United States History: The Best Test Preparation for the Advanced Placement Examination

A NEWER EDITION OF THIS TITLE IS AVAILABLE. SEE ISBN: 978-0-7386-0624-8 Get the AP college credits you've worked so hard for... Our savvy test experts show you the way to master the test and score higher. This new and fully expanded edition includes a comprehensive review course of all the topics covered on the exam: the Colonial Period, the American Revolution, the U.S. Constitution, Westward expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Industrialism, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Vietnam Era, Watergate, Carter, and the New Conservatism. Features 6 full-length practice exams with all answers thoroughly explained. Includes CD-ROM software containing 3 of the book's tests as timed, computerized exams that provide actual exam conditions with controlled timing and question order. Your score and test performance are automatically calculated plus the program provides analysis of your performance with suggestions for further study. Follow up your study with REA's test-taking strategies, powerhouse drills and study schedule that get you ready for test day. DETAILS- Comprehensive, up-to-date subject review of every US history topic used in the AP exam- 6 full-length practice exams. All exam answers are fully detailed with easy-to-follow, easy-to-grasp explanations.- CD-ROM TESTware program containing 3 of the book's 6 practice exams to give you the closest thing to experiencing an exam live at a computer testing center.- Study schedule tailored to your needs- Packed with proven key exam tips, insights and advice SYSTEM REQUIREMENTSTESTware CD-ROM is both Windows and Macintosh compatible. > Suitable for any PC with 16 MB of RAM minimum, Windows 98 or later. > Any Macintosh with a 68020 or higher processor, 16 MB of RAM minimum, System 7.1 through 10.2x. TABLE OF CONTENTSABOUT OUR BOOK AND TESTwareABOUT THE TESTABOUT THE REVIEW SECTIONSCORING THE EXAMCONTACTING THE AP PROGRAMAP U.S. HISTORY STUDY SCHEDULEAP UNITED STATES HISTORY COURSE REVIEW 1 The Colonial Period (1500-1763)2 The American Revolution (1763-1787)3 The United States Constitution (1787-1789)4 The New Nation (1789-1824)5 Jacksonian Democracy and Westward Expansion (1824-1850)6 Sectional Conflict and the Causes of the Civil War (1850-1860)7 The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)8 Industrialism, War, and the Progressive Era (1877-1912)9 Wilson and World War I (1912-1920)10 The Roaring Twenties and Economic Collapse (1920-1929)11 The Great Depression and the New Deal (1929-1941)12 World War II and the Post-War Era (1941-1960)13 The New Frontier, Vietnam, and Social Upheaval (1960-1972)14 Watergate, Carter, and the New Conservatism (1972-2001)AP UNITED STATES HISTORY PRACTICE TESTSTest 1 Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersTest 2Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersTest 3 Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersTest 4 Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersTest 5 Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersTest 6 Answer SheetAnswer KeyDetailed Explanations of AnswersINSTALLING REA's TESTwareTechnical SupportUSING YOUR INTERACTIVE TESTwareAbout Research & Education Association AP US HISTORY EXCERPT ABOUT OUR BOOK AND TESTwareThis book - along with our exclusive AP U.S. History TESTware software - provides an accurate and complete representation of the Advanced Placement Examination in U.S. History. REA's comprehensive course review, frequently cited as the best on the bookshelf, and our six practice exams are based on the format of the latest AP U.S. History Exam. Each of our practice exams includes every type of question that you can expect to encounter when you take the AP exam. Following each REA practice exam is an answer key complete with detailed explanations. Our explanations are designed to contextualize he material so that it will stick with you and thus boost your command of the subject matter and the ins and outs of the AP itself. Our printed practice exams 4, 5, and 6 are also on CD-ROM are part of our interactive AP U.S. History TESTware. Taking the exams on the computer will afford you additional study features and the benefits of enforced timed conditions, individual diagnostic analysis of what subjects need extra study, and instant scoring. For your convenience, our TESTware has been provided for you in both Windows and Macintosh formats. Many features are included that you will find helpful as you prepare for the AP U.S. History Test. See page ix for our study schedule and guidance on how to gain maximum benefits from this book and software package. (For instructions on how to install and use our software, please refer to the appendix at the back of the book.) By studying our review section, completing all six practice exams, and carefully checking the answer explanations, students can discover their strengths and weaknesses and prepare themselves effectively for the actual AP U.S. History Examination. Teachers of AP U.S. History courses will also find REA's book and software to be an excellent resource in the classroom. In fact, many AP instructors use it as a supplementary text because it so comprehensively supports and addresses specific curriculum objectives for the course and exam. Our interactive TESTware software is an outstanding tool to help boost your students' test-taking confidence. For TESTware site-license information, point your Web browser to www.rea.com and click on Teachers' Corner. ABOUT THE TESTThe Advanced Placement Program is designed to allow high school students to pursue college-level studies while attending high school. The three-hour five-minute AP U.S. History exam is usually given to high school students who have completed a year's study in a college-level U.S. History course. The test results are then used to determine the awarding of course credit and/or advanced course placement in college. According to the College Board, students taking this exam are called upon to demonstrate systematic factual knowledge and bring to bear critical, persuasive analysis of the full sweep of U.S. history. This is why we make every effort to establish and build upon context for you, rather than encouraging rote memorization of disconnected facts. The AP U.S. History Exam is divided into two sections: 1) Multiple-Choice: This section is composed of 80 multiple-choice questions designed to gauge your ability to understand and analyze U.S. history from the Colonial period to the present. The majority of the questions, however, are based on 19th- and 20th-century history. This section tests factual knowledge, scope of preparation, and knowledge-based analytical skills. You'll have 55 minutes to complete this section, which accounts for 50 percent of your final grade. 2) Free-Response: This section is composed of three essay questions designed to measure your ability to write coherent, intelligent, well-organized essays on historical topics. The essays require you to demonstrate mastery of historical interpretation and the ability to express views and knowledge in writing. The essays may relate documents to different areas, analyze common themes of different time periods, or compare individual and group experiences which reflect socioeconomic, racial, gender, and ethnic differences. Part A consists of a mandatory 15-minute reading period, followed by 45 minutes during which you must answer a document-based question (DBQ), which changes from year to year. In Part B the student chooses to answer on two of the topics that are given. You will have 70 minutes to write these essays. The free-response section counts for 50 percent of your final grade. These topics are broken down into thirds: - Political Institutions (1/3rd)- Social and Economic Change (1/3rd)- Behavior and Public Policy, Diplomacy and International Relations, Intellectual and Cultural Development (1/3rd) The time periods covered are as follows: - Pre-Colonial through 1789 (1/6th of exam)- 1790-1914 (1/2 of exam)- 1915-present (1/3rd of exam) ABOUT THE REVIEW SECTIONThis book begins with REA's concise yet thorough 230-page review of U.S. history designed to acquaint you with the exam's scope of coverage. Our review covers these topics and historical time periods: - The Colonial Period (1500-1763)- The American Revolution (1763-1787)- The United States Constitution (1787-1789)- The New National (1789-1824)- Jacksonian Democracy and Westward Expansion (1824-1850)- Sectional Conflict and The Causes of the Civil War (1850-1860)- The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)- Industrialism, War, and the Progressive Era (1877-1912)- Wilson and World War I (1912-1920)- The Roaring Twenties and Economic Collapse (1920-1929)- The Great Depression and the New Deal (1929-1941)- World War II and the Post-War Era (1941-1960)- The New Frontier, Vietnam, and Social Upheaval (1960-1972)- Watergate, Carter, and the New Conservatism (1972-2001) SCORING THE EXAMThe multiple-choice section of the exam is scored by crediting each correct answer with one point and deducting one-fourth of a point for each incorrect answer. You will neither receive a credit nor suffer a deduction for unanswered questions. The free-response essays are graded by instructors and professors from across the country who come together each June for a week of non-stop AP essay grading. Each essay booklet is read and scored by several graders. Each grader provides a score for the individual essays. The DBQ is scored on a scale from 0 to 15, 0 being the lowest and 15 the highest. Each topic-based essay receives a score from 0 to 9. These scores are concealed so that each grader is unaware of the previous graders' assessments. When the essays have been graded completely, the scores are averaged-one score for each essay-so that the free-response section generates three scores. The total weight of the free-response section is 50 percent of the total score. Your work in the multiple-choice section counts for the other 50 percent. Each year, grades fluctuate slightly because the grading scale is adjusted to take into account the performance of the total AP U.S. History test-taker population. When used with the corresponding chart, the scoring method we present here will strongly approximate the score you would receive if you were sitting for the actual AP U.S. History exam. SCORING THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE SECTIONFor the multiple-choice section, use this formula to calculate your raw score: Number right - (number wrong x 1/4) = raw score (round to the nearest whole number) SCORING THE FREE-RESPONSE SECTIONFor the free-response section, use this formula to calculate your raw score: DBQ + Essay #1 + Essay #2 + = raw score (round to the nearest whole number) You may want to give your essays three different grades, such as a 13, 10, and an 8, and then calculate your score three ways: as if you did well, average, and poorly. This will give you a safe estimate of how you will do on the actual exam. Try to be objective about grading your own essays. If possible, have a friend, teacher, or parent grade them for you. Make sure your essays follow all of the AP requirements before you assess the score. The statistical formulations used by the AP Program preclude our REA practice-test scoring system from precisely replicating the procedures and determinations of the AP Program. Bear in mind that the cut-off point between each of the five AP grades typically shifts slightly from year to year. This occurs both because one year's exam cannot be expected to be exactly as difficult as another year's and because no two test-taker groups can be expected to be equally strong. THE COMPOSITE SCORETo obtain your composite score, use this method: 1.13 x multiple choice raw score = weighted multiple-choice score (do not round)2.73 x free response raw score = weighted free response score (do not round) Now, add the two weighted sections together and round to the nearest whole number. The result is your total composite score. See the range within which your score falls on this table to approximate your final grade: AP Grade / Composite Score Range5 / 114-1804 / 91-1133 / 74-902 / 49-731 / 0-48 These overall scores are interpreted as follows: 5-extremely well qualified;4-well qualified; 3-qualified, 2-possibly qualified; and 1-no recommendation. Most colleges grant students who earn a 3 or better either college credit or advanced placement. Check with your high school's guidance office about specific requirements. CONTACTING THE AP PROGRAMProspective examinees should download from the College Entrance Examination Board's Website or request by phone the free bulletin offering a general description of the AP Program, including policies and procedures as well as instructions on how to register for the AP Examination in United States History. Here's how to contact the College Board: Advanced Placement ProgramDept. E-22P.O. Box 6670Princeton, NJ 08541-6670Phone: (609) 771-7300Website: http: //www.collegeboard.com/ap