Get a PERFECT SCORE on the SAQ (APUSH, AP World, & AP Euro)

Summary

This script offers a guide to acing Short Answer Questions (SAQs) in APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro exams. It emphasizes understanding the prompts and categorizing them by topic, time period, and historical thinking skill. The script introduces the 'TEA' method (Topic Sentence, Explanation of Evidence, and Analysis) for structuring responses. It also alerts students to a recent change in scoring standards, advising them to explain evidence even for 'identify' prompts to avoid losing points.

Takeaways

• 📝 To score on an SAQ, understand the question and use a three-part formula: Topic Sentence, Explanation of Evidence, and Analysis.
• 😓 Many students find SAQs stressful, but they can be simplified with the right approach.
• 🔍 SAQs can be categorized into two types: those with a stimulus (document or image) and those without.
• ✅ For each prompt, you earn either one point or zero points, with occasional two-point prompts.
• ⏰ Time management is crucial; start by reading and marking up the prompts before analyzing the stimulus.
• 🖊️ Mark the prompts for category, time period, and historical thinking skill required for the answer.
• 📖 If there's a stimulus, read and mark it up according to the requirements of the prompts.
• 📈 The TEA method (Topic Sentence, Explanation, Analysis) ensures a structured and focused response.
• 🚫 Recent changes in scoring mean that simply identifying an answer is no longer sufficient; explanation and analysis are now necessary.
• ✍️ Practice and preparation are key, with resources available to help improve AP History writing skills.

Q & A

What are the two key steps to score points on a short answer question (SAQ) in AP History exams?

The two key steps are to understand what the question is asking you to write about and to use a three-part formula for answering.

Why do some students find SAQs in AP World, AP Euro, and APUSH exams particularly challenging?

Students find SAQs challenging because they can cause stress and anxiety, leading to difficulty in understanding the question and formulating a coherent response under exam conditions.

What is the significance of the three-part formula 'TEA' in answering SAQs?

The 'TEA' formula stands for Topic Sentence, Explanation of Evidence, and Analysis. It ensures that the response is structured and directly addresses the prompt, which is crucial for scoring points.

How does understanding the stimulus and the problem help in answering an SAQ?

Understanding the stimulus and the problem helps in efficiently using the limited time available for answering by focusing on relevant information and avoiding irrelevant details.

What should students mark in the prompts when preparing to answer an SAQ?

Students should mark the category, time period, and the historical thinking skill required in the prompt to ensure their response aligns with the question's requirements.

Why is it recommended not to start with the stimulus when answering an SAQ?

Starting with the stimulus can lead to wasted time as students may analyze irrelevant details without a clear understanding of what the prompt is asking for.

What is the purpose of a topic sentence in an SAQ response?

A topic sentence restates the important parts of the prompt and names a piece of evidence, ensuring that the response stays on topic and increases the chances of scoring points.

Why is it important to explain and analyze the evidence in an SAQ response?

Explaining and analyzing the evidence is important because it demonstrates a deeper understanding of the historical context and shows how the evidence supports the topic sentence, which is necessary for a complete and high-scoring response.

What has changed in the advice for answering SAQs in AP History exams recently?

The recent change is that even for prompts that previously only required identification, it is now advised to also explain and analyze the evidence due to the stricter scoring at the national reading.

How many SAQs are typically given in the AP History exams, and how many must students answer?

Students are typically given four SAQs in the AP History exams and must answer three of them.

What is the recommended length for an SAQ response in terms of sentences?

The recommended length for an SAQ response is approximately two to three complete sentences.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Mastering the Art of SAQs in AP History

The paragraph outlines a strategy for tackling Short Answer Questions (SAQs) in APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro exams. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the question's requirements and applying a three-part formula for responses. The speaker shares that SAQs can be divided into two types: those with a stimulus to interpret and those without, but both types are scored similarly. The advice is to first read and mark the prompts to understand what is being asked before engaging with the stimulus material. The speaker then introduces the TEA method (Topic sentence, Explanation of evidence, and Analysis) for constructing answers, suggesting that even for 'identify' prompts, it's now safer to explain the evidence due to changes in scoring observed in recent exams.

05:00

🔗 Additional Resources for AP History Success

The second paragraph serves as a call to action for viewers seeking further assistance with AP History writing. It directs them to additional resources, including a cram course and more writing videos, to enhance their essay skills beyond just SAQs. The speaker concludes on a light note, promising to meet viewers in the next video, maintaining a casual and engaging tone throughout.

Keywords

💡Short Answer Question (SAQ)

A Short Answer Question (SAQ) is a type of assessment commonly found in standardized tests like APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro, where students are required to provide concise responses to specific historical or thematic prompts. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the structure and scoring of SAQs to effectively tackle them. The script mentions that SAQs can be classified into two types: those with a stimulus (document or image) and those without, highlighting the need for a strategic approach to answering them.

💡Stimulus

In the context of the video, a 'stimulus' refers to the document or image provided alongside an SAQ that students must analyze to answer the accompanying prompts. The speaker advises against starting with the stimulus, suggesting that students should first understand what the prompts are asking for before engaging with the stimulus. This approach is intended to save time and ensure that the student's analysis is directed towards the specific requirements of the question.

💡Prompts

Prompts are the specific questions or instructions that guide students in formulating their responses to SAQs. The video script explains that prompts are crucial for understanding what the examiners are looking for and that students should mark up these prompts to identify the category, time period, and historical thinking skill required. For instance, the speaker illustrates how to mark a prompt from the 2022 AP World exam, which asks for economic and political developments within a specified time frame.

💡Category

The 'category' in an SAQ refers to the thematic or subject area that the student's response must address. The script emphasizes the importance of identifying the correct category from the prompt, such as economic development or political development, as misidentifying the category can lead to a response that, despite being well-articulated, does not earn any points.

💡Time Period

Identifying the correct 'time period' is essential when answering SAQs, as the script explains. Students must ensure that their responses are historically accurate and relevant to the time frame specified in the prompt. The video uses an example from the 2022 AP World exam to illustrate the significance of aligning the response with the correct historical period.

💡Historical Thinking Skill

Historical thinking skills are analytical approaches that historians use to interpret and analyze historical events or developments. The video script mentions that prompts may require students to demonstrate specific historical thinking skills, such as causation, in their responses. For example, if a prompt asks for a cause-and-effect analysis, students must show how certain historical factors led to specific outcomes.

💡TEA Method

The 'TEA' method, as introduced in the video, stands for Topic Sentence, Explanation of Evidence, and Analysis. This method is recommended for structuring SAQ responses effectively. The script explains that the topic sentence should restate the prompt and introduce evidence, the explanation should define or describe the evidence, and the analysis should demonstrate how the evidence supports the topic sentence. This method is portrayed as a comprehensive approach to ensure that responses are well-rounded and meet the scoring criteria.

💡Topic Sentence

A 'topic sentence' in the context of the TEA method is the first sentence of the SAQ response that restates the prompt's requirements and introduces the main point or evidence that the student will discuss. The video script highlights that a well-crafted topic sentence is essential for staying on topic and earning points, as it sets the stage for the rest of the response.

💡Explanation of Evidence

In the TEA method, 'explanation of evidence' refers to the part of the response where students define or describe the evidence they have introduced in their topic sentence. The video script suggests that this explanation should clarify the evidence's relevance and significance to the prompt, ensuring that the response is coherent and directly addresses the question.

💡Analysis

The 'analysis' component of the TEA method involves demonstrating how the evidence supports the topic sentence and fulfills the prompt's requirements. The video script emphasizes that analysis is crucial for showing causation or other historical thinking skills, as it connects the evidence to the broader historical context and论证 the student's argument.

💡AP Exam

The 'AP Exam' refers to the Advanced Placement exams administered by the College Board, which are taken by high school students to earn college credit or advanced standing. The video script discusses the specific format and scoring of SAQs in AP History exams, such as APUSH, AP World, and AP Euro, and provides strategies for success.

Highlights

To score points on a short answer question (SAQ), understand the question and use a three-part formula.

SAQs in AP World, AP Euro, and APUSH are scored similarly, making the advice applicable to all.

SAQs can be classified into two types: those with a stimulus (document or image) and those without.

Each prompt in an SAQ is worth one point, with some occasionally worth two for additional tasks.

On the AP exam, students will receive four SAQs and must answer three, with responses around two to three sentences long.

Begin answering an SAQ by reading and marking up the prompts, not the stimulus.

Mark the category, time period, and historical thinking skill required in the prompts.

After understanding the prompts, review the stimulus and mark it up accordingly.

Use the TEA method (Topic sentence, Explanation of evidence, and Analysis) for answering SAQs.

The topic sentence should restate the prompt and name a piece of evidence.

Explain the evidence by defining it in the context of the prompt.

Analyze the evidence to show how it proves the topic sentence.

Even for 'identify' prompts, now advise explaining the evidence due to recent scoring changes.

The advice to 'T' every answer ensures students are not tricked by the AP scoring system.

The speaker offers additional help with AP History writing through a cram course and more videos.

The speaker's previous advice has changed due to scoring at the national exam this year.

Transcripts

in order to score all the points on a

short answer question or an SAQ you

really only need to do two things

understand what they're asking you to

write about and write it using a

three-part formula easy peasy lemon

squeezy except for a lot of students in

AP World AP Euro and a push the SAQ is

emphatically not easy peasy lemon

squeezy it's more like why is this

seemingly Simple Thing causing my

armpits to sweat and my bowels to squeal

and causing no small amount of

existential dread and the questioning of

all my life choices

lemon squeeze but look it doesn't have

to be that hard you just need someone to

explain it up real nice for you and hey

that's what I'm here for so if you're

ready to get them bring house milked

well let's get to it well make sure you

stay to the end because I need to tell

you how my previous advice for saqs has

completely changed because of what

happened at this year's scoring at the

national exam first let's just swoop in

and figure out what we're dealing with

here a short answer question for APUSH

AP World or AP Euro and by the way

they're all scored the same so

everything I'm about to say here applies

to them all a short answer question can

be classified into two species the first

has a stimulus which will be a document

to read or an image to interpret that

will be followed by three prompts

labeled ABC now the second species has

no stimulus and only three problems for

each prompt you either earn one point or

zero points and there's nothing in

between every once in a while they'll

sneak in a prompt worth two points but

that's only when they're asking you to

do two things now on your AP exam in May

they're going to give you four of these

saqs and you have to answer three of

them your answers do not need to be

essays they just need to be somewhere in

the neighborhood of two to three

complete sentences and I'll tell you

exactly what I recommend in a moment all

right first step understand the stimulus

and the problem so the first thing you

need to do to answer an essay you is to

understand the stimulus and the problem

I would highly recommend that you mark

up these prompts because say it with me

when you're under pressure you are

dumber than you think now where should

you begin well where you're going to be

tempted to begin is by reading or

looking at the stimulus that's your

Temptation I want you to open your hand

wet it down and smack yourself in the

face that is not where you start you

start by reading the prompts they give

you and here's why you've only got

limited time to write your answers and

if you start by trying to analyze the

stimulus you're wasting time because you

don't even know what you're looking for

so start by reading the three prompts

marking them up and then you can move to

the stimulus after you know what to look

for in it now what should you be marking

in those prompts well three things

number one the category or categories

you're asking you to write about number

two the time period they want you to

write about and number three the

historical thinking skill that needs to

frame your answer so for example here's

the first SAQ from the 2022 AP World

exam first Mark the category they want

you to talk about an economic

development here and a political

development here that's really important

because if your answer doesn't fall in

those categories then no points for you

second you mark the time period if your

answer doesn't fall within those years

no matter how brilliant the answer is no

points for you and third Mark the

historical thinking skill and in this

case you can see here lead 2 and that's

a causation question that means whatever

evidence you use in your short answer

question has got to show causation okay

so now that you understand the prompts

you can move to the stimulus if it has

so look at it and Mark it up with what

you need to answer the prompts and now

let's move on to how to answer that how

everyone has their favorite acronym for

answering saqs but for my money the best

one is t-e-a-t topic sentence

explanation of evidence and Analysis and

let me explain your topic sentence is a

single declarative sentence that

essentially restates the important parts

of the prompt and names a piece of

evidence and that's important not

because it earns you a point but because

it ensures that you stay on topic which

does earn you the point so consider this

prompt from the 2022 AP Euro exam

describe one significant cultural or

intellectual change during the

Renaissance my topic sentence would go

like this one significant intellectual

change during the Renaissance was the

emphasis on humanism so look I restated

the important parts of the prompt to

keep me on task and I named the evidence

that shows the change the second part

then is to explain my evidence and

really that just means to Define so mine

would go something like this humanism

described the Renaissance belief in the

unlimited potential of human beings as

ends in themselves now if you did those

two things you're probably feeling

pretty good about yourself but you need

to go one step further and then Analyze

That evidence and that means you need to

show how your evidence proves your topic

sentence now look carefully I'm talking

about an intellectual change during the

Renaissance and I've said that it's

humanism and then I've defined so I've

named the change but I haven't shown how

the change occurred and that is

essential so my third sentence will go

like this prior to the Renaissance the

prevailing view of human potential was

limited by the widespread belief of the

doctrine of original sin but because of

the Innovative work of petrock and other

humanists a new confidence and human

potential began to emerge during the

Renaissance those three sentences will

get you a point you may be objecting

right now saying that's way too much to

talk about highly like can it be any

simpler than that if you would ask me a

year ago I would have said yes it can be

simpler but today my answer is no and

let me explain you may have noticed that

you have basically three task verbs

consistently showing up you have

identified describe and explain what

I've always taught is that for an

identity fi prompt all you had to do was

write a topic sentence and that's it so

for this prompt I would have told you to

write one economic development that led

to the situation on the map was the

force free trade agreements between

Britain and China following the Opium

War just identified the economic

development done but I am no longer

advising that and here's why now even

though the College Board themselves told

us what identify means in their own

course and exam description and that

answer that I just gave meets that bar

at the national reading for AP World

this year the people who scored these

did not give the point unless you also

explained the evidence and that is

madness now as far as I know that only

happened at the AP World reading but if

it can happen there it might happen in

the other subject as well so my advice

is to T every answer that way you'll

never be tricked by the AP overlords who

don't even abide by their own standard

all right well if you need more help

with AP History writing then click right

here and grab my apsa Cram Course and

I've got way more writing videos right

here that are going to help you with all

the other essays as well so I'll catch

you on the flip-flop I'm around