Essay Help
Understanding the
Essay Prompt
Thanks to Keith Wood, Honors English and AP U.S. History teacher
•All AP essays are written in
response to an essay “prompt.”
•Understanding what this
prompt asks you to do is the
first important skill you need
to acquire.
Here are two examples
• Sample DBQ prompt:
– How successful was organized labor in
improving the position of workers in the
period from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the
factors that contributed to the level of
success achieved.
• Sample free response prompt:
– Compare and contrast United States
foreign policy after the First World War and
after the Second World War. Consider the
periods 1919-1928 and 1945-1950.
Tip #1
• The first thing you need to do is to read the
WHOLE prompt, every word of it. This is
especially true if the prompt is in two
sentences like this one. . .
– How successful was organized labor in
improving the position of workers in the period
from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that
contributed to the level of success achieved.
• The first mistake that many students make
is in reading and answering only part of the
prompt.
Tip #2
• Having read the whole prompt, circle or
underline the VERBS. These words will
give you your task.
– How successful was organized labor in
improving the position of workers in the period
from 1875 to 1900? Analyze the factors that
contributed to the level of success achieved.
• The important verb, and thus your task, is
in the second sentence: ANALYZE.
Tip #3
• After finding the verbs, look carefully and
mark any CONJUNCTIONS and circle or
underline them. For instance
– Compare and contrast United States foreign
policy after the First World War and after the
Second World War. Consider the periods
1919-1928 and 1945-1950.
• You must compare AND contrast these
periods to successfully complete the task.
Doing only one or the other will lower your
score.
Tip #4
• Go back and look carefully at the VERB in
the prompt.
• This word will tell you what you are
expected to do.
• The following is a list of commonly used
verbs and explanations for the tasks they
indicate. These are verbs the College
Board has used recently.
Commonly used verbs and
verb phrases
• Analyze
– Explain how AND why something occurred.
Any question that uses “how” and/or “why” is
an analysis question even if the word
“analyze” is not in the prompt.
• Assess the validity
– How true is the statement. The statement
doesn’t have to be all true; it can be true in
one instance or circumstance and false in
another.
Commonly used Verbs
(continued)
• Evaluate
– Which factor was most important. You usually
need to rank several events or factors and
specify which is most and which is least
significant.
• To what extent
– This prompt frequently requires you to specify
a cause and effect relationship and then state
which causes were more important.
Commonly used Verbs
(continued)
• Compare AND contrast
– To do this correctly you need to discuss
BOTH similarities AND differences between
two events or periods. It is important to both
in a balanced way without shortchanging
either.
• Discuss or Consider
– These are frequently used in free response
prompts. They should be written as analysis
essays.
Tip #5
• After you are clear as to your task (analyze,
evaluate, etc.) sketch out a quick, informal outline
of how you are going to proceed. This is very
important to guaranteeing that you cover the
whole prompt.
• For instance, if you were writing the following
prompt. . .
– Compare and contrast United States foreign policy after
the First World War and after the Second World War.
Consider the periods 1919-1928 and 1945-1950.
• You might jot down a
simple “outline” like
the one at the right.
• You would list things
that were similar in
BOTH periods,
• Then list the
differences in BOTH
periods.
• Your essay would
then have either four
body paragraphs as
indicated by the
circles
1919-1928
similarities
differences
1945-1950
• Or you might have
two longer and more
involved paragraphs
as indicated by the
two ovals.
• In either case, you
would have
organized your
thinking so that you
cover all of the
material you need to
cover to address the
prompt completely.
1919-1928
similarities
differences
1945-1950
Lesson 1 Summary
• Read the WHOLE prompt!
• Mark the VERBS and the
CONJUNCTIONS in the prompt.
• Think about that verb. What, exactly, are
you being asked to do. Consider the
whole prompt.
• ORGANIZE your thinking BEFORE you
begin writing.