ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY

1. ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE SECTION

2. THE BASICS Directions for the multiple choice section are pretty simple Essentially you will select the best answer that fits the question and record it on your answer sheet

3. Breakdown by Era

4. Breakdown by General Subject Matter

5. Explanation of Charts bias toward the Constitution through WW I emphasis on political and social activities little about economic and cultural trends very few post 1975 questions (in past only 2-3)

6. Types of Questions the majority of questions are pretty straight-forward for instance ……..

7. Roger Williams was exiled from the Salem Bay Colony because he a. endangered the colony by negotiating with Native Americans’ b. championed the abolition of private property c. questioned Parliament’s authority to tax the colonists d. disputed the authenticity of the Mayflower compact e. argued for the separation of church and state

8. and the answer is E

9. Sometimes questions have four correct and one incorrect answer. These are called not/except questions.

10. The New deal included programs for achieving all of the following goals EXCEPT • developing an interstate highway system b. stabilizing agricultural prices c. insuring bank deposits d. eliminating industrial overproduction e. providing employment for the unemployed

11. the answer is A

12. Once or twice during the multiple choice section, you will be asked to interpret an illustration, often a map or political cartoon. The key is NOT to read too much between the lines.

13. Hanna: That man Clay was an ASS. It’s better to be president than to be right! The political cartoon implies that • Mckinley was the first president to favor big business interests openly • b. by the 1890s, Henry Clay’s political approach had lost favor with the electorate • c. McKinley’s presidential campaign was masterminded by Marcus Hanna • d. Marcus Hanna single-handedly controlled all three branches of the federal government • e. McKinley was too young to be an effective president

14. the answer is C

15. There will be one or two questions asking to interpret a graph or chart. Do not over-interpret the data. The correct answer will be indisputably supported by information in the graph.

16. Average, Highest, and Lowest Approval Ratings, by percentage of all eligible voters, for American Presidents, 1953 to 1974 Average High Low Eisenhower 65 79 48 Kennedy 70 83 56 Johnson 55 79 35 Nixon 49 67 24 Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the information presented in the chart above? a. Eisenhower was the most consistently popular president in the nation’s history b. Kennedy received greater Congressional support for his programs than did any other president during the period in question. c. Nixon’s lowest approval rating was the result of the Watergate scandal d.The difference between Johnson’s highest and lowest approval ratings was the greatest for any president during the period in question e. Eisenhower and Johnson were equally well liked by all Americans.

17. the answer is D

18. No Military History and/or Trivial Pursuit the APUS exam doesn’t ask about military history when about war, questions concern political or social implications of war rather than details of warfare

19. APUS questions never test rote memorization only. While you have to know your facts to do well, questions always ask for information in the context of larger historical trends.

20. Chronological Order and the Order of Difficulty The multiple choice section of the APUS exam is organized in a predictable order. There are two things you can depend on:

21. Questions will be organized in groups of eight to twelve. Each group is presented in chronological order. For instance • the first question in a group might ask about the Townshend Acts (1767) • the second about the feud between Hamilton and Jefferson • the third about the war of 1812 and so on……

22. There is a sharp break in chronology when you move from one group to another. for example… when you see a question about Martin Luther King, Jr followed by a question about the Chesapeake Bay colonies you will know you have moved to a new grouping.

23. each group of questions is more difficult than the preceding group questions generally appear in order of difficulty, with easier questions appearing at the beginning of the test and the most difficult appearing at the end

24. think of the first twenty questions as easy questions twenty-one through sixty as medium and sixty-one through eighty as difficult

25. Easy questions have easy answers. Do not choose an obscure or trivial answer for an easy question. Go slowly at the beginning to avoid careless mistakes on easier questions. and Avoid “reading into” easy questions.

26. Remember that all questions are worth an equal amount toward your final score. Points you lose early in the test will be much harder to make up later on.

27. The Big Picture Keep the big picturein mind when taking the exam. Even if you cannot remember a specific event or concept being tested, you should be able to answer the question by remembering general social and political trends of the era.

28. Multiple Choice questions will NOT ask about exceptions to historical trends. The test determines if important generalizations that can be drawn from history have been mastered. The following sample questions are designed to illustrate basic principles of US History.

29. 53. During the Harding and Coolidge administrations, the Federal Trade Commission • a. greatly increased the number of court cases it brought against unethical businesses. • b. controlled the rationing of food, rubber, and gasoline • c. generally worked to assist businesses, rather than to regulate them • d. was permanently eliminated • e. saw its regulatory powers expanded

30. Here’s How to Crack It-- • At first glance, this question appears to require you to remember the history of the FTC. But, to answer all you need is the BIG PICTURE. • What was the attitude of 1920s presidents towards business? • They pursued policies favorable to business. • Since pro-business governments weaken regulations, you can eliminate answer choices A and E • Rationing did not occur until WWII, so eliminate B • The FTC is still around today so eliminate D • The correct answer is C, which illustrates a BIG PICTURE principle -- the 1920s were a pro-business era

31. 68. “[This legislative body declares] that it views the power of the Federal Government as resulting from the compact to which the states are parties, as limited by plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting that compact… and that, in case of deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states… have the right, and are duty bound, to interpose, for arresting the progress of the evil, and maintaining… the authorities rights, and liberties, pertaining to them.” The quotation above appears in a. the Halfway Covenant b. The Wealth of Nations c. Common Sense d. Virginia Resolutions of 1798 e. The Liberator

32. Question 68 - therefore difficult If you key on the big picture the question is not that hard if you have done some preparing for the test The central concept of the quotation is nullification (states have the right try and stop the federal gov’t when it tries exercise too much power) You can eliminate answers by knowing what each answer represents the Halfway Covenant - baptism of Puritans Wealth of Nations - treatise on capitalism Common Sense - written before there were states The Liberator - an abolitionist newspaper That leaves Virginia Resolutions of 1798 Question 68 - therefore difficult If you are prepared for the test and key on the big picture this question is not that hard. The quotation’s central concept is nullification (states have the right try and stop the federal government when it tries exercise too much power) You can eliminate by knowing what each answer represents the Halfway Covenant - baptism of Puritans Wealth of Nations - treatise on capitalism Common Sense - written before there were states The Liberator - an abolitionist newspaper That leaves Virginia Resolutions of 1798

33. Alternative Approach - PJR I did not attack this question in the same manner as Mr. Billett. After reviewing the answers I read the passage. The phrase “the federal government” immediately jumped out at me. Answers A, B and C can be immediately eliminated as all occurred prior to the existence of the federal government. Answer E is an Abolitionist newspaper so that is out. D is the only possible answer.

34. The Guessing Penalty and Process of Elimination each wrong answer is worth - .25 points each blank answer is worth 0 points each correct answer is worth +1.00 points The question is, “Does guessing have any value towards your score?” The answer is YES

35. Statistically speaking, once you eliminate at least one or more incorrect answers choices, guessing WILLimprove your final score.

36. For example Take five questions where you guessed the answer. The probability is you will get at least one right (+1) and four wrong 4 x .25 (-1) netting a total of zero. That’s the same if you skipped them/left all of them blank. Random guesses cancel each other out in the long run

37. You will be rarely faced with a question where you can’t eliminate at least one answer. In many cases you will be able to eliminate at least two if not three. When you get this far, you MUST guess from the remaining answers.

38. Does this mean you should guess on every question on the test? NO You only have a limited amount of time to spend on the multiple choice section.

39. The first thing you want to do is answer every question to which you know the answer.

40. Then Go through a process of elimination to whittle down your answer choices to one on questions 1- 20 (easy section), then 21 - 60 (medium section) and finally 61 - 80 (difficult section).

41. This strategy will help you find the correct answer and improve your overall score.

42. Common Sense Can Help Sometimes an answer on the multiple choice section contradicts common sense. Eliminate those answers. Common sense works on the APUS exam.

43. 26. Which of the following best explains the most important effect tobacco cultivation had on the development of the Chesapeake Bay settlements during the 17th century? a. Because tobacco cultivation requires large tracts of fertile land, it led to rapid expansionism in the region. b. The immediate commercial success of tobacco forced the settlers to defend against attacks by Spanish and French settlers, who wanted to take control of the tobacco trade. c. Tobacco provided the settlers a lucrative crop to trade with nearby native American tribes. d. Dependence on tobacco as their only cash crop brought the settlements to financial ruin in the early 1600s. e. British customs houses established in the region to regulate tobacco trade led to widespread resentment of the British by the colonists.

44. How to Apply Common Sense. Eliminate C - Why would Indians trade for something they could easily grow? There was no attack by the French or Spanish during the 17th century, so eliminate that answer. If tobacco was the main crop, that would help the settlement’s finances rather than ruin it. Eliminate D Colonial resistance was still a hundred years away. Eliminate E That leaves the correct answer -- A

45. Context Clues Some questions contain clues or vocabulary words that will either point you to the correct answer or at least help you eliminate an incorrect answer.

46. 60) The Confiscation Act of 1861 authorized the Union to a. divert commercial production toward the war effort b. negotiate a settlement to the Civil war with ambassadors from the Confederacy c. liberate those slaves used by the Confederacy “for insurrectionary purposes” d. stop merchant ships headed for Europe and seize their cargo e. arrest those advocating secession and hold them without a writ of habeas corpus

47. If you don’t remember the Confiscation Act of 1861, the word confiscation might give you enough of a context clue to answer this question correctly anyway. • Which answers do not deal with confiscation? • b - negotiate • e - arrest • a - diverting commercial production • D does not mention WHOSE ships are to be seized. • C is correct because slaves were considered private property. In order to liberate slaves, Union soldiers had to confiscate private property.

48. Summary Familiarize yourself with the different types of questions that will appear on the multiple choice section. Remember there are many questions about political and social history some questions about international relations and relatively few about economic and cultural trends. Tailor your studies accordingly.

49. Look for “big picture” answers. Correct answers on the multiple choice section confirm important trends in American History (change over time) There are no questions about weird exceptions that contradict those trends and no questions about military history.

50. You will not be required to perform miraculous feats of memorization. However, you still must study and become familiar with the basics of US History and there are a lot of basics to know.