Doing the FRQ
Free Response Questions
Types of Essay Questions

Document Based Question (DBQ)
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Based on eight to ten primary sources plus
outside knowledge
Free – Response Question (FRQ)

Four questions
= Two pre-1870 (select one)
= Two Post 1870 (select one)
What Are the AP Essay Graders
Looking For?
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An answer to the question
Strong thesis.
Reasonable outline—well-organized.
A straight forward answer.
An understanding of the historical period(s).
Analysis—ability to interpret history.
Factual Details that support thesis &
analysis—evidence.
Originality of historical thought.
Part 1: Understanding the
Essay Prompt
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Understanding the Question:
●
●
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Read the entire prompt, every word of it.
Reread it till you understand it.
Having read the whole prompt, circle or
underline the VERBS. These words will
give you your task.
Look for and mark any CONJUNCTIONS
and circle or underline them.
Common FRQ verbs & questions:

Compare

 Analyze

 Apply

 Assess (the validity)
 Caused
 Affected
 Changed (altered, grew)

How
Why
In what way
To what extent
What are you being asked to do?
Go back and look carefully at the VERB
in the prompt. This word will tell you what
kind of question is being asked and what
you are expected to do.
 Compare and contrast the ways in which
economic development affected politics
in Massachusetts and Virginia in the
period from 1607 – 1750.
 Economicsapolitics

Recognizing the Time Frame
What is/are the time frame(s) of the
question?
 How did the economic, geographic, and
social factors encourage the growth of
slavery as an important part of the
economy of the southern colonies
between 1607 and 1775?
 What events started & ended this
period?

Are there Choices?
What choices are you given within the
question?
 Compare the ways in which religion
shaped the development of colonial
society (to 1740) in TWO of the following
regions:

 New
England
 Chesapeake
 Middle Atlantic
Do only the
number
required!
Define terms in prompt:


Discuss the changing ideals of American
womanhood between the American Revolution
and the outbreak of the Civil War. What
factors fostered the emergence of “republican
motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity”?
Assess the extent to which these ideals
influenced the lives of women during this
period.
What terms do you need to explain in this
question?
Part 2: Organization
Step 7: Organization
Sketch out a quick, informal plan of how
you are going to answer the question.
 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.

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Jot down a simple
“outline” like the one at
the right.
List things that were
similar in BOTH periods,
List the differences in
BOTH periods.
Your essay would have
3 body paragraphs as
indicated by the circles

1919-1928
similarities
differences
1945-1950
How did economic, geographic, and social factors encourage
the growth of slavery as an important part of the economy of
the southern colonies between 1607 and 1775?

Geographic

Economic

Social Factors
Filling out your outline.
Organize your thinking BEFORE you
write.
Doesn’t need to be a long process
Decide 2-4 issues you need to discuss
Organize the facts under those
headings
Check to see that you “balance” your
answer—give each part equal time.
Don’t get hung up the format of the outline.
Social
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
Political
Economic
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
Part 3: Thesis Statement
Difference between an English &
History thesis statement.
English
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Responds to a prompt.
Gives the main idea of
the essay.
The economic,
geographic, and social
factors unique to the
southern colonies
encouraged the growth
of slavery.
History
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Answers the question.
Specifies how & why the
answer is correct.
Although the geography of
the southern colonies
enabled the growing of
cash crops, the profits to
be made from tobacco and
rice provided the incentive
for the gradual
enslavement of Africans
between 1607 and 1775.
The Thesis
Topic: Slavery in the Southern Colonies
 Focus: The economic, geographic, and
social factors encouraged the growth of
slavery.
 Forecast: The climate led to growing
cash crops. Greed at the profits to be
made from cash crops led to slavery.
Social differences helped the process of
enslavement to occur.

Part 3: Summary
Thesis is a single declarative sentence
that “answers” the prompt with your
interpretation.
 Thesis must address the complexity in
any prompt.
 Thesis should be the last sentence in
the introduction paragraph.
 Good idea to include qualifying
conjunction such as…Although

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Part 4: Analysis
Describing Versus Analyzing
 Lower
scores are given to essays
that only describe or narrate what
happened.
 Higher scores are given to essays
that analyze.
Analysis Means
The ability to demonstrate the
knowledge of WHY AND HOW rather
than a mere knowledge of the
historical facts.
 Going beyond providing the reader
with historical information by making
relevant inferences, connections and
associations.


Seeing the big picture.
Analysis Demonstrates
 That
a student has a more in
depth understanding of the
essay topic and a much
higher level of thinking.
 Analysis looks for change
over time.
Analysis:

Compare the ways in which TWO of the following
reflected tensions in colonial society. (03)
 Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
 Pueblo Revolt (1680)
 Salem Witchcraft Trials (1692)
 Stono Rebellion (1739)
 The Pueblo Revolt and Stono Rebellion are proof that
the Native Americans and Africans resisted the forced
labor system imposed on them and the
dehumanization of their social status and people.
 While Bacon’s Rebellion was caused by the inequities
between the social classes in Virginia society, the
Salem Witchcraft Trials resulted from the tyranny of
religious fanaticism over Puritan society.
What do historians do?
In your analysis you need to…
 Interpret—what do you think?
Argument based on factual evidence.
 Respect the evidence, yet be original.
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Identify and use evidence:
What are your strongest pieces of
evidence (facts) ?
 How well do you organize and integrate
your evidence?

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Determine Significance: Why does this
matter?
What is unique about this event or issue?
 How did it change people’s lives?
 What were the immediate and long term
effects of this event?
 How did history change over time?
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Historical Thinking Skills
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Historical argument
Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
Historical Causation
Continuity and Change over Time
Periodization
Comparison
Contextualization
Interpretation
Synthesis
General Writing Guidelines

Answer the question they asked.
 Write clearly and neatly in pen.
 Stick to you outline.
 Use 3rd person & past tense.
 Don’t assume your audience knows what you mean.
Clarify and watch your use of pronouns.
 Use transitions words to show where you are going.
 Try to prove one big picture idea per paragraph.
 Evidence, evidence, evidence—include as many facts as
you can.
 Make sure the first and last paragraphs directly answer
the question.
How to Write the Essays
 Read
the question thoroughly.
 Analyze and breakdown the
question
 Brainstorm the topic
 Write your thesis.
 Create an outline that includes
factual evidence.
 Budget your time.