Introduction to the AP World
History Exam (Part 1)
Exam Format (185 minutes\~3 hours)
Multiple Choice
(50% of the Exam)
3 Essays
(50% of the Exam)
• 70 Questions
• 55 minutes
• 1 DBQ question
(Document-based essay)
• 1 CCOT question
(Continuity and Changeover-time question)
• 1 COMP question
(Comparison question)
• 130 minutes (10 minutes
reading and 40+40+40
minutes writing)
AP Scores are reported on a 5-point
Scale
•
•
•
•
5- Extremely well qualified
4- Well qualified
3- Qualified
2- Possibly qualified (will not earn college
credit)
• 1- No Recommendation (will not earn college
credit)
• Great scores on AP Exams give you an
advantage in the college admission process
and earn you college credit (you will not have
to take the mandatory 100 level World History
course as a freshman in college)
How to approach the Document-Based Question
• The first of the 3 essays is the DBQ
(document-based question)
• This essay asks you to be a historian!
• Many students panic once they see the DBQ
because they do not know much about the topic.
• The question and documents often cover
something well outside of the mainstream of a
high school class.
• The test writers do this on purpose!
• Outside knowledge is not needed for the DBQ.
• Writing the DBQ is a skill that can be learned
much like any other skill.
• The entire 130 minute essay time is divided
into two parts: the first 10 minutes is reading
time.
• Spend that first 10 minutes reading only the
DBQ, since this is the essay that requires the
most reading time.
• After the 10 minute reading time, you will
have 40 minutes to write your DBQ essay.
• First, read the question!
• Reread the question!
• Second, underline the words that are most
related to your task.
Sample Question
• “For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the
Ottoman government viewed ethnic and
religious groups within its empire. Explain
how another type of document would help
you analyze the views of the Ottoman
government.”
• “For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the
Ottoman government viewed ethnic and
religious groups within its empire.
• “Explain how another type of document
would help you analyze the views of the
Ottoman government.”
• Read the “Historical Background.”
• Be careful! Do NOT quote from the historical
background.
• Take your 10 minutes to read the documents.
• Inside each box will be information on the
source of the document, which is very
important!
• Feel free to write notes and underline
important words in your question booklet as
you read the documents
Taking notes on the documents
1. Try to write the following about the authors of the
document:
A) social class (Ex. King, wealthy, poor etc.)
B) Gender (Male or female)
2. Try to write a short phrase that summarizes the basic
meaning of the document. (Why was it written?)
3. Try to write a missing piece of evidence that relates to
the document.
Thesis Statement
• Nothing is more important in the first paragraph
than the clear statement of a thesis.
• Do Not write your first paragraph before you
have a clear idea of what your thesis will be.
• Let’s use the specific question given as an
example:
“For the period 1876-1908, analyze how the
Ottoman government viewed ethnic and religious
groups within its empire.”
Thesis statements that Don’t Work
• Ex. There are many ways in which the
Ottoman government viewed ethnic and
religious groups.
• Far too bland (general)!
• Ex. People of different nationalities
reacted differently to Ottoman
government depending on their religion.
• This sentence gets the question backward!
• You are being asked for the governments’ view
of religious and ethnic groups.
• You are Not asked for the groups’ view of the
government.
• Ex. Through out history, people around
the world struggled with the issue of
political power and freedom. In the
Ottoman Empire too, people demanded
change.
• This sentence does not address the question!
(it is not relevant to the question.)
Thesis statements that work
• Ex. The Ottoman government took the
same position on religious diversity as it
did on ethnic diversity. Minorities were
servants of the Ottoman Turks, and
religious diversity was tolerated as long
as Islam remained supreme.
• This thesis statement works because:
A) It addresses both the ethnic and religious
aspects of the question.
B) It describes how these groups were viewed.
• Ex. Government officials in the Ottoman
Empire were able to send out the message
that all people in the empire were equal.
However, the Turks and their version of Islam
were superior to other ethnic groups and
religions.
• This thesis statement also works because:
A) It addresses both the ethnic and religious
aspects of the question.
B) It describes how these groups were viewed.
Writing your Essay
• Use evidence from all the sources to support
your thesis.
• Always refer to the documents that you are
using.
• Ex. “The Young Turks believed that all
ethnic and religious groups should be
treated equally (doc 7.).”
Discuss the Point of view(POV) of at
least three documents
• You can Not just say that an author is biased
or prejudiced to receive points.
• You must explain why the author is biased.
Ex. For document 2:
“The Constitution of 1876 reflects the official
laws, but may not accurately represents the
reality within the empire.”
Ex. For document 6:
“Since Cevdet’s comments were in the form of
an official memo, this document reveals the
view of someone close to the power center of
the Ottoman Empire.”
Group the Documents together
• Within each of your paragraphs, group the
relevant documents.
• Do Not work with only one document in one
paragraph.
• Do Not describe each document by
paraphrasing what it says.
• Here is an example of successful grouping:
• “Document 1 is a chart that clearly demonstrates
the ethnic diversity of the Ottoman Empire at the
time of the new constitution. The Turks were a
minority of the population but they controlled
the government of the Ottoman Empire ( doc1.)
The Constitution of 1876 also supports the idea
that the empire was formed by various ethnicities
and religions. It formally states that all people are
granted equality, and that all religions answer to
the same law (doc 2.)…
• Here is another example of successful grouping:
• “The Ottoman Constitution of 1876 (doc.2)
and the Proclamation of the Young Turks
(doc 6.) both indicate that Ottoman rulers
wanted to ensure that all of their subjects
understood that they were equal before
the law. In the Ottoman Constitution,
subjects are…, while the Proclamation of
the Young Turks, subjects are …”
• For our sample essay, you could group the
documents in the following ways:
1. By focus on types of groups:
• Religious groups (documents 2,3,5,6 and 7)
• Ethnic groups (documents 1,4,6 and 7)
2. By focus on attitudes toward ethnic and
religious minorities:
• Inclusion (documents 2,4, and 7)
• Division (documents 3,4,5 and 6)
Explain the need for an Additional
Document
• Always part of the DBQ question.
• Do not just mention potentially useful 1 or 2
additional documents, but also explain why
they would be useful.
• Ex. A document from a religious leader within
the Ottoman Empire (such as a Priest, Rabbi
or Imam) would provide a sense of how the
government’s policies were perceived by the
religious communities themselves.
• Be careful! Mentioning a type of document
that already exists will cost you a basic point.
• Ex. “A document from a person outside
of the Ottoman Empire” would Not count.
Because Document 3 is already written from a
British perspective.
Conclusion
• Restate your thesis.
• Add information from your analysis of the
documents to extent (NOT change) your
original thesis.
Other Tips on the DBQ
• Do NOT:
1. DO NOT spend too much time on the DBQ,
since you have two other essays to write.
2. DO NOT write in present tense.
3. Practice writing with black or blue ink.