Download The AP European History Free Response Question

The AP European History Free
Response Question
The Free Response Question
 The FRQ is an essay that must be written in 35 minutes
 You must write two on the College Board Exam
– On the College Board Exam you will have two groups of
three essay prompts.
 You must choose one essay from each group of three.
– The two FRQs constitute 27.5% of your score on the
College Board Exam.
 13.75% each
 The essay is scored out of nine.
– Ordinarily a 6 out of 9 would be awful, but in APEH a 6
on an essay puts you right on pace for a 5 on the exam.
The Rubric
 Strongest Essays earn a 8-9
– THESIS: Clear, well-developed, answers the prompt and guides
the essay throughout
– UNDERSTANDING: Demonstrates thorough understanding of
complexity of topic
– EVIDENCE: Supports thesis with frequent, specific, and
relevant evidence/examples/proof
– ANALYSIS: Effectively analyzes, interprets, makes inferences
of evidence/examples/proof
– ERRORS: May contain insignificant and infrequent errors that
do not hinder arguments OR no errors entirely
– ORGANIZATION: Essay is well-organized (contains
introduction, topic sentences, unity of paragraphs, conclusion)
Structure of the Essay
 The essay consists of an thesis paragraph, body
paragraphs, and a brief concluding paragraph.
 The thesis paragraph establishes your viewpoint and
outlines what your body paragraphs will be about in a
thesis statement.
 The body paragraphs back up your viewpoint and
thesis.
 The conclusion wraps up the essay, and answers the
question “so what?”. However, you will really only
have time to revisit your thesis.
Step #1
 Read the question multiple times until you understand what
you need to do.
Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art
of the period, referring to specific works and artists
 For this presentation we will develop an essay for this
prompt and sometimes use other prompts momentarily as
examples
Directives of the Question (the question words)
 The second step in writing an essay is to see what action the essay
prompt is telling you to do.
– Failure to pay attention to these directives will result in a lower
score.
 Analyze: Break a subject down into parts, assess the connections
between facts, answer how and why
– "Analyze the major social and technological changes that took
place in European warfare between 1789 and 1871.“
 Assess/Evaluate: Determine the validity of a statement, analyze
positives and negatives, form an opinion
– “`Luther was both a revolutionary and a conservative.' Evaluate
this statement with respect to Luther's responses to the political
and social questions of his day.“
– “Assess the extent to which the Protestant Reformation promoted
new expectations about social roles in the sixteenth century. Refer
to at least two social groups in your response.”
Directives continued…
 Compare: Analyze two or more things in order to show
similarities and differences
– “Compare and contrast the attitudes of Martin Luther and John Calvin toward
political authority and social order.”
 Contrast: Examine two or more things in order to show
differences
– “Contrast European diplomacy in the periods 1890 to 1914 and 1918 to 1939,
respectively. Include in analysis goals, practices, and results.”
 Structure of compare/contrast essays
– It is important to have your body paragraphs centered on topics
– You do not want to separate the two things being compared and write separate
paragraphs for each.
– In the above example your three paragraph topics are already laid out in the
prompt: goals, practices, and results
The Layers of a Question
 In order to properly answer the essay question you must break the prompt
down and see all of its layers.
– Sometimes these things seem obvious, but when students are rushed to write an
essay they will often forget about part of the question and lose points.
– Box the directive, circle the time period, and underline the tasks. Take the time
to underline key phrases and determine what needs to be included into your
essay.
 “Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the
period, referring to specific works and artists.”
– This question asks you to discuss (the same as analyze)
– Time period: Renaissance, anything straying from this time period will not be
scored
– Location: Italy
– The writer must identify “Renaissance ideas” and must show how these ideas
influenced “Italian art” using specific art pieces and artists
The Layers of a Question
 “Compare and contrast political liberalism with political
conservatism in the first half of the nineteenth century in
Europe”
 What is the directive?
– Compare and contrast
 What is the location?
– All of Europe
 When?
– The first half of the nineteenth century
 What must you do?
– Find similarities and differences between political liberalism and political
conservatism
Brainstorm
 After reading and re-reading the question, identifying the
directive, and analyzing all the layers of the question, you
must brainstorm.
 Think of everything that is related to the topic given.
– Try to decide what information is relevant to the question.
– Try to think of three subtopics.
– Put the relevant information into the subtopics.
 Keep your brainstorm organized by creating a T-chart or
matrix.
Brainstorm
 To categorize information think of PERSIA
Political
Economic
Religious
Social
Intellectual
Artistic
 Often these can be used as subtopics especially when the
prompt doesn’t give clear subtopics.
Brainstorm
Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring to specific works and artists
Humanism  Art reflecting
antiquity
Emph on individ.  portray
great indiv. in art
Secular spirit  realistic port.
of the world
• Humanism – increased study
of ancient Greek and Roman
civilization, rejection of Middle
Age thought
•Power of humanity/individ.
•Massacio – dev. Of
perspective, Tribute Money
• Brunelleschi and Donatello
visit Rome, inspired
•Rise of Portraiture – Mona
Lisa, Ginevra de Benci
•Patrons of art put into art
•Busts,characters
•Brunelleschi’s dome
•Michelangelo – David
•Donatello – David
•Raphael – School of Athens
•DaVinci – Vitruvian Man,
cadavers
•Chiaroscuro, sfumato
•Botticelli – mythology,
Primavera, Birth of Venus
Use abbreviations to shorten the time taken on the brainstorm, this example does
not use enough abbreviations so the viewer can understand the notes.
Timing
 The reading and re-reading of the question, analysis
of the directive, finding the layers of the question,
and brainstorm should take the first five minutes of
your essay writing time.
– 5/35 total minutes
 Writing the essay should take the remaining thirty
minutes
The Thesis Paragraph
Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring to specific works and artists
 The thesis paragraph establishes your viewpoint and contains
a well-developed thesis.
 The first sentence establishes what your essay will be about.
– Do not hint at a thesis statement in this sentence.
– DO NOT restate the question.
– This is a good place to give a context of the time and place.
 A good first sentence:
– The Italian Renaissance created new ideas that most visibly
manifested themselves in the arts.
The Thesis
Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring to specific works and artists
 The thesis statement follows the first sentence
– It is three to four sentences long.
– It fully answers the question and establishes your subtopics (body
paragraph topics).
– WITHOUT A STRONG THESIS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO
EARN A GOOD SCORE
– Answer the essay prompt that is given to you. Do not bend the
prompt to be what you want it to be.
– Imagine that this is your one chance to answer the question, and
these 3-4 sentences are collectively worth 1 million dollars.
 The thesis must fully answer the question
– Because there are generally two to three body paragraphs the thesis
should include two to three topics.
– The thesis should answer how and why.
The Thesis Paragraph
 “Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian
art of the period, referring to specific works and artists.”
Good example:
The Italian Renaissance created new ideas that most visibly
manifested themselves in the arts. Renaissance humanism led
to the creation of art that reflected the art of antiquity, and the
Renaissance emphasis on the individual led to the rise of art
that more accurately portrayed individuals. Furthermore, the
Renaissance secular spirit which emphasized life on Earth as
opposed to the afterlife led to a greater attempt by artists to
realistically portray the world. The aspects of humanism,
individualism, and secularism was often depicted through the
art of such artists as Brunalleschi, Donatello, Da Vinci, and
Michelangelo.
A Not So Great Example
“Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the
period, referring to specific works and artists.”
Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period. These ideas
were shown in the art of the day, such as the art of da Vinci, Michelangelo,
and Raphael.
Why is this a bad example?
The first sentence simply restates the question.
The thesis does not identify Renaissance ideas.
The subtopics named are specific artists, which the question asks to be
included somewhere in the essay. However, no correlation is made between
the effect of Renaissance ideas on these artists pieces.
The Body Paragraphs
 The body paragraphs include all of the information
that proves your thesis.
 Each body paragraph relates to one of the subtopics.
– By proving each subtopic, you will prove the
thesis.
– The first body paragraph relates to the first
subtopic, the second body paragraph to the second
subtopic and so on and so forth. Keep things in
order.
 Body paragraphs consist of a topic sentence,
sentences with evidence and analysis, and a
concluding sentence.
General Tips
Do not use the first person (I, me)
Do not use the words “in my opinion”, “I
believe”, “In this essay you will read about”, or
“In this essay I will prove”.
– Instead, simply state your points and prove them
The Topic Sentence
 The topic sentence is a reintroduction of the subtopic
statement.
– Do not simply rewrite the subtopic. Reword it instead.
 It has one idea and it is one sentence. Do not make this
sentence too complicated.
 Must completely support the thesis.
Subtopic from intro: Renaissance humanism led to the creation of art that
reflected the art of antiquity
Topic Sentence: Renaissance humanists admired the culture of ancient Greece
and Rome, therefore Renaissance artists revived the artistic styles of antiquity.
Evidence and Analysis
 The body paragraph will include evidence and
analysis.
– First introduce the information and define it.
– Next analyze it to show that it supports the thesis.
– Sometimes info and analysis can happen in the
same sentence.
Body Paragraph #1
Renaissance humanists admired the culture of ancient Greece and Rome, therefore
Renaissance artists revived the artistic styles of antiquity. Renaissance intellectuals began to
study the works from antiquity as opposed to the works to Middle Age philosophers. This
emphasis on the works of ancient Greeks and Romans became known as humanism. Many
Renaissance artists studied the art of ancient civilization and rejected the artistic styles of the
Middle Ages. Brunelleschi and Donatello, two artists of the early Italian Renaissance,
travelled to the remains of ancient Rome and Greece in order to study the art of these ancient
civilizations. After returning to Florence, Brunelleschi designed the famous Dome for the
Florence Cathedral. The Dome’s circular structure and massive size was inspired by the
rounded Roman architecture that Brunelleschi had studied. After being inspired by the
sculptures of antiquity Donatello went on to create his most famous work, “David”.
Donatello’s “David” was the first life-size, freestanding nude sculpture since antiquity.
“David” also showed the figure in a contrapposto stance-the weight concentrated on one legwhich had been used by Classical artists. Due to the humanist spirit of the Renaissance,
Italian artists, such as Botticelli, took new interest in Greek and Roman mythology.
Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” portrays the moment that the goddess Venus is born. Zephyrs
blow her to the shore as she rides on a shell. Venus covers herself in a manner that is
reminiscent of ancient sculptures of her. His use of nudes and figures from ancient mythology
show the strong influence humanism had on his art. The works of Brunelleschi, Donatello,
and Botticelli illustrate the connection between humanism and the arts during the Italian
Renaissance.
Body Paragraph #2
Renaissance thinkers began to appreciate the individual and all of man’s potential, thus human
beings became the center of attention in most Italian Renaissance art. This new emphasis on
individuality was epitomized by the rise of portraiture during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci
gained fame for his ability to accurately depict a person’s character in his work. His “Mona Lisa” is
a portrait of a woman with an enigmatic smile and eyes that seem to maintain eye contact with the
viewer. The “Mona Lisa” successfully captures the mystery and character of the woman being
painted. In “The Last Supper” da Vinci illustrates the moment that Jesus revealed to his Apostles
that he would be betrayed by one of his followers. The fresco depicts each Apostle’s actions at this
moment in order to show all of their distinct personalities. Raphael-another artist of the High
Renaissance-gained fame from his frescoes done in the Vatican including “The School of Athens”.
This fresco depicts a fictitious gathering of ancient and contemporary philosophers and artists. Each
philosopher’s character is accurately depicted. Michelangelo, who was known for his melancholy, is
shown sulking in the foreground. Well-respected citizens were also portrayed in Renaissance art
showing that artists sought to honor the great figures of their time. Patrons of art, including the
Medici’s, would often appear as minor figures in works of art. Likewise, monumental sculptures
were built in honor of those with political power. Michelangelo-the third major artist of the High
Renaissance-became known for his portrayal of human power. His colossal statue, “David”, and his
“Creation of Adam” affirm the beauty and strength of the human body. Thus, the works of the three
High Renaissance artists-Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo-epitomized the Renaissance idea of
individuality by portraying emotion and human strength.
Body Paragraph #3
Renaissance intellectuals valued life on Earth and did not put off all of their
happiness for the afterlife. Because of this secularism artists attempted to more
accurately portray the world. New artistic technical advances allowed for a more
realistic portrayal of the world. The use of perspective gave paintings an illusion of
depth by using vanishing points and reducing the size of objects in the distance. In
Masaccio's “The Tribute Money” the vanishing point exists behind the head of
Jesus, giving the entire scene a more realistic look. Uccello's scenes of battle
including his paintings of the “Battle of San Romano” exhibit his obsession with
perspective as a way to accurately portray reality. Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo developed chiaroscuro, the technique of contrasting light and dark, to
give objects roundness and depth. Sfumato, the technique layering of thin glazes of
paint, also allowed artists to more precisely illustrate nature. Both chiaroscuro and
sfumato are exhibited in da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”. Artists would also dissect corpses
in order to gain a better understanding of the human anatomy. The precise anatomy
of the body of Christ in Michelangelo’s “Pieta” was achieved in part through
Michelangelo’s dissection of corpses. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” also
shows the precise observation that artists devoted to the human body. The uses of
perspective, shading, and the study of human anatomy allowed for different methods
of illustrating reality.
Conclusion
Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring to specific works and artists
 For the conclusion (if you had time), include a setting sentence, then a sentence
for each subtopic, then a concluding sentence.
The new ideas of the Renaissance led to a flowering of a new Renaissance artistic
style in Italy. Philosophers of the Renaissance created a renewed interest in
ancient Greece and Rome known as humanism, so Renaissance artists attempted
to emulate the style of these ancient civilizations. Renaissance Italians also
believed strongly in individuality and in human strength, therefore artists
attempted to accurately portray individuals’ personalities and strengths. The
secular spirit of the Renaissance led to an increased emphasis on life on Earth, so
artists strove to imitate nature in their art. Thus, the changing European ideas
fostered by the Renaissance had a profound effect on the artistic styles of Italy.
HOWEVER: You will really only have time to rewrite
your thesis statement. 3-4 sentences, rewriting your
thesis, now that you have written the essay. Make it
better than your intro thesis. This is your last chance
to “wow” the reader of your essay.
Thesis Practice
Read and re-read the question, look at the directive, break down the layers then read
the thesis and decide if it fully answers the question.
 Analyze the aims, methods, and degree of success of the Catholic
Reformation (Counter-Reformation) in the sixteenth century.
The Counter-Reformation in Europe was implemented to halt the Protestant Reformation
and build back the power of the Catholic Church through education, clergy reforms, and
missionary practice. The Counter-Reformation was successful in saving the integrity of
the Roman Catholic Church, but it did not end Protestantism. Protestants had exploited
the faults of the Roman Catholic Church, and that was the first thing the counterreformation dealt with.
Good thesis, okay thesis, or bad thesis?
Good thesis: This thesis was part of an essay that earned a nine. According to the college
board this is a “clear and analytical thesis that establishes aims (respond to the Protestant
Reformation) methods (clarify doctrine, reform abuses) and outcomes (failure to stop
Protestantism or unite Europe)”
Thesis Practice
 Analyze the aims, methods, and degree of success of the Catholic
Reformation (Counter-Reformation) in the sixteenth century.
In response to the growing Protestant Reformation the Catholic Church used methods
such as religious orders to greatly salvage and further the image of the Church.
Good thesis, okay thesis, bad thesis?
Bad thesis: This essay went on to receive a two. “The thesis is weak”. Aims stated=to
greatly salvage and further the image of the church. This is an incoherent statement.
Methods=the church used methods such as religious orders. Degree of success=not
mentioned.
Thesis Practice
 Evaluate the changes and continuities in women’s public roles during the
Renaissance.
During the Renaissance the role of women in society changed from a domestic one to a
somewhat influential one. Many of the changes came about due to the change of society
at that time. Women became avid supporters of the arts, they also became educated
under the humanist movement and some even became influential on a grand scale such
as Catherine de Medici.
Good thesis, okay thesis, or bad thesis?
Okay thesis: This essay went on to receive a five. The thesis focuses on the changes
public roles of women. However, it misses half the question because it does not evaluate
continuities in women’s public roles.
Thesis Practice
 Analyze how Galileo, Descartes, and Newton altered traditional
interpretations of nature and challenged traditional sources of knowledge.
The Scientific Revolution brought about new ways of viewing the natural world. Three
men who challenged traditional interpretations of nature and knowledge were Galileo,
Descartes, and Newton. These three men did so through observations and innovations.
Good thesis, okay thesis, bad thesis?
Bad thesis: This essay went on to get a three. The thesis is awful. The author simply
repeats the question and does not add his own thoughts except for his vague comment
on “observations and innovations”
Thesis Practice
 Using examples from at least two different states, analyze the key features
of the “new monarchies” and the factors responsible for their rise in the
period 1450 to 1550.
Key features of the development of new monarchies from 1450-1550 included
pacification of the nobility, control of the church, increase in trade and economic
prosperity, as seen in the 15th and 16th century English and Spanish monarchies.
Good thesis, okay thesis, bad thesis?
Good thesis: this essay went on to receive a nine. The thesis fully answers the question
by identifying features of the monarchies that led to their rise (pacification of the nobility,
control of the church, increase in trade and economic prosperity) and by naming two
different states (England and Spain).