Guide to the Short Answer Question How to SAQ Guide to the Short Answer Question 3* Questions 40 Minutes 20% of your exam score *You must answer questions 1 and 2, but you have a choice of answering either question 3 OR 4. What the Short Answer Question IS NOT: An essay. It is a series of formulaic tasks that can be completed by writing 9 complete sentences. About right v. wrong answers. After the multiple choice, the part of the test where you are searching from a single correct answer is over. From now on, there are only two types of answers: those that are backed by sound argument and evidence and those that are not. The Format Each question will be divided into 3 tasks, labeled A, B, and C. Each of these lettered items will be graded separately, so approach each lettered task as a separate answer. Questions will spiral in difficulty, with the easiest being the first. Questions 1 and 2 will have a stimulus, while questions 3 will not. How to Answer the SAQ A Clearly answer the question. C Cite a specific piece of evidence to support your answer. E Expand your answer by providing analysis.. Answer each part of the question separately. Clearly label your answers for each point with the appropriate letter. Words of Advice Answer the question directly. Do not beat around the bush or try to dress up your answers… you don’t have the time. If the question asks for ONE piece of evidence, there are no extra points for giving more than that. Each task is graded separately. If you cannot answer A and B but not C, then go for it!

Guide to Stimulus Based Multiple Choice Questions How to Answer SBMCQ Guide to Stimulus Based Multiple Choice Questions 55 Questions 55 Minutes 40% of your exam score Important Vocabulary Stimulus: Primary or secondary source. There can be one or a pair of related excerpts/,maps/cartoons. Anywhere from 2 to 6 questions will follow each stimulus. Stem: The question itself. Answering it should require prior knowledge of world history and close examination of the stimulus. Each question will be tied to a single historical thinking skill. Scoring Each question has four possible answers. You receive 1 point for a correct answer. You receive 0 points for a wrong answers. As a result, GUESSING DOES NOT HURT YOUR SCORE. How to Answer a SBMCQ Orient yourself. Start be reading the citation for the stimulus. Try to place the author, the context, and the time period to get a sense of what the questions are going to be about. Examine and annotate the stimulus. Take the time to examine it fully. Circle elements you think might be important. Jot down themes. Hash out the meaning of difficult phrases. A common mistake on these exams is to rush ahead to the answers and miss the cues, clues, and subtleties in the stimulus. Often specific words in the stimulus key into the correct answer! What is the question asking? Rushing through the question itself is the most common mistake of all Many students waste time trying to answer the wrong question because they have misread the stem… or neglected to notice a “not.” Eliminate wrong answers: Instead of looking for the right answer, eliminate as many answers as you can that you know to be wrong, then choose the best answer from the remainder. Even if you have a tough choice between possible right answers, the expected value of your score goes up if you have eliminated wrong answers first. DO NOT CHANGE ANSWERS unless you have made an obvious mistake. The answers are usually straightforward. You can over think if you try too hard. Trust your first instincts. Study your key concepts! If it is not a key concept, it cannot be a correct answer. You will need to develop entirely new, deeper, and more substantial study habits than you have used in previous courses. You cannot “memorize” the answer to most AP style questions because the answer is often a complex set of facts and trends scattered over 30 pages in your textbook, not just a simple fact or date. Memorizing hundreds of flash cards will not help much. Simply knowing the facts is not learning unless you know how each of those facts relate/connect to one another.