AP U.S. History Prep

You’ve studied the history, but are you ready for the test?

The AP U.S. History exam is notoriously tough. This Wiley Prep guide will help you maximize your score and earn the college credits you’ve been working for all year. AP U.S. History Prep explains exactly how your test responses will be scored. You’ll also learn strategies for answering multiple choice questions as quickly and accurately as possible, even if you aren’t sure of the answers. When you sit down on test day, you’ll feel confident and calm, so you can do your absolute best.

Inside AP U.S. History Prep, you’ll find two full-length practice exams, so you can get a feel for how the test session will really go. The guide also includes access to a 500-question online test bank, so you can gain extra practice answering multiple choice questions and test your knowledge of U.S. history. Brush up on every area of history covered by the exam, sharpen your test-taking skills, and be ready for every type of AP U.S. history question.

• Take two full-length AP U.S. History practice exams and avoid surprises on test day
• Ensure that you know your history with 500 online multiple choice questions to improve your readiness
• Understand how the test is written and learn the fastest and most accurate way to complete each question type
• Learn how your document based questions,  short answer questions, and  long essays questions will align to the scoring rubric, so you can write correctly for the test

You’ve been working hard in class to prepare for the AP U.S. History exam—don’t waste this opportunity to earn college credit and show what you know. With Wiley’s AP U.S. History Prep, you’ll be ready to earn your best score!

Preface vii

Chapter One: Welcome to AP U.S. History Prep 1

APUSH and the College Survey 1

Historians’ Habits of Mind 3

Critical Apparatus 7

Chapter Two: The Advanced Placement History Course 8

APUSH Periods 9

APUSH Themes 10

Using the Instructional Exam and Practice Exams 11

Chapter Three: Instructional Exam 15

Exam Overview 15

Multiple-Choice Questions 15

Tips for Answering MCQs 16

Short-Answer Questions 20

Writing the SAQ 20

Reminders for Writing SAQ Responses 21

The Document-Based Question 25

Begin Your Essay 26

Writing the DBQ 27

Long Essay Questions 43

Writing the LEQ 44

Chapter Four: Practice Exams 1 and 2 49

Practice Exam 1 50

Section I 50

Part A: Multiple-Choice Questions 50

Part B: Short-Answer Questions 76

Section II: Free-Response Questions 83

Document-Based Question 83

Long Essay Questions 89

Practice Exam 2 90

Section I 90

Part A: Multiple-Choice Questions 90

Part B: Short-Answer Questions 117

Section II: Free-Response Questions 123

Document-Based Question 123

Long Essay Questions 129

Chapter Five: A Final Note 130

Don’t Panic: Even Some History Professors Didn’t Get Credit for APUSH 130

Tips for the Night Before and the Following Day 130

Before the Exam 130

During the Exam 130

Appendix: Answer Keys and Commentaries 132

Practice Exam 1 132

Practice Exam 2 147

Index 162

Jonathan M. Chu, holds the PhD from the University of Washington and is professor of early American history at the University of Massachusetts Boston and editor of The New England Quarterly. A specialist in early American, he has written on seventeenth century religious dissent and on the economic impact of the American Revolution. He participated in the APUSH Reading in various positions and served as chair of the test development committee and chief reader.

Warren Hierl taught AP US History at the Career Center in Winston-Salem, NC for thirty-eight years. An original member of the College Board AP Social Studies Vertical Teams Guide Committee, he has conducted AP workshops, Summer Institutes, and pre-AP workshops. He has been a reader, table leader, exam leader, and, for ten years, the question leader on the DBQ. He is currently a College Board APUSH consultant, and a member of the College Board's Pre-AP National Faculty.

Louisa Moffitt holds the DAST from Emory University and the PhD from Georgia State University, has taught AP US History at the Marist School for the past thirty-three years, and served as reader, table, question, and exam leader, and as assistant chief reader. In addition, she has been a member of the Test Development Committee and a College Board consultant and national mentor for the AP US History program.

Bill Shelton holds the PhD from the University of Kentucky and has taught AP US History for thirty-nine years, the last thirty-four at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. He has served as a reader, table, and exam leader and was the assistant chief reader responsible for the introduction of the onsite and online scoring of the Short Answer Questions. He co-chaired the Test Development Committee and is a College Board Consultant for workshops and institutes throughout the United States and in China.