a choice between three
options, addressing periods 1–3, 4–6, or 7–9. It will be critical to
use historical analytical skills when writing your response.
This presents an overview. There will be more information about
the different components of the exam later in this book.
Taking the AP U.S. History Exam
Registration and Fees
If you are enrolled in AP U.S. History, your teacher or guidance
counselor is going to provide all of these details. However, you do
not have to enroll in the AP course to take the AP exam. When in
doubt, the best source of information is the College Board’s website:
www.collegeboard.com.
There are also several other fees required if you want your scores
rushed to you or if you wish to receive multiple score reports.
Students who demonstrate financial need may receive a refund to
help offset the cost of testing.
It’s a good idea to leave the following items at home or in the car:
• Your cell phone and/or other electronic devices.
• Books, a dictionary, study notes, flash cards, highlighting pens,
correction fluid, a ruler, or any other office supplies.
• Portable music of any kind (although you will probably want to
listen as soon as you leave the testing site!).
• Panic or fear. It’s natural to be nervous, but you can comfort
yourself that you have used this book and that there is no need
for fear on your exam.
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: The right preparation plan for you depends on your
study habits and the amount of time you have before the test. This
chapter provides some examples of plans you can use or adapt to
your needs.
Key Ideas
Choose the study plan that is right for you.
Begin to prepare for the AP exam at the beginning of the school
year. Developing historical analytical skills, evaluating themes in
U.S. history, and studying important concepts take far more time
and effort than simply memorizing facts. The sooner you begin
preparing for the test, the better.
Getting Started
You have made the decision to take AP U.S. History. Enjoy! You will
be exposed to all of the fascinating stories that make up U.S. history.
To be successful in this course, you will have to work much harder
than you would in a “regular” high school U.S. history course. You
will be required to read more, including reading and analyzing a
wide variety of primary source documents throughout the year. In
addition, you will be required to utilize historical thinking, to analyze
history in a thematic way, and to be knowledgeable of specific
concepts that help guide the study of American history. It cannot be
stressed enough that the examination for this course that you will
take in May is not a test that will simply measure what you “know”
about U.S. history; instead, it is an examination that tests your
ability to analyze major events, concepts, and themes in American
history utilizing specific historical analytical skills.
Being able to utilize historical analytical skills, study history
thematically, and develop conceptual thinking are not skills that
develop overnight. In fact, it is difficult to develop these skills in the
context of one specific course. If you are reading this before you are
actually enrolled in an AP U.S. History course, you may want to take
the most challenging history courses you can before you take AP
U.S. History. Try to think conceptually in any history course that you
take; it involves integrating historical facts into larger interpretive
themes.
Study Groups
Many students who have gotten a 5 on the U.S. History exam
reported that working in a study group was an important part of the
successful preparation that they did for the test. In an ideal setting,
three to five students get together, probably once a week, to review
material that was covered in class the preceding week and to
practice historical, thematic, and conceptual thinking. If at all
possible, do this! A good suggestion is to have study groups set a
specific time to meet every week and stick to that time. Without a
regular meeting time, study groups usually meet fewer times during
the year, often cancel meetings, and so on.
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