Lesson 1 Understanding the Essay Prompt

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Lesson 1Understanding 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 1919-1928 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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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
  1945-1950.
• 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
  doesnt 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
  1945-1950.

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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.

1945-1950
1919-1928
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.