Summary
Highlights
The SAQ can come in two species: one with a stimulus (document or image) followed by three prompts (A, B, C), and another with no stimulus and only three prompts. Each prompt is typically worth one point, though occasionally a two-point prompt appears if it requires two responses. On the AP exam, students receive four SAQs and must answer three. Answers should be concise, around two to three complete sentences.
The first step is to thoroughly understand the stimulus and the prompt. It's crucial to read and mark up the prompts before looking at the stimulus to know what information to look for. When marking prompts, identify three key elements: the specific categories (e.g., economic, political) the question asks about, the relevant time period, and the historical thinking skill (e.g., causation) required for the answer. This ensures the answer stays focused and relevant.
The recommended formula for answering SAQs is TEAT: Topic sentence, Explanation of evidence, and Analysis. The topic sentence should be a single declarative sentence that restates the important parts of the prompt and names a piece of evidence. The explanation defines or elaborates on the evidence. The analysis then shows how the evidence proves the topic sentence and addresses the question's specific historical thinking skill.
Previously, for 'identify' prompts, a simple topic sentence was sufficient. However, recent AP World History scoring revealed that even for 'identify' questions, students were expected to explain the evidence to earn the point. To avoid being penalized by inconsistent scoring, it is now advised to use the full TEAT formula for every SAQ answer, regardless of the task verb (identify, describe, or explain), to ensure maximum points.