{"id":10817,"date":"2017-12-27t10:00:41","date_gmt":"2017-12-27t18:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/?p=10817"},"modified":"2017-12-26t16:18:56","modified_gmt":"2017-12-27t00:18:56","slug":"apush-short-answer-questions-study-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/ap\/apush-short-answer-questions-study-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"apush short answer questions and responses: a study guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

at this point, you have done all the studying, you know your topics<\/a>, and you\u2019re ready to tackle the apush exam. but there\u2019s just one small problem: how do you take the test?! more specifically, how do you answer apush short answer questions, one of the most recent additions to the exam?<\/p>\n

in this blog post, i will outline what apush scorers are looking for from past tests and give student examples. all of this information is available on the college board website<\/a>, which i encourage you to use as a resource for your studying.<\/p>\n

the format of this blog will be as follows: i will give you one example question and break down three<\/strong> student responses. i will then present a new question, and provide a link to the information so you can score yourself on your short answer responses. sound good? let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

apush short answer questions: question 1<\/h2>\n

the first of our apush short answer questions is taken from the 2016 exam<\/a>. again, all of the content presented on this blog is available at the college board website. <\/p>\n

the question asks you to answer parts (a), (b), and (c):<\/p>\n

a) briefly explain one important similarity between the goals of the spanish and the english in establishing colonies in the americas prior to 1700.<\/p>\n

b) briefly explain one important difference between the goals of the spanish and the english in establishing colonies in the americas prior to 1700.<\/p>\n

c) briefly explain one way in which the difference you indicated in (b) contributed to a difference in the development of spanish and english colonial societies.<\/p>\n

now, before you walk off and throw your hands up in the air because this seems impossible, let\u2019s walk through what the question is asking you to do. <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. first, identify the time period of interest.<\/strong> for this question, you should only be looking at the colonies prior to 1700. we are talking early, early u.s. history here.
    \n <\/li>\n
  2. next, identify the region of interest.<\/strong> again, we are talking about the colonies that would eventually become the united states (not necessarily the thirteen original colonies). notice, though, that the question is not asking about the colonists themselves but the goals of the empires the colonists came from: spain and england.
    \n <\/li>\n
  3. finally, identify the type of response requested.<\/strong> in parts a and b, you are being asked to compare and contrast by identifying similarities and differences. this is a completely different question than a cause\/effect or change over time type question, so you should be answering the question in a way that makes it clear that you can compare and contrast. notice, though, that in part c, you are to explain how the difference in part b caused a difference in the development of the two societies (a cause\/effect question).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    let\u2019s see how other students responded to the question. <\/p>\n

    example student response #1<\/h3>\n

    let\u2019s look at our first student example from the college board website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

    \"example<\/p>\n

    what score do you think this student received? well, let\u2019s break it down some more. <\/p>\n

    part a<\/strong>
    \npart a asks you to explain one similarity in the goals of the spanish and the english in the american colonies prior to the 1700s. this student identifies one similarity here: power. although it\u2019s not very specific (the fact that \u201ceach wanted to expand their empire and become more powerful through the cultivation of the resources found in the americas\u201d could apply to just about any colonial relationship), it does outline a similarity. student: 1 point. <\/p>\n

    part b<\/strong>
    \npart b is asking you to do the opposite of part a: that is, explain one difference. here, the student becomes more specific in highlighting different settlement patterns. the spanish used the     encomienda system<\/a>, which enslaved indigenous peoples, whereas the english forced indigenous peoples off the land<\/a>. (notice, too, that this could have been a similarity as well: the mistreatment and oppression of indigenous peoples.) the student gets a point here, too.<\/p>\n

    part c<\/strong>
    \nhere is where an important shift occurs. you are no longer answering a compare\/contrast question and, instead, are looking at a     historical causation question<\/a>. no problem; you got this.<\/p>\n

    in the student example above, the student does give a difference in the development of the labor force in the two societies. it is a simplistic response that does not get into very many specifics, but it answers the question that was being asked. and guess what? the student got a point here too. <\/p>\n

    reflection<\/strong>
    \nso what can we learn from looking at this response? here’s what you should keep in mind when answering apush short answer questions:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. identify what it is you need to answer.<\/li>\n
    2. answer the question being asked.<\/li>\n
    3. for short answers only: be specific when necessary. after all, you only have a limited number of space and time to demonstrate your understanding.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      example student response #2<\/h3>\n

      let\u2019s see if you can apply what you have learned to the following student response.<\/p>\n

      \"example<\/p>\n

      the student response above lost a point. can you guess where?<\/p>\n

      it\u2019s actually on part b! <\/p>\n

      the student did not frame the response in terms of goals, something that was explicit in the question. as noted above, answer the question you are being asked.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

      example student response #3<\/h3>\n

      let\u2019s try one more student response on this question.<\/p>\n

      \"example<\/p>\n

      what score would you have given the above student response?<\/p>\n

      the apush scorers gave this student 1 point, for accurately identifying a similarity between the english and the spanish (\u201cnew riches\u201d), but the student did not receive any credit for parts b and c. <\/p>\n

      why not?<\/p>\n

      first, for part b, this is an inaccurate claim about the goals between the english and the spanish. it goes without saying that if you make a statement not supported by the facts of history, you will not get credit. finally, part c continues making what the apush scorers called \u201cerroneous claims\u201d because it was based on the inaccurate statements of part b. <\/p>\n

      as the first example showed, you don\u2019t have to be super specific to get full credit. but you do have to be correct. so, instead of making lofty-sounding statements about motivations, make simple statements that you can be specific about, should you need to be. that\u2019s the difference between scoring a 3 and a 5<\/a> on the apush exam. <\/p>\n

      scoring notes<\/h3>\n

      it\u2019s always super helpful to look at the scoring notes for apush short answer questions. these notes tell you all the acceptable answers that are possible.<\/p>\n

      a) briefly explain one important similarity between the goals of the spanish and the english in establishing colonies prior to 1700.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      examples of responses to (a) that would earn the point:<\/p>\n