How to Write a SHORT ANSWER QUESTION (SAQ) for AP World, APUSH, & AP Euro

Summary

In this educational video, the host guides students on crafting effective responses to short answer questions (SAQs) for history exams. The video introduces a three-step method: Topic Sentence, Evidence, and Analysis (TEA), to structure answers clearly. Examples from AP World and AP US History exams illustrate how to apply this method, emphasizing the importance of connecting evidence to the topic sentence for a coherent response. The host also promotes additional resources, including a Discord server and an APSA cram course, for further exam preparation.

Takeaways

• 📚 This video is designed to help students prepare for exams by improving their skills in answering short answer questions.
• 🤔 The presenter notes that students often struggle with short answer questions despite them being potentially easy, suggesting a lack of understanding of the process.
• 📝 A three-step process is introduced to tackle short answer questions: Topic Sentence, Evidence, and Analysis (TEA).
• 🔗 Two resources are recommended for further help: a Discord server and an APSA cram course, both with links provided in the video description.
• 📈 The TEA method is a common approach used in essay writing, emphasizing clarity and directness in responses.
• 📖 The first step, Topic Sentence, requires a clear and direct answer to the prompt.
• 🔍 The second step, Evidence, involves providing specific examples that support the topic sentence.
• 🧠 The third step, Analysis, connects the evidence to the topic sentence, demonstrating how the evidence supports the claim made.
• 💡 It's emphasized that the connection between evidence and claim must be explicit, as the grader can only score what is written, not what is implied.
• 🌐 Examples are provided from both AP World and AP US history exams to illustrate how to apply the TEA method.
• ✅ The video concludes with a reminder that while the TEA method is effective, it's not the only approach, and students should adapt it to their needs.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video is to teach students how to write effective responses to short answer questions (SAQs) for history exams.

Why are short answer questions often confusing for students according to the video?

Students often find short answer questions confusing because they don't understand the process for answering them effectively.

What is the three-step process introduced in the video for answering short answer questions?

The three-step process introduced in the video is: Topic Sentence, Evidence, and Analysis (TEA).

What is the purpose of the topic sentence in the TEA method?

The topic sentence is meant to answer the prompt in a clear and declarative sentence.

What role does evidence play in the TEA method?

Evidence is used to provide a specific example that supports the topic sentence.

How does analysis connect the topic sentence and evidence in the TEA method?

Analysis demonstrates how the evidence proves the topic sentence, making the connection explicit for the grader.

What are the two types of short answer questions mentioned in the video?

The two types of short answer questions are those with a stimulus (like a passage or visual) and those without a stimulus, which only have prompts.

What is the importance of reading the explanations provided with a stimulus-based SAQ?

Reading the explanations provided with a stimulus-based SAQ can save time and aid in interpretation of the material.

Can you provide an example of how to apply the TEA method using a stimulus from the 2018 AP World exam?

The example given is about the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II granting the British East India Company the right to collect tax revenue. The topic sentence states how Asian economies were weakened, the evidence mentions the British East India Company and European mercantilist states, and the analysis connects how these entities gained control over Asian markets.

How does the video suggest comparing historical differences in internal migration patterns for the AP US History exam?

The video suggests using the TEA method to compare internal migration patterns, providing a topic sentence that highlights the direction of movement as a major difference, evidence of specific migration events, and analysis that explains the reasons behind these migrations.

What additional resources does the video recommend for students preparing for history exams?

The video recommends the creator's Discord server for community support and the APSA cram course for in-depth video tutorials on exam writing.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Mastering Short Answer Questions

In this video, the host aims to assist students in excelling during exam prep season by focusing on crafting effective responses to short answer questions (SAQs). The host identifies that despite SAQs being potentially easy, students often struggle due to a lack of understanding of the answering process. To address this, a three-step process is introduced: Topic Sentence, Evidence, and Analysis (TEA). This method is applicable to both stimulus-based and prompt-only SAQs. The host also highlights two resources for further assistance: a Discord server with knowledgeable individuals and an APSA cram course covering various writing components of exams. Examples from AP World and AP US history exams are used to illustrate how to apply the TEA method, emphasizing the importance of clarity and directness in responses to ensure high scores.

05:02

🎓 Final Thoughts on Exam Preparation

The host concludes the video by encouraging students to subscribe for more educational content aimed at exam preparation. They also promote their APSA cram course as a comprehensive resource for mastering the writing sections of exams, including SAQs, DBQs, and LEQs. The host emphasizes the importance of the TEA method for SAQs but acknowledges its flexibility, suggesting that students adapt it to their needs or discard it if it doesn't suit their approach. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to engage with the provided resources and support the creation of more helpful content.

Keywords

💡Short Answer Questions (SAQs)

Short Answer Questions are a type of assessment commonly found in standardized tests like AP exams, where students are required to provide concise responses to specific historical or subject-related prompts. In the video, the focus is on how to effectively answer SAQs by using a three-step process: topic sentence, evidence, and analysis. The video aims to demystify the process and help students score well on their exams.

💡Exam Prep

Exam Prep refers to the process of preparing for an examination, which may include studying, practicing, and mastering the skills necessary to perform well on the test. The video is part of a series designed to help students develop the skills needed to excel in their history exams, particularly in responding to short answer questions.

💡Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph or response that states the main idea or thesis. In the context of the video, the topic sentence is the initial step in answering SAQs, where students are advised to answer the prompt in a clear and declarative manner, setting the stage for the rest of the response.

💡Evidence

Evidence in the context of the video refers to the specific historical facts, events, or artifacts that students use to support their topic sentence in an SAQ. The video emphasizes the importance of providing specific evidence to back up the claims made in the topic sentence.

💡Analysis

Analysis in the video script means the process of connecting the topic sentence with the evidence provided. It involves demonstrating how the evidence supports the claim made in the topic sentence. The video stresses that students must explicitly show this connection, as it is a key component in scoring well on SAQs.

💡Stimulus

A stimulus in the context of SAQs is a passage, image, or other material provided to the student to help guide their response. The video explains that there are two types of SAQs: those with a stimulus, which requires interpretation, and those without, which rely solely on the student's prior knowledge.

💡AP World History

AP World History is a specific Advanced Placement course and exam that high school students can take to earn college credit. The video uses an example from the 2018 AP World History exam to illustrate how to answer a stimulus-based SAQ, highlighting the importance of understanding historical events and their economic implications.

💡AP US History

AP US History is another Advanced Placement course and exam that focuses on the history of the United States. The video provides an example from the 2018 AP US History exam to demonstrate how to answer an SAQ without a stimulus, focusing on the comparison of internal migration patterns across different time periods.

💡Discord Server

The Discord Server mentioned in the video is an online community platform where students can interact with each other and receive help on specific topics beyond what is covered in the video. It is offered as a resource for students seeking additional support in their exam preparation.

💡APSA Cram Course

The APSA Cram Course is a resource mentioned in the video that provides in-depth video tutorials on various writing components of the AP exams, including SAQs, DBQs (Document-Based Questions), and LEQs (Long Essay Questions). It is promoted as a way for students to get more comprehensive help with their exam preparation.

Highlights

Introduction to a video series on exam prep for history, focusing on writing effective short answer responses.

The short answer section is often misunderstood by students despite its potential ease.

A three-step process (Topic Sentence, Evidence, Analysis) is introduced for answering short answer questions.

Mention of two resources: a Discord server and an APSA cram course for further exam preparation.

Explanation of the two types of short answer questions: those with a stimulus and those without.

The importance of reading explanations provided with visual stimuli for better understanding.

Example of a stimulus-based SAQ from the 2018 AP World exam, involving the British East India Company.

How to construct a topic sentence that directly answers the prompt without being too specific.

The necessity of providing specific evidence to support the topic sentence.

Analysis should connect the topic sentence with the evidence to demonstrate how the evidence proves the claim.

Clarification that the evidence must be explicitly connected to the claim, as the grader can only score what is written.

An example from AP World history illustrating the three-step process for a stimulus-based SAQ.

An example from AP US history for a non-stimulus SAQ, focusing on internal migration patterns.

Emphasis on the importance of addressing both time periods in the comparison for the AP US history example.

Final advice on adapting the three-step process to different types of prompts and the option to discard it if it doesn't fit.

Encouragement to subscribe for more exam preparation videos and a plug for the APSA cram course.

Transcripts

hey there and welcome back to heimlich

history as you know it is exam prep

season and i have been creating a bunch

of videos to help you develop the skills

that you need to score well

in this video we're going to talk about

how to write banger responses to the

short answer question so if you're ready

to get them brain cows milked well then

let's get to it now what's strange is

that the short answer section of your

exam

probably ought to be one of the easiest

things you do but i have found that

students are consistently

baffled by these things and i think it's

because they don't understand the

process for answering them so i'm going

to give you a three-step process that

will work and dang near every

scenario and i hope that it clears it up

for you so before we get started let me

mention two resources that can help you

on short answer questions first is my

discord server which has some incredible

people who can help you with more

specifics than i can explore in this

video and that link is in the

description and the second is my apsa

cram course which has in-depth videos on

all the writing you'll need to do on the

exam including saqs dbqs and leqs

link also in the description okay let's

get into short answer questions now

you're going to encounter two kinds of

short answer questions on your exam the

first kind has a stimulus which can be a

passage for you to read or some kind of

visual for you to interpret the second

kind has no stimulus only prompts

and no matter which kind you encounter

the process for answering them is the

same and here it is

t topic sentence evidence analysis

now i didn't make that up it's a pretty

common way to teach essay queues and if

i didn't know who made it up i would

credit them but i don't so i won't so

let me explain each one the first part

of your answer is a topic sentence here

you're just going to answer the prompt

in a clear declarative sentence the

second sentence is where you introduce

your

evidence and make sure that it is

specific like name

someone or some event or some artifact

or whatever and tell what it means

the third sentence is your analysis and

this just means you're going to use the

third sentence to connect the first

and second sentences analysis just means

that you're going to demonstrate how

your evidence proves your topic sentence

and maybe you'll object and say isn't it

obvious that the evidence supports the

claim

no no it is not you have to make that

connection remember the person scoring

your answers can only score what you

have written

not what they think you meant so you

have to be as clear as humanly possible

so i think it'll be a lot clearer with

some examples and i'm going to start

with an example from ap

world and then go on to apus and if you

want to skip to the u.s example then

here is the time stamp okay let's get

into the example for ap

world and this comes from the 2018 exam

this is a stimulus-based saq and so

let's take a moment to figure out what

we're looking at and here we have an

explanation of the image

quick note always read the explanations

they give you it will save you a lot of

time and interpretation so what does it

say the engraving shows a historical

encounter in 1765

in which the mughal emperor shah alam ii

granted the british east india company

represented by robert clive the right to

collect tax revenue from the mughal

provinces of bengal orissa and bihar

okay now let's work on part b of this

question

explain one way in which the event

depicted in the image reflects economic

changes in asia in the 18th century all

right now let's spill the tea topic

sentence i just want to answer the

question without getting too specific

and here's what i would write the image

depicts the means by which asian

economies were weakened in the 18th

century okay now let's go to e

evidence and give a specific example of

how asian economies were weakened i

would write this

for example joint stock companies like

the british east india company along

with competing mercantilist states in

europe were able to use their economic

power to weaken asian economies who

could not resist their influence

okay that's my evidence and now let's go

one step further with analysis and show

how the second sentence proves the first

the mughal tax grant depicted above

shows how asian states allowed european

entities to gain greater access and

control to asian markets especially with

respect to raw material extraction and

the export of luxury goods which

ultimately hurt asian economies topic

sentence

evidence analysis nailed it okay now

let's have a look at an example for ap

us history and in this one we'll use an

saq without a stimulus from the 2018

exam here you see all three parts and

we're just going to answer part a

briefly describe one specific historical

difference between the internal

migration patterns within the united

states in the period 1910 to 1940

and the internal migration patterns in

the period 1941 to 1980. okay so they're

asking

us to compare internal migration

patterns from two periods 1910 to 1940

and then 1941 to 1980. in order to get

credit you have to address both periods

okay so let's start with the t

topic sentence i would write this one

major difference with respect to

internal migration between

the two periods is the direction of the

movement okay now what evidence do i

have to support this well i would write

this

for example the great migration began in

1916 and from 1941 to 1980 there was a

large migration to the sun belt states

okay here we have two pieces of evidence

but they're not connected to my claim in

the first and so let's move to analysis

the great migration was the movement of

black southerners out of the south and

into the northeast and midwest states

primarily to find work while the sun

belt migration involves people from the

north moving into the south and west in

many cases for jobs in the defense

industry and that's it

t-e-a and it'll work on nearly every

response that you have to give

i say nearly because there are some

prompts that will simply ask you to

identify something and in that case you

really just need

one sentence naming whatever it is

they're asking for you know the t

formula isn't the only way to do it so

if that doesn't work for you then throw

it out and do whatever makes sense okay

that's how you respond to a short answer

question if you want me to keep making

these videos to help you prepare for

your exam then the way you let me know

that is by subscribing and if you need

more in-depth help on all of your

writing for the exam then check out my

apsa cram course right over there

heimler out