AP World
History
Writing the Comparative
Essay
Foundations comparison essay
 Compare
and contrast the use of
technology and the dynamics of trade in
TWO of the following regions for the
periods mentioned:
 China during the Qin and Han Dynasties
( 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE)
 The Mediterranean Basin during the
Roman Empire
( 1st century BCE to 4th century CE)
Foundations essays
 Compare
the political and social
structures of two early civilizations, using
any two of the following:
 Mesopotamia
 Egypt
 Indus Valley
 Shang Dynasty
 Mesoamerican and Andean South
America
Foundations Essay
 Compare
the role of women in TWO of
the following belief systems:
 Buddhism
 Christianity
 Confucianism
 Hinduism
Foundations Essay
 Compare
Hinduism with Confucianism in
regard to their role in creating a social
hierarchy within their respective societies
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Topics commonly in comparative
essays come from the “six themes” of
World history
Technological
advances and
developments
Social and economic
impact of warfare
Gender issues and
treatment of minority
populations
Evolution of political
systems and structures
International trade and
exchange
Labor systems, trade
migrations
Focus of comparative essays
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Broad patterns of
historical
development that
affect all societies
throughout history
Balance the
similarities and
differences.
Use the five
paragraph essay
format
General tips for essay writing
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Develop a thesis and
state it clearly
Your thesis must be
explicit!
Write a short
introductory
paragraph
Your thesis statement
can be more than one
sentence.
Students usually put
their thesis statement in
the introductory
paragraph
General Tips Continued
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Read the directions and
follow them closely- each
essay has its own specific
rules and rubric for
evaluation of the essay.
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Look at the prompt’s key
verb:
Defend or refute, Assess the
validity of.. Evaluate,
describe, discuss, or detail,
analyze or examine,
compare and contrast
More General tips
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Write neatly and clearly.
Divide your essay into
paragraphs and clearly
indent them
Turn in an answer of an
appropriate length
Quantity does not mean
quality!
Two full pages-minimum
length
Reread your essay if
time permits
Writing the comparative essay
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Compare / contrast how
two or more civilizations /
nations have undergone
or have responded to a
historical event.
Some comparison essays
offer students a choice:
Which regions to
compare?—pick those
regions that you know
the most facts about and
relate them to the
question
Look out for “Big Picture” ideas and
themes as we cover the time periods
of history
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How different societies
responded to each
other or other societies
or events.
How different societies
changed—or didn’t
change—in response
to some event
How different societies
developed
How different societies
responded to new
technologies or new
ideas.
Writing Tips
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You have 40 minutes
to write your essay.
Spend 5-10 minutes
organizing your ideas
and planning.
Make sure that you
have read the
prompt at least two
or more times
You must answer all
parts of the prompt
to get full credit on
your essay
Write only direct
comparisons!
Analyze the Reason(s) for the
Similarities and / or differences
 State
clearly in your essay the reasons why
the similarities or differences existed in the
societies being compared / contrasted.
 Listing
the items in common or the
differences is not enough to earn the core
point for analysis
Show both similarities and
differences in your essay
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The comparison essay asks:
what is the same and what
is different between two or
more regions
Put as many facts as
possible in your body
paragraphs. Fact must be
relevant and pertain to the
regions being compared
Weave comparisons within
each paragraph
Using comparative words
 You
should use plenty of comparative
words as logical connections between
the regions. The most commonly used
words are:
ALSO, AS WELL AS, FURTHERMORE, LIKEWISE,
ON THE OTHER HAND, HOWEVER, TO THE
CONTRARY
 Write paragraphs in which BOTH regions
are discussed together.
Don’t do the following!
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Favor one region to
the exclusion of the
other.
Mention facts that
are not focused on
the topic or question
Discuss each region
in isolation
Do not rewrite the
essay prompt when
writing your thesis or
write a thesis that
states: “ There are
many similarities and
differences between
….
Generic Scoring Guide:
Basic core- up to 7 points
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Has an acceptable thesis- 1 point
Addresses all parts of the question- 2 points
Addresses most parts of the question- 1 point
Substantiates thesis with appropriate historical
evidence- 2 points
Partially substantiates thesis with appropriate
historical evidence.- 1 point
Makes at least two relevant, direct comparisons
between or among societies- 1 point
Analyzes at least ONE reason for a similarity or
difference identified in a direct comparison.- 1
point
Generic Scoring Guide:
Expanded Core:1- 2 bonus
points
 Analytical
 Addresses
thesis
all parts of the question and
includes- comparisons, chronology,
causation, connections to today, themes,
interactions etc
 Ample historical evidence to support the
thesis
 Relates comparisons to the larger global
perspective
 Makes several DIRECT comparisons
consistently between or among societies
 Analyzes the causes and effects of the
relevant similarities and differences.
The learning curve
 Study
and follow
the rubric /
directions.