Yes I Can!!

Tips for scoring a 5 on the APUSH exam

Quick Test-Taking TipsStrategies for the Multiple-Choice Questions1. Answer the easy questions first.2. Be careful on the answer sheet.3. Mark up your test booklet.4. Answer the question before you look at

the choices.5. If you don’t know an answer, start by

eliminating answer choices.6. Take a guess, any guess.

Give it a try…1. The Mayflower Compact can be described as

a. A plan to determine a form of economy for the colonies.

b. An agreement to follow the dictates of Parliament.

c. A plan to elect the leaders of Plymouth Colony.d. A promise to establish self-government that

would abide by the will of the majority.e. A settling of issues over landownership in the

colonies.

And the answer is….O D. In 1620 Pilgrim leaders drew up

and signed the Mayflower Compact. The document was not a constitution but a simple agreement to form a crude government and to submit to the will of the majority. It did not provide for the election of leaders, did not address issues landownership, and did not determine the economy of the colonies.

Here comes another….2. Which of the following was NOT a part of

the Compromise of 1850?a. California was admitted as a free state.b. A stringent fugitive slave law was adopted.c. Popular sovereignty would determine

whether western states were free or slave.d. Slavery was abolished in the District of

Columbia.e. The Mexican Cession was divided into Utah

and New Mexico.

And the answer is…D. The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to become a free state, adopted a stringent fugitive slave law, and stipulated that slavery issues in the territories of Utah and Mexico would be decided by popular sovereignty. The compromise banned the slave trade in the District of Columbia, but it did not abolish slavery.

Multiple Choice Question Types

Know the question type, know the answer.

Identification Questions1. Which of the following men was an

important Transcendentalist writer?a. Ernest Hemingwayb. F. Scott Fitzgeraldc. William Faulknerd. John Steinbecke. Ralph Waldo Emerson

O Requires basic recall. The correct answer is E. This question requires you to know Transcendentalist writers in the 1830s. The other choices were 20th century writers.

Analysis Questions2. One result of the National Origin Act of

1924 was thata. Immigration from China was banned.b. The US adopted a literacy test for new

immigrantsc. Immigrants from northern and western

Europe were directly discriminated againstd. Paupers were denied admission to the USe. Quotas were established that specifically

limited the number of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe to the US.

O Requires a broader knowledge of historical periods. The correct answer is E. The National Origin Act was directly connected to the quota system and how it limited the number of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. The key term is 1924. Chinese immigrants were excluded in 1882; literacy tests were adopted in 1917; paupers were excluded in the late 1880s.

Except and Not questions

3. All of the following countries attended the Versailles Conference in January 1919 EXCEPT

a. Russiab. Francec. Italyd. United Statese. Great Britain

O Immediately circle the word EXCEPT. Cross out each choice that would be correct if you left out EXCEPT. Communism had been established in Russia in 1917, causing Russia to sign a treaty with Germany. Russia had ended the war with Germany prior to the other Allies. Therefore, Russian leaders were not present at the Conference.

Graph/Chart QuestionsRequire little outside knowledge or information.The graph contains all the data you need to answer the question.Avoid overanalyzing. These are not difficult questions.

Reading/Quotation Questions

5. “This, then is held to be the duty of the man of wealth;…to set an example of modest living,…to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer…in the manner which, in his judgment, is best calculated to produce the most beneficial results for the community…the man of wealth thus becoming a trustee…for his poorer brethren.”

The ideas in this passage are most closely associated with

a. Andrew Carnegieb. John D. Rockefellerc. James Hilld. James Fiskee. Cornelius Vanderbilt

O Underline the words that will help you understand the main idea of the reading passage or quotation.

O Key words are “duty” and “trustee.”O Andrew Carnegie wrote an essay entitled

“The Gospel of Wealth”O Therefore, the answer is A. He describes

the responsibility of the wealthy to administer their money in order to improve lives of the poor.

Political Cartoon/Poster Questions

6. Which viewpoint is expressed in the cartoon?

a. Congress and Jackson worked closely together to enact legislation.

b. Jackson sought a return to British traditions.

c. Jackson was a weak president.d. Jackson had monarchial ambitionse. The wealthy class in America

supported Jackson.

O Use the captions, title, or any symbolism in the image.

O D is the correct answer. Although he is depicted as a King, the presence of the Constitution would suggest choice D and not a return to British traditions since this is clearly an important American document.

Interpreting a MapUsed to describe geographic developments or to present information about political, social, or economic issues.Look at the map carefully, including the legend.