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PART I
INTRODUCTION
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Chapter 1
Seven Keys for Success on the AP European History Exam
AP European History textbooks are very thick and contain thousands of names, dates, places, and events. If all of these facts had an equal chance of appearing on your Advanced Placement European History (APEURO) exam, studying would be a nightmare. Where would you begin? What would you emphasize? Is there any information you can safely omit? Or must you study everything?
Fortunately, preparing for the APEURO exam does not have to be a nightmare. By studying efficiently and strategically, you can score a 4 or a 5 on the exam. This book will help you understand and use the following seven keys for success.
1.Understanding the APEURO Scale
Many students believe they must make close to a perfect score to receive a 5. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each APEURO exam contains a total of 130 points—52 from the multiple-choice and 78 from the free-response questions. Here is the score range for the 2016 APEURO exam:
| Score Range | AP Grade | Minimum
Percent Right |
| 93–130 | 5 | 72% |
| 77–92 | 4 | 59% |
| 58–76 | 3 | 45% |
| 34–57 | 2 | 26% |
| 0–33 | 1 | 0–25% |
This chart is not a misprint. As is clearly shown, you can achieve a 5 by correctly answering just 72 percent of the questions, a 4 by correctly answering just 59 percent of the questions, and a 3 by correctly answering just 45 percent of the questions!
2.Understanding the Four Chronological Periods
APEURO test writers follow a detailed framework, or outline, that divides European history into the following four distinct historical periods:
•Period 1: c. 1450 to c. 1648
•Period 2: c. 1648 to c. 1815
•Period 3: c. 1815 to c. 1914
•Period 4: c. 1914 to the Present
Each of these four chronological time periods will receive equal coverage on your exam. No AP European History exam question will require students to know historical content that falls outside of these chronological periods. The 22 chapters in our Chronological Review are designed to provide you with the key events, trends, ideas, and historical comparisons and connections from these four periods.
3.Understanding the APEURO Topical Themes
Many students believe that members of the APEURO exam development committee have the freedom to write any question on any topic they wish. This widespread belief is not true. APEURO test writers follow a framework devoted to the following six themes:
•Interaction of Europe and the World
•Poverty and Prosperity
•Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions
•States and Other Institutions of Power
•Individual and Society
•National and European Identity
These six themes explain why there are so many questions on key intellectual figures, major artistic movements, diplomatic agreements, and economic policies. They also explain why it is a waste of time to study battles, generals, and specific dates.
4.Understanding the APEURO Exam Format
Your APEURO exam will include four very different question formats. Here are the key facts about each of these formats:
A.MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1.You will be asked to answer 55 multiple-choice questions. However, six of these will be experimental questions that will be used on future exams. You will not know which are experimental and which count toward your score.
2.The 55 questions will be grouped into sets containing between 2 and 5 questions. Each set of questions will be based upon a stimulus (prompt). The prompts will be a brief source that could be a reading passage, a chart or graph, an illustration, or a map.
3.Each of the 49 questions counted toward your score will be worth 1.06 points for a total of 52 points. The multiple-choice questions will count for 40 percent of your total score.
4.You will be given 55 minutes to complete the multiple-choice question section.
See Chapter 28 for detailed strategies for answering the multiple-choice questions.
B.SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
1.You will be asked to answer 3 short-answer questions.
2.The short-answer questions ask you to respond to a primary source passage or a secondary source such as a debate between two historians, a map, an illustration, or a chart.
3.Each short-answer question will include three very specific sub-points. Your answers to these sub-points do not require a thesis. Concentrate on writing concise statements that include specific historic examples. Use complete sentences. An outline or a list of bulleted points is not acceptable.
4.Each sub-point is worth 2.888 points. As a result, a full short-answer question is worth 8.664 points. Taken together, the three short-answer questions are worth a total of 26 points, or 20 percent of your total exam score.
5.You will be given 40 minutes to complete the three short-answer questions.
See Chapter 29 for detailed strategies for answering the short-answer questions.
C.THE DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION (DBQ)
1.The DBQ is an essay question that requires you to interpret and analyze seven brief primary source documents. The documents typically include excerpts from diaries, speeches, letters, reports, and official decrees. In addition, DBQs often include at least one graph, chart, map, political cartoon, or work of art.
2.The DBQ begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading and planning period. You will then have 45 minutes to write your essay.
3.Your DBQ will be scored on a scale that includes seven specific points. Each point is worth 4.642 points. Taken together, the DBQ is worth a maximum of 32.5 points or 25 percent of your total score.
See Chapter 30 for detailed strategies for answering the document-based question.
D.THE LONG-ESSAY QUESTION
1.You will be given three long-essay questions. Although the three questions will be taken from different time periods, they will be related by a common theme and historical thinking skill. You will be asked to select and write about just one of the three long-essay questions.
2.You will be given 40 minutes to write your essay.
3.Your essay will be scored on a scale that includes six specific points. Each point is worth 3.25 points. The long-essay question is worth 19.50 points or 15 percent of your total exam score.
See Chapter 31 for detailed strategies for answering the long-essay questions.
5.Understanding the Meaning and Uses of Seven Historical Thinking Skills
The APEURO course stresses the understanding and use of seven key historical thinking skills. It is very important that you understand the meaning of each skill and the role it plays on the exam.
A.HISTORICAL CAUSATION
1.This skill involves the ability to identify and evaluate the long-and short-term causes and consequences of a historical event, development, or process.
2.This skill plays a significant role in the multiple-choice questions, the short-answer questions, and the long-essay question.
B.PATTERNS OF CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OVER TIME
1.This skill involves the ability to recognize, analyze, and evaluate the dynamics of historical continuity and change over periods of time of varying length. It also involves the ability to connect these patterns to larger historical processes or themes.
2.This skill plays a significant role in the DBQ question and the long-essay quest...
