Yes I Can!!
Tips for scoring a 5 on the APUSH exam
Quick Test-Taking Tips
Strategies for the Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Answer the easy questions first.
2. Be careful on the answer sheet.
3. Mark up your test booklet.
4. Answer the question before you look at the
choices.
5. If you don’t know an answer, start by
eliminating answer choices.
6. Take a guess, any guess.
Give it a try…
1.
The Mayflower Compact can be described as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
A plan to determine a form of economy for the
colonies.
An agreement to follow the dictates of
Parliament.
A plan to elect the leaders of Plymouth Colony.
A promise to establish self-government that
would abide by the will of the majority.
A settling of issues over landownership in the
colonies.
And the answer is….
O D. In 1620 Pilgrim leaders drew up and
signed the Mayflower Compact. The
document was not a constitution but a
simple agreement to form a crude
government and to submit to the will of the
majority. It did not provide for the election of
leaders, did not address issues
landownership, and did not determine the
economy of the colonies.
Here comes another….
2. Which of the following was NOT a part of
the Compromise of 1850?
California was admitted as a free state.
b. A stringent fugitive slave law was adopted.
c. Popular sovereignty would determine
whether western states were free or slave.
d. Slavery was abolished in the District of
Columbia.
e. The Mexican Cession was divided into Utah
and New Mexico.
a.
And the answer is…
D. The Compromise of 1850 allowed
California to become a free state, adopted a
stringent fugitive slave law, and stipulated that
slavery issues in the territories of Utah and
Mexico would be decided by popular
sovereignty. The compromise banned the
slave trade in the District of Columbia, but it
did not abolish slavery.
Multiple Choice
Question Types
Know the question type, know the answer.
Identification Questions
Which of the following men was an
important Transcendentalist writer?
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Ernest Hemingway
F. Scott Fitzgerald
William Faulkner
John Steinbeck
Ralph Waldo Emerson
O Requires basic recall. The correct answer is
E. This question requires you to know
Transcendentalist writers in the 1830s. The
other choices were 20th century writers.
Analysis Questions
2.
One result of the National Origin Act of 1924
was that
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Immigration from China was banned.
The US adopted a literacy test for new
immigrants
Immigrants from northern and western Europe
were directly discriminated against
Paupers were denied admission to the US
Quotas were established that specifically limited
the number of immigrants from eastern and
southern Europe to the US.
O Requires a broader knowledge of historical
periods. The correct answer is E. The
National Origin Act was directly connected to
the quota system and how it limited the
number of immigrants from eastern and
southern Europe. The key term is 1924.
Chinese immigrants were excluded in 1882;
literacy tests were adopted in 1917; paupers
were excluded in the late 1880s.
Except and Not questions
3. All of the following countries attended the
Versailles Conference in January 1919
EXCEPT
Russia
b. France
c. Italy
d. United States
e. Great Britain
a.
O Immediately circle the word EXCEPT. Cross
out each choice that would be correct if you
left out EXCEPT. Communism had been
established in Russia in 1917, causing
Russia to sign a treaty with Germany.
Russia had ended the war with Germany
prior to the other Allies. Therefore, Russian
leaders were not present at the Conference.
Graph/Chart Questions
Require little outside knowledge or
information.
The graph contains all the data you need to
answer the question.
Avoid overanalyzing.
These are not difficult questions.
Reading/Quotation Questions
5. “This, then is held to be the duty of the
man of wealth;…to set an example of modest
living,…to consider all surplus revenues which
come to him simply as trust funds, which he is
called upon to administer…in the manner
which, in his judgment, is best calculated to
produce the most beneficial results for the
community…the man of wealth thus becoming
a trustee…for his poorer brethren.”
The ideas in this passage are most closely
associated with
a. Andrew Carnegie
b. John D. Rockefeller
c. James Hill
d. James Fiske
e. Cornelius Vanderbilt
O Underline the words that will help you
understand the main idea of the reading
passage or quotation.
O Key words are “duty” and “trustee.”
O Andrew Carnegie wrote an essay entitled
“The Gospel of Wealth”
O Therefore, the answer is A. He describes the
responsibility of the wealthy to administer
their money in order to improve lives of the
poor.
Political Cartoon/Poster
Questions
6. Which viewpoint is expressed in the
cartoon?
Congress and Jackson worked closely
together to enact legislation.
b. Jackson sought a return to British
traditions.
c. Jackson was a weak president.
d. Jackson had monarchial ambitions
e. The wealthy class in America supported
Jackson.
a.
O Use the captions, title, or any symbolism in
the image.
O D is the correct answer. Although he is
depicted as a King, the presence of the
Constitution would suggest choice D and not
a return to British traditions since this is
clearly an important American document.
Interpreting a Map
Used to describe geographic developments or
to present information about political, social,
or economic issues.
Look at the map carefully, including the
legend.