Preparing for your exam in
AP European History
May 10, 2002
About the Multiple Choice Section:
80 questions, each with 5 answer choices (A, B, C, D, E);
60 minutes;
40-50% on political/diplomatic history;
25-35% on economic/social history;
20-30% on intellectual/cultural history.
Generally, 50% of the multiple-choice questions must be answered correctly and the free-response section completed acceptably in order to qualify for a score of 3 ("qualified").
HINTS:
Don't guess blindly. Each incorrect answer is penalized 1/4 of a point.
The more incorrect answers you eliminate, the greater the odds of gaining a point.
Be methodical. Even on questions you are sure of, put a line through the letters of the incorrect answers as they are eliminated. Circle the number of any question you are unsure of so you can return to it if you have time.
Go with your intuition. Your first choice is usually correct, so change an answer only if you're absolutely certain.
Underline the key idea in each question.
Try reading the answer choices from E back to A.
TYPES of questions:
Identification: requires specific information to link things like an idea with a thinker; a style with an artist; a dogma with a religion or ideology; a social, political, economic, cultural, or political environment with a geographical location; or a development with an era. (Example: Machiavelli's The Prince was primarily . . . ) 30-45%
Analysis: let you eliminate some answers if you can figure out that one thing could not cause another because it came later in time. (Example: Which of the following did NOT contribute to bringing about the Industrial Revolution?) 20-25%
Quotation: can be done with less specific information than identification requires, 10%
Interpretation: can involve identifying the artist, style, subject, or period of a work of art; it may require interpretation of a cartoon, photo, or picture. (Example: What innovation in painting was developed by Renaissance artists?) <10%
Map interpretation: require general map skills and less general information, so you can usually work them out, <10%
Graphs and charts: frequently provide all the information necessary to answer the question correctly, <10%