Lesson 1
Understanding the
Essay Prompt
MHS AP U. S. History
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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.
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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 19191928 and 1945-1950.
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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.
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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.
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MHS AP U. S. History
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 19451950.
You must compare AND contrast these periods
to successfully complete the task. Doing only
one or the other will lower your score.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Tip #5

Define any terms in the prompt that you need
to explain. For instance, a recent essay prompt
asked students to assess the validity of this
statement: “Reform movements in the United
States sought to expand democratic ideals.”
Jot down some “democratic ideals” and be
prepared to explain how they are democratic.
Failing to do this will lower your score.
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Tip #6

Clearly understand the time period in the
prompt. If the prompt asks you to discuss
reform between 1865 and 1900, you must
include information for the WHOLE time
period. You can help yourself do this by
listing information from the last 10 years of
the time period in the prompt FIRST, then
working backward with your details.
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Tip #7
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 19451950.
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



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
1945-1950
similarities
differences
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
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
1945-1950
similarities
differences
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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.

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Lesson 2
The Thesis Sentence
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The thesis sentence is the most
important sentence in any essay.
It must be clear, properly
structured, and in the correct
place.
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A thesis sentence is. . .
 A single
 Declaratory
sentence
 That “answers” the prompt
 With a clearly and simply stated
opinion.
 A good thesis never restates the
prompt.
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Tip #1
After reading the whole prompt, marking
the verbs and conjunctions, and sketching
out how you intend to proceed. . .
 Answer the prompt in a simple sentence.
 For instance, consider this 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.
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Tip #1 (continued)

What do you think about this prompt?
Was the time period 1875 to 1900 a period of
labor success?
 Or was it a time of extreme hardship and
struggle for organized labor?
–
YOUR OPINION IS ESSENTIAL!
 And your opinion must be clear.
 So. . .

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Tip #1 (continued)
Let’s say that you think this time period was not
a period of labor success.
 Write a simple statement that answers the
prompt with your opinion. Like this. . .

–

The last 30 years of the 1900s nearly destroyed
organized labor.
Or. . .
–
These years were a period of extreme struggle for
organized labor.
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Tip #1 (continued)
It’s extremely important to get your thinking
clearly into a simple “answer” to the prompt.
 Do NOT restate the wording of the prompt.

Rather than saying “the time period 1875 to 1900,”
say “the last decades of the 19th century” or “the
three decades following the Civil War.”
 Rather than saying “organized labor,” refer to labor
unions.
–
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Tip #2
Now that you know your opinion, you need
to write a sentence that is both complex and
specific.
 One way of doing this is to begin your
thesis sentence with the word “although.”
 This may seem odd, but recent AP grading
rubrics award high scores only to essays
that “address the complexity of the
question.”

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Tip #2 (continued)

One of the easiest ways of doing this is to
write a sentence that looks like this:
–

Although the last decades of the 19th century
were periods of intense labor organization, they
nearly destroyed the labor unions.
Or. . .
–
Although the post-Civil War period saw
increased labor organization, it was also a time
of government persecution of labor unions.
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Tip #2 (continued)

Writing this kind of thesis sentence sets you
up from the very beginning to acknowledge
the “complexity” in the essay prompt. Your
opinion, your “answer” to the prompt, goes
in the second half of the thesis sentence.
This is the point you are going to make, the
destination at which you want the reader to
arrive.
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Tip #3

Having written your thesis sentence, you are
ready to put it into your essay introduction. For
most AP U. S. History essays, an introduction
“paragraph” may only be two or three sentences
in length. The thesis sentence should be the last
sentence in your introduction paragraph. Take a
step back from your thesis and write a general
sentence that introduces the topic.
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Tip #3 (continued)
The general topic of this prompt is organized
labor.
 Using one of the earlier thesis sentences, the
introduction might look like this:

–
Labor unions had existed in America since the early
days of industrialization and had grown in number
prior to the Civil War. Although the post-Civil War
period saw increased labor organization, it was also a
time of government persecution of labor unions.
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Tip #3 (continued)

Current AP essay rubrics award high scores to
essays that have “a clear, well-developed thesis”
that is “focused on the prompt” and “guides the
essay throughout.” By clearly “answering” the
prompt with your opinion, writing a great thesis
sentence, and putting it at the beginning of your
essay, you do as much in two sentences as you
can do to get yourself off to a great start.
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Lesson 2 Summary

A thesis is a single declarative sentence that
“answers” the prompt with your opinion.
The thesis must address the complexity in
any prompt. The thesis must be the last
sentence in the introduction paragraph. One
way of accomplishing all of this is to begin
your thesis with the word “although.”
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Lesson 3
Using Documents in the
DBQ
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Document-based questions (DBQs)
require you to do several things well. . .
You must understand the prompt and come up
with an “answer” that will be your thesis.
 You must come up with a list of facts—names,
dates, treaties, battles, significant events, etc.—
from the time period.
 You must use all of the documents that are
provided.
 You must write a clearly organized and wellwritten essay.

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General information about the
documents
All of the documents will be relevant to the
topic.
 Plan on using all of the documents provided.
 Sometimes the date or the author in the source
notation may be significant.
 The documents are generally presented
chronologically.
 Pay special attention to cartoons, charts, &
graphs.

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Tip #1
Read the prompt thoroughly several times.
Make sure you fully understand the whole
prompt.
 Identify the time period you are dealing with.
 Brainstorm

–

write down all of the relevant information you can
think of BEFORE reading the documents.
Sketch an outline of how your essay will be
structured. . .
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Outlines do not have to be formal,
just sketch a structure
List facts
Social
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
Political
List facts
List facts
Economic
List facts
List facts
MHS AP U. S. History
List facts
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Tip #1 Summary

You have quickly done some very important
preparation for the essay.
You have carefully read the prompt several times.
 You have “answered” the prompt, decided your
thesis direction.
 You have quickly jotted down some facts that you
can use to support your thinking.
 Organized this information.



Now you are ready to deal with the documents.
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Tip # 2
Quickly read all of the documents.
 As you go, indicate where on your essay
“outline” they will go.
 Remember to consider the dates in the
source material.
 Underline any unusual phrases.
 Jot down any quick summary thoughts
about the documents as you read.

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Tip #2 (continued)



Look carefully at
political cartoons.
Pay attention to any
small print.
Jot down a quick
summary of what the
cartoon is trying to tell
you.
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Tip #2 (continued)




Graphs and charts are
important, look at
them carefully.
Note the dates.
Notice that they
frequently show
change over time.
Jot down a quick
summary of what they
indicate.
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Tip #2 (continued)



Notice dates, especially on pictures.
The picture on the left is dated 1915; the picture on the
right is dated 1919.
What had changed for working women in those years?
Why?
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Tip # 2 (continued)


Look very carefully at
data presented in
charts.
Look for
–



trends,
for changes over time,
for sudden changes.
Summarize what the
chart tells you in a
quick sentence.
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Having read the documents. . .
Go back and add the documents to your essay
outline.
 Remember, you must use outside information
AND the documents to respond to the essay
prompt.
 Make sure that you have both—outside
information and documents—to support each
point of your essay.

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Tip #2 Summary

You have now spent about 15 minutes
Reading the prompt,
 Brainstorming and listing relevant information,
 Planning a basic structure for your response,
 Putting your information onto the essay structure,
 Reading the documents,
 Adding the documents to your essay outline.

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Tip #3: Writing the essay
Refer to the document, NEVER quote them at
length—no more than a quick phrase or three
or four words!
 Don’t explain the document. Simply refer to it
to support your thesis.
 Refer to the author of the document: “In
Lincoln’s letter” or “Horace Mann makes the
point” or “in the Nast cartoon.”
 Cite every document by using its letter, e.g.
(A). You don’t need to say (doc. A).


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This document appeared in the 1999
DBQ. Notice the source note.
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The most significant thing about this document
is the date, 1754, in the source note.

This document was intended to bring to mind
the following:
The 1754 meeting of the London Board of Trade,
 Benjamin Franklin, printer from Phildelphia and
colonial agent,
 Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union,
 The Albany Plan of Union’s provisions for a
colonial legislature,
 The ultimate unpreparedness of the colonies to
accept the Albany Plan of Union in 1754.
–
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The most significant thing about this document
is the date, 1754, in the source note.

This document was intended to bring to mind
the following:
The 1754 meeting of the London Board of Trade,
 Benjamin Franklin, printer from Phildelphia and
colonial agent,
 Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union,
 The Albany Plan of Union’s provisions for a
colonial legislature,
 The ultimate unpreparedness of the colonies to
accept the Albany Plan of Union in 1754.
–
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Lesson 3 Summary






Understand the prompt—the time period and any
terms that need defining.
Produce a brainstormed list of relevant and useful fact
FIRST, before reading the documents.
Organize how you will use both the outside
information and the documents.
Use all of the documents without quoting them and
citing them as you go.
Write a clear and well-organized essay that
demonstrates an understanding of the prompt.
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Lesson 4
Writing Effective Free
Response Essays
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Free response essays, in many ways,
are the very heart of the AP exam.
They measure your reasoning ability as
well as your historical knowledge.
To succeed with these essays, you must
understand the prompts, organize your
information, and write a clear and
accurate response.
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Free response essay prompts put a lot of
responsibility on the writer:

Some prompts are very open. Here is an
example of this type of prompt:
 The government under the Articles of
Confederation has been considered a failure.
Describe three actions of the Confederation
government and explain how these actions
may or may not be considered failures.
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These prompts require you to define the terms,
specify the time period, and understand the task.

For instance, read the prompt carefully:


To address the prompt, he following questions must be
answered:




The government under the Articles of Confederation has
been considered a failure. Describe three actions of the
Confederation government and explain how these actions
may or may not be considered failures.
What time period does this question address? [1781-1789]
What were 3 (no more) actions of the Confederation
Congress that you are going to discuss?
How are you defining “failure” or “success”?
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Some prompts provide clear time periods to
be addressed:

For instance, here are two prompts that specify
very clearly the time periods to be discussed:
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.
 How did the African American Civil Rights
movement of the 1950s and 1960s address the
failures of Reconstruction?


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These prompts require you to limit your
evidence and to define certain terms.

With the first prompt–
–

Compare and contrast United States foreign
policy after the First World War and after the
Second World War. Consider the periods 19191928 and 1945-1950.
The following need clarifying
Deal only with foreign policy decisions
 You need to pick decisions that are BOTH
different and similar between the early and the
later time periods.
–

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
The next prompt–


How did the African American Civil Rights
movement of the 1950s and 1960s address the
failures of Reconstruction?
Requires you to specify

Several “failures of Reconstruction”
 Which
implies that you know when Reconstruction
occurred.

And to know several very specific results of the
later Civil Rights movement that directly addressed
the failures of Reconstruction.

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Tip #1
Make sure you understand exactly your task,
what you must “prove” in the essay.
 Stay strictly within the time period. Don’t
wander.
 You must be specific, specific, specific.
 Use proper nouns—words that need to be
capitalized.
 Never use generalities, i.e. many reforms, lots
of reformers, many things changed.


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Tip #2
Organize your thinking BEFORE you write.
 This doesn’t need to be a long process

Decide two or three things you need to discuss,
 Organize the facts you have under those
headings,
 Check through them to see that you “balance”
the discussion—give each part of the topic
equal discussion.

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Outlines do not have to be formal, just
sketch a structure and put your facts into
that structure.
List facts
Social
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
List facts
Political
List facts
List facts
Economic
List facts
List facts
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List facts
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Write with clarity and confidence–
don’t be timid!
Be definite. Your thesis should ANSWER the
prompt with your opinion.
 Having brainstormed then organized specific
facts, start each paragraph with a clear topic
sentence.
 Refer to specific facts to support your thinking.
Stick to your structure, refer to your outline as
you write.

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Good writing is a problem-solving
situation. Work the process!
After writing your thesis paragraph, go back and
re-read the prompt.
 Ask yourself, “Have I ‘answered’ the prompt
with my thesis?”
 What three or four points MUST you make to
support your thesis. Write these down.
 As you write, look back at the prompt and at
your thesis. Are you sticking to the topic?

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Plan your time so that you can read
your essay before you finish.
Check the clock. Know how much time you
have to produce the essay.
 Check your thesis and your outline frequently.
 Make sure that you have time to go back and
read quickly through your essay.
 Don’t ignore a conclusion paragraph.
Sometimes it makes up for weaknesses earlier in
the essay.

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Lesson 4 Summary
Read the prompt completely more than once.
 Know your task.
 Write a thesis that addresses the prompt.
 Specifics—proper nouns—only. No
generalizations.
 Organize before writing.
 Check your thesis and your outline as you
write.
 Leave time to read your essay before finishing.

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