AP US Review Session #21940 – 1880

Tuesday 5/7/13

General Review Tips• Prioritize - Focus on topics/areas of weakness first

• Avoid trying to memorize too much - Review “big picture” concepts first, specific terms/name/events later

• Look at old materials - Review packets, in-class notes, past essays & tests and old PowerPoint’s: http://rhsweb.org/assignments/Kelemen/AP%20US%20History/

• Try different approaches - There is no “best” way to review (alone/group, on-line/book/flash cards, practice tests/packets – it depends on your learning style – try mixing it up).

• Find a “middle ground” - Some review better than no review. Too much review is counterproductive.

• Be positive – You have learned a lot this year & the AP exam is graded on a major curve.

AP Exam Multiple Choice Information• 55 minutes for 80 questions

• Each question has 5 possible answers

• Multiple Choice counts for ½ of total score

• No points lost for wrong or skipped questions.

• Questions get progressively more challenging.

• BIG curve on multiple choice – In the past, score over 40 likely earns a 3 (passing score) – over 48 likely earns a 4 and over 56 a 5.

• Chronology of Questions: – 16 (20%) pre 1790; 36 (45%) 1790-1914; 28 (35%) 1915 – 1990

• Topic of Questions:– 28 (35%) Politics; 28 (35%) Social/Cultural; 12 (15%) Foreign Policy; 8 (10%)

Economics; 4 (5%) Cultural/Intellectual

AP Exam Essay Information

• There is 1 DBQ essay you must write on and 4 FRQ prompts of which you must write on 2. You will be required to write one FRQ on a topic prior to 1880 and one FRQ on a topic after that date.

• The 5 total essay prompts will range in their topics chronologically and thematically.

AP Essay Writing Tips• READ prompts multiple times• Brainstorm & make a quick “plan of attack”• Introduction needs some brief background on “big picture”

followed by an on-topic thesis• Body paragraphs need to BLEND details with analysis in a

systematic way. (Facts & explanations in separate paragraphs).• Grading is “holistic” – no points “taken away”, just earned. If in

doubt, make a guess.

Analyze the origins and outcomes of the intense cultural conflicts on the 1920s. In your response, focus on TWO of the following:

ImmigrationProhibitionReligion

Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Theodore

Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

Analyze the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers in addressing problems of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In your answer, focus on reform efforts in TWO of the following areas:

State and Federal GovernmentThe Workplace

Living Conditions in the Cities

Compare and contrast the programs and policies designed by reformers of the Progressive era to those designed by reformers of the New Deal period. Confine your answer to programs and policies that addressed the needs of those living in poverty.

Compare and contrast the attitudes of TWO of the following toward the wealth that was created in the United States during the late 19th century.

Andrew Carnegie Eugene DebsHoratio AlgerBooker T. WashingtonIda Tarbell