The Compare/Contrast
(C&C) Essay
Quick Write
Be the change you
want to see in the
world
How do you live out this
quote?
About the C&C
• The C&C focuses on developments across at least
two regions or societies
• Always relates to one of the 5 SPICE themes
• Essays must ANALYZE the reasons for the
similarities and/or differences
About the CCOT
• A variety of historical thinking skills (argumentation,
causation, synthesis) are evaluated
• Time allotted for this essay is 40 minutes (5-10 of
which should be spent planning/outlining).
C&C Prompts
2002 C&C
• Analyze and compare the differing
responses of China and Japan to western
penetration in the 19th century
2003 C&C
• Compare and contrast the roles of women in
TWO of the following regions during the
period from 1750 – 1914.
•
•
•
•
East Asia
Latin America
Sub-Saharan Africa
Western Europe
2004 C&C
• Compare and contrast how the First World War
and its outcomes affected TWO of the following
regions in the period from the war through the
1930s.
• East Asia
• Middle East
• South Asia
2005 C&C
• Compare and contrast the political
economic effects of Mongol rule on
TWO of the following regions:
• China
• Middle East
• Russia
2006 C&C
• Compare and contrast the goals and
outcomes of the revolutionary process in
TWO of the following regions:
• Mexico, 1910
• China, 1911
• Russia, 1917
2007 C&C
• Within the period from 1450 to 1800,
compare the processes (e.g., political,
social, economic) of empire building in the
Spanish Empire with the empire-building
processes in ONE of the following
• The Ottoman Empire
• The Russian Empire
2008 C&C
• Compare the emergence of nation-states in
nineteenth-century Latin America with the
emergence of nation-states in ONE of the
following regions in the twentieth century.
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Middle East
2009 C&C
• For the period from 1500-1830, compare
North American racial ideologies and their
effects on society with Latin
American/Caribbean racial ideologies and
their effects on society.
2010 C&C
• Analyze similarities and differences in
methods of political control in TWO of the
following empires in the Classical period.
• Han China (206 BCE – 220 CE)
• Mauryan/Gupta India (320 BCE – 550 CE)
• Imperial Rome (31 BCE – 476 CE)
2011 C&C
• Analyze similarities and differences in the
rise of TWO of the following empires:
• A West African Sudanic empire (Mali OR
Ghana OR Songhay)
• The Aztec Empire
• The Mongol Empire
2012 C&C
• Compare demographic and environmental
effects of the Columbian Exchange on the
Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s
demographic and environmental effects on
ONE of the following regions between 1492
and 1750.
• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
Rubric
Basic Core (0-7 Points)
Expanded Core (0-2 Points)
1) Has Acceptable Thesis (1 Point)
Analyzes all parts of the question
thoroughly (comparisons, chronology,
causation, connections, themes)
2) Addresses all parts of the question,
though not necessarily evenly or
thoroughly (2 Points if both Sim and Dif,
1 Point if either Sim or Dif)
Has a clear, analytical and
comprehensive thesis
3) Substantiates thesis with appropriate
historical evidence (2 Points, or 1 Point)
Provides ample and accurate historical
evidence
4) Makes at least one relevant, direct
comparison between societies (1 Point)
Relates to larger global context
5) Analyzes at least one reason for a
similarity or difference identified in a
direct comparison (1 Point)
Makes several comparisons
The Thesis
Thesis
• Because the central task in the question is comparative and
asks for both similarities and differences, acceptable thesis
statements also need to be comparative, stating at least
one similarity and one difference.
• Thesis statements also need to be explicit, not simply
restatements of the question or vague statements, such as
“there were more similarities than differences.”
Thesis, cont.
• Thesis Musts
• Address Prompt
• Place/Time
• 3 Categories
• 1:2 Ratio (1 or 2 Similarities/ 1 or 2 Differences)
Thesis, cont.
• “X and Y are similar in 1, but different in 2 and 3.”
• “X and Y are different in 1, but similar in 2 and 3.”
Thesis
2007: Within the period from 1450 to 1800, compare the
processes (e.g., political, social, economic) of empire building in
the Spanish Empire with the empire-building processes in ONE of
the following: a) The Ottoman Empire; b) The Russian Empire
The Spanish and Ottoman Empires were similar
in that they were both involved in the process of
empire building during the period of 1450 to 1800 and
both were heavily involved in global trade, yet differed
in their underlying strategies for the empire building
process, and in the religious makeup of the empires.
Thesis
2009: For the period from 1500-1830, compare North American
racial ideologies and their effects on society with Latin
American/Caribbean racial ideologies and their effects on society.
The racial ideologies of N.Am and LA/C from
1500-1830 were different in the degree to which the
races became culturally fused, yet were similar in that
they created a racial hierarchy and an increase in
violence and conflicts.
The Order: Compare and
Contrast Part II
Quick Write
Describe how agricultural
systems (Mesopotamia, China)
were patriarchal
• Introduction – Thesis and Definitions
(categories)
• Section 1 – Category 1
(similarity/difference)
• Section 2 – Category 2
(similarity/difference)
• Section 3 – Category 3 (whichever you
picked in Section 2)
• Conclusion with restatement
• Body Paragraphs
• Discuss one region first (Ottoman
Empire)
• Discuss second region (Spanish
Empire)
• Direct Comparison – Spanish vs.
Ottoman
What Order?
Similarity
Difference
Difference
Difference
Similarity
Similarity
Difference
Difference
Similarity
Similarity
Similarity
Difference
In case time is not to your advantage, always
organize your essay according to the top row.
What Good Responses Should Include
• Need 9 pieces of evidence (3 paragraphs
= 3 pieces of evidence per paragraph)
• Students can use lists of things to provide
evidence (potatoes, maize, squash,
tomatoes)
What Good Responses Should Include, cont.
• Include dates to demonstrate the ability to
describe with some precision when
continuity and change happen
• Describe an extra-regional connection or a
global process to explain continuity or
change
• Students must make connections clear.
2010 C&C
Marking it up
Monday/Tuesday– 2010 C&C due
Write it at home and annotate the following parts.
1) Thesis – bold
2) Categories– underline
3) 9 Pieces of Evidence - italicize