WAP SAQ, LEQ, MCQ Guide
AP World History Exam Study Guide: Short Answer Question (SAQ), Long Essay Question (LEQ), and Multiple Choice Section
Overview
Purpose: This guide covers the structure, strategies, and key tips for the Short Answer Question (SAQ), Long Essay Question (LEQ), and Multiple Choice sections of the AP World History exam, based on the provided transcripts.
Exam Structure:
Section 1:
Multiple Choice: 55 questions, 55 minutes, 40% of score.
SAQ: 3 question sets (each with A, B, C parts), 40 minutes, 20% of score.
Section 2:
Document-Based Question (DBQ): 1 question, ~60 minutes, 25% of score.
LEQ: 1 question (choice of 3 prompts), 20–30 minutes, 15% of score.
Key Strategy: Prioritize time management, use specific evidence (proper nouns), and address the prompt directly to maximize points.
Short Answer Question (SAQ)
Overview:
40 minutes, 20% of exam score, critical for distinguishing 3s from 4s.
3 question sets, each with 3 parts (A, B, C), totaling 9 questions.
Question 1: Secondary source stimulus (e.g., passage, graph, modern perspective on past event).
Question 2: Primary source stimulus (e.g., historical document, requires careful reading due to archaic language).
Question 3 or 4: Choose one; no stimulus, covers similar historical thinking skills but different time periods (3: 1200–1750; 4: 1750–present, typically 1900s).
Scoring:
All-or-nothing points: 1 point per part (3 points per question set, 9 total).
Requires:
Answer the Prompt: Provide specific factual evidence (proper nouns: people, places, events).
Explain Evidence: Relate evidence to the answer, showing relevance.
Historical Reasoning: Provide historical context or reasoning for why evidence supports the answer, concluding with a “therefore” statement to tie back to the prompt.
Strategies:
Choose Wisely: For Q3 or Q4, pick the one with the most evidence you know, not the “harder” one (no bonus points for difficulty).
Time Management: ~4 minutes per part (40 minutes for 9 questions). Skip difficult stimuli, answer non-stimulus parts first, then return.
Specificity: Use proper nouns (e.g., “Spanish brought pigs to Cuba” vs. “animals caused issues”). Avoid vague terms like “trade routes” or “goods.”
Read Carefully: Pay attention to verbs (e.g., “identify,” “explain”) and keywords (e.g., “environment” vs. “society”). If “identify” or “explain” is mentioned, assume both are required.
Use Source Lines: For stimuli, check author, title, date, and context (e.g., Confucian scholar implies Confucianism bias) to understand bias or perspective.
Answer Everything: Partial answers may earn points; blank answers earn zero.
Example (Columbian Exchange, 1492–1700):
Prompt: Identify and explain one way the Columbian Exchange impacted environments in the Americas.
Weak Answer: Europeans brought diseases that killed natives. (Misses “environment” focus)
Strong Answer: The Spanish introduced pigs to the Caribbean, causing overgrazing. Pigs consumed grass, leading to soil degradation and reduced fertility in Cuba. Since native agriculture relied on fertile land, this disrupted crop production, therefore altering Caribbean environments.
Long Essay Question (LEQ)
Overview:
20–30 minutes, 15% of exam score, part of Section 2 (100 minutes total with DBQ).
Choose 1 of 3 prompts:
Prompt 2: 1200–1750 (e.g., Mongols, early modern empires).
Prompt 3: 1450–1900 (e.g., exploration, industrialization).
Prompt 4: 1750–2001 (e.g., modern era, often popular due to familiarity).
Prioritize DBQ (25%) over LEQ, but a strong LEQ can be written quickly with preparation.
Scoring (6 Points):
Thesis (1 point): Historically factual claim with a line of reasoning (e.g., “because” statement). Avoid restating prompt or generalizing (e.g., “empires caused social change”).
Contextualization (1 point): Describe broader historical context (events, trends) leading to the prompt’s event, using proper nouns.
Evidence (2 points): Provide 2 specific pieces of evidence (proper nouns: events, people, objects) in separate sentences, not listed in one sentence.
Evidence Explanation (1 point): Define or explain evidence’s role in the context of the prompt.
Historical Reasoning (1 point): Tie both pieces of evidence to the thesis, explaining how they support the argument.
Complexity (1 point): Easiest method: Provide 4 pieces of evidence, explain all, and tie all to thesis. Alternatives (less feasible due to time): multiple themes, causes/effects, similarities/differences, or cross-period/area connections.
Structure:
Introduction: 3–4 sentences (1–2 for contextualization, 1–2 for thesis). Label “contextualization” and “thesis” to guide graders (not required but helpful).
Body Paragraph(s): Topic sentence (can repeat thesis), 2–4 pieces of evidence, explanations, and historical reasoning (use “therefore” to clarify).
No Conclusion Needed: Focus on evidence and reasoning within time limit.
Strategies:
Choose Wisely: Pick the prompt with the most evidence and contextualization you know, not the “hardest” one.
Specificity: Use proper nouns (e.g., “junk ship” vs. “large boat”). Avoid listing evidence in one sentence (e.g., “compasses, astrolabes, junk ships” counts as one).
Time Management: Spend 20–30 minutes; make a T-chart for contextualization and evidence if needed, then write. Finish DBQ first if time is tight.
Repetition: Repeating thesis as topic sentence is fine; spelling errors are okay if recognizable (e.g., “Mughal” vs. “McDonald’s Empire”).
Focus on 5/6 Points: Thesis, contextualization, 2 evidence points, explanation, and reasoning are achievable in 2 paragraphs. Complexity (4 evidence points) is optional.
Example (Technological Innovations, 600–1450):
Prompt: Evaluate the extent to which technological innovations or transfers led to economic growth in 600–1450.
Response:
Contextualization: Prior to 600, the fall of Rome and Han China led to nomadic invasions. New states like the Byzantine Empire, Tang/Song China, and Abbasid Caliphate established dominance through strong economies, funding technologies and trade routes like the Silk Road and trans-Saharan network.
Thesis: Navigational innovations like the astrolabe and monsoon wind knowledge increased Afro-Eurasian economies in 600–1450 because they enabled faster, safer trade, boosting merchant profits.
Body: The astrolabe, an Islamic navigational tool, allowed merchants to navigate the Indian Ocean using astronomical bodies, enabling faster trade routes from Swahili city-states to the Abbasid Caliphate. Therefore, merchants increased profits by selling more goods. Monsoon wind knowledge allowed merchants to time voyages to avoid storms, ensuring safe transport of spices from India to Africa. Therefore, faster trade reduced spoilage, increasing profits.
Outcome: 5/6 points (thesis, contextualization, 2 evidence, explanation, reasoning). Add 2 more evidence pieces (e.g., compass, junk ship) for complexity.
Multiple Choice Section
Overview:
55 questions, 55 minutes, 40% of exam score, the most heavily weighted section.
Organized in 3–4 question sets, each with a stimulus (primary/secondary document, art, photo, poster, cartoon, chart, graph, map, poem, song).
Questions roughly follow chronological order (1200–present).
Question Types:
First 1–2 Questions: Directly tied to the stimulus, testing comprehension or interpretation (e.g., author’s point of view, main idea).
Last Question: Thematic, often about changes/continuities, linked to the stimulus’s topic but not its content.
Strategies:
Time Management: ~1 minute per question. Don’t spend over 1 minute; guess and move on if unsure.
Read Source Line First: Check author, title, date, and context (e.g., “Hindu poet, 5th century, Sanskrit”) for clues, especially for poor-quality images.
Skim Stimulus: Don’t read fully; skim for keywords after reading questions/answers to know what to look for.
Read Questions/Answers First: Eliminate incorrect options, identify what the question seeks (e.g., causation, effect, point of view). Look for trade-related answers, as trade is central to AP World History.
Process of Elimination: Eliminate clearly wrong answers (e.g., Muslim conquest in 300–500 CE is impossible since Islam began in 610).
Guess Strategically: For unknown answers, pick B or D consistently across the exam to increase chances of correct guesses. Prioritize trade-related answers.
Work Backwards: Start with later time periods (e.g., 1900s) if stronger in modern history.
Last 10 Minutes: If >10 questions remain, mark all with your lucky letter (B or D), then prioritize questions you know (e.g., communism, WW1).
Example (Hindu Poem, 5th Century):
Stimulus: Hindu poem discussing wealth and Shiva, implying rejection of materialism.
Question 1: “The sentiments expressed in the poem best illustrate which aspect of Hinduism?”
Options: A) Animal sacrifice, B) Caste system, C) Mauryan dynasty, D) Rejection of materialism.
Process: Skim poem for keywords (Shiva, wealth, desire). Eliminate A (no sacrifice), C (no Mauryan reference), B (no caste mention). D fits poem’s anti-wealth theme.
Answer: D.
Question 2: “The ideas in the poem would be most endorsed by adherents of which religion?”
Process: Hinduism involves reincarnation, anti-materialism. Eliminate Legalism/Confucianism (philosophies), Greco-Roman polytheism (no anti-materialism). Buddhism aligns with Hinduism’s themes.
Answer: Buddhism.
Question 3: “Which contributed most to the re-establishment of Hinduism in South Asia, 300–500?”
Process: No stimulus needed. Options: A) Buddhism’s spread, B) Gupta Empire, C) Muslim conquest, D) Diasporic merchants. Eliminate A (Buddhism opposes Hinduism), C (Islam post-610), D (foreign merchants don’t promote Hinduism). B is historically accurate (Gupta promoted Hinduism).
Answer: B.
Key Takeaways for AP Exam
SAQ:
Answer all 9 parts with specific evidence (proper nouns), explain relevance, and use “therefore” to tie to prompt.
Choose Q3 or Q4 based on evidence strength, not difficulty.
Use source lines to understand stimulus bias/context; don’t leave blanks.
LEQ:
Pick the prompt with the most evidence/contextualization (1200–1750, 1450–1900, or 1750–2001).
Write 2–3 paragraphs: contextualization + thesis (intro), evidence + explanation + reasoning (body).
Aim for 5/6 points (thesis, contextualization, 2 evidence, explanation, reasoning); 4 evidence pieces for complexity.
Use proper nouns, avoid listing evidence, and repeat thesis if needed.
Multiple Choice:
Prioritize trade-related answers; use B or D for guesses.
Skim stimuli after reading questions/answers; use source lines for context.
Work backwards if stronger in later periods; mark remaining questions with one letter if time runs out.
General Tips:
Time management is critical: 4 min/SAQ part, 20–30 min/LEQ, 1 min/multiple choice question.
Specificity (proper nouns) is key across all sections to demonstrate historical knowledge.
Practice skimming stimuli, eliminating wrong answers, and linking evidence to prompts.
Study Tips
Memorize Key Terms: Proper nouns (e.g., astrolabe, Gupta Empire, smallpox, Chartist demands) for evidence and contextualization.
Practice Prompts:
SAQ: Write responses for Columbian Exchange, trade routes, or cultural diffusion (1200–1750, 1750–present).
LEQ: Practice industrialization, exploration, or Mongol prompts with 2–4 evidence pieces.
Multiple Choice: Review stimuli (primary/secondary sources, images) and practice eliminating wrong answers based on time period or theme (e.g., trade, religion).
Time Drills: Simulate exam conditions (55 min for multiple choice, 40 min for SAQs, 20–30 min for LEQ) to improve pacing.
Focus on Trade: Trade is central to AP World History; know key trade routes (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, trans-Saharan), goods, and technologies (e.g., junk ships, astrolabe).