AP WORLD HISTORY EXAM REVIEW PACKET

Albert 36 Most Tested AP World History Exam Topics/Concepts:

Neolithic Revolution Hanseatic League Encomienda System

Mesopotamia Feudalism Manchus

Nile River Valley/Ancient Egypt Delhi Sultanates Thirty Years’ War

Hammurabi’s Code Foot Binding United Fruit Company

Sanskrit Constantine Vindication of the Rights of Women

Daoism 5 Major World Religions Anarchism

Greco-Roman Philosophy Marco Polo Opium Wars

Pathogens/Disease Joint-Stock Companies Montesquieu

Qanat System Mercantilism Green Revolution

Silk Roads The Atlantic System Ho Chi Minh

Tenochtitlan Cash Crops Military-Industrial Complex

Inca Roads Sikhism Pan Africanism

AP Exam Format: You do these things in this order:

 CHRONOLOGY: Try to use these acronyms to associate certain themes within time periods

Time Period 1: 8000 BCE - 600 BCE = D.A.R.T.H.

D. Domestication (of animals)
A. Agriculture (neolithic/agricultural revolution, specialization, settlements)
R. River Valleys (Nile, Indus, Yellow/Huang He, Tigris/Euphrates)
T. Trans-Regional Trade & Technology (trans-Saharan trade, Mediterranean, etc)
H. Hittites & Iron (technological advancements)

Time Period 2: 600 BCE - 600 CE = Quiet People Make Great Human Resources
Q. Qin
P. Persia
M. Mauryan & Mayan (NOT the same thing….different continents!)
G. Gupta & Greek City-states
H. Han
R. Rome

Time Period 3: 600 CE - 1450 CE = T.I.M.B.E.R.

T. Tang/Song
I. Islam & Incas
M. Mongols & Mali
B. Byzantine
E. Europe
R. Regionalized (as in the world has “spheres” that communicate with each other)

Time Period 4: 1450 CE - 1750 CE = G.E.R.M.S.

G. Gunpowder Empires
E. Exchange & Exploration
R. Renaissance & Reformation
M. Ming
S. Silver, Sugar, Slavery

Time Period 5: 1750 CE - 1900 CE = R.A.I.S.I.N.G.

R. Revolutions (French, Haitian, American, Latin American, Russian, Industrial, etc)
A. Abolition (anti-slavery)
I. Industrialization
S. Social Darwinism & Spheres of Influence
I. Imperialism
N. Nationalism
G. Global Migrations
ING = Qing!

Time Period 6: 1900 CE - Present = D.I.C.E.

D. Decolonization
I. Innovations & Integration
C. Conflicts & Communism (World Wars, Cold War, Communism)
E. Environmental Issues & Economic Integration (climate change & globalization)
Major World Religions Comparison
 Confucianism/Daoism/Legalism:

AP World History Geographic Regions Per Collegeboard:

Short Answer Questions Strategy: ACE

A: Answer the question directly. Re-state a small portion of the prompt in your first sentence, and finish that sentence with
whatever YOUR answer is.
C: Cite a piece of evidence or an example that supports your answer. Be specific. Try to include who/what/when/where.
E: Explain HOW or WHY this example is useful in correctly answering the question. Try to use phrases like “this proves”
or “this demonstrates.”
EACH PORTION OF THE SAQ ANSWERS SHOULD BE 2-3 SENTENCES IN LENGTH MINIMUM
 DBQ and LEQs:
Refer to your rubrics in the handouts section of your binder.
YOU WILL NOT GET A RUBRIC ON TEST DAY.
Strategize your points for what you are most confident in. If you aren’t capable of making a 7/7 or a 6/6, just try to focus on
the points you are confident in and MAKE SURE you earn them on test day. It is a good idea to come up with a
breakdown of the rubrics that you can jot down on your test materials to tally up how many documents you are using, how
many pieces of EBD you are using, etc.

Thesis Formula and Essay Structure:

Although (x), in fact (y), because (a), (b), and (c)
Can be one OR two sentences! But not three or more.
“Although (x)” should be a specific COUNTERARGUMENT that someone could make about this prompt
“In fact (y)” should be YOUR ARGUMENT - what YOU are going to talk about in the essay
“(a) (b) and (c)" are your reasons/examples/categories that answer the prompt.
“(a) (b) and (c)" will structure the topics of your body paragraphs.
If you only have an (a) and a (b) that is okay.
Your intro paragraph needs to include THESIS and CONTEXTUALIZATION in either order you prefer.
You can include HAPPY analysis anywhere in the essay that makes the most sense to you.
Remember there isn’t much point in a conclusion paragraph unless you are going for the last ANALYSIS point where you
demonstrate a complex understanding of the topic by extending it into another region/time period or relating it to other
examples throughout history in detail.

SFI: Specific Factual Information

What it is: Detailed facts or examples that relate to your essay prompt or thesis/argument.
How detailed does it need to be? VERY. Try to include who/what/when/where/why in your description.
NOT SFI: Explorers like Columbus discovered most of the New World in the 1500s.
SFI: Christopher Columbus is an example of a 15th century European explorer that “discovered” areas of the New World
previously inhabited by indigenous peoples, such as the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. Often these areas were
then exploited for European profit gains after he realized crops like sugarcane grew easily in these tropical areas.

Vocabulary: Key “isms”

absolutism doctrine of government by a single absolute ruler; autocracy

aestheticism doctrine that beauty is central to other moral principles

anarchism doctrine that all governments should be abolished

animism attribution of soul to inanimate objects

anthropomorphism attribution of human qualities to non-human things

antidisestablishmentarianism doctrine opposed to removing Church of England's official religion status

asceticism doctrine that self-denial of the body permits spiritual enlightenment

capitalism doctrine that private ownership and free markets should govern economies

catastrophism belief in rapid geological and biological change

collectivism doctrine of communal control of means of production

communism theory of classless society in which individuals cannot own property

Confucianism Chinese belief system that stresses merit through education; popular during the
Han dynasty

conservatism belief in maintaining political and social traditions

constructivism belief that knowledge and reality do not have an objective value

Daoism Chinese belief emphasizing oneness with nature and humanity

deism belief in God but rejection of religion

determinism doctrine that events are predetermined by preceding events or laws

dualism doctrine that the universe is controlled by one good and one evil force

egalitarianism belief that humans ought to be equal in rights and privileges

empiricism doctrine that the experience of the senses is the only source of knowledge

Fascism Political philosophy that often stresses nation and race above the individual;
usually ruled by a dictatorial leader

fatalism doctrine that events are fixed and humans are powerless

geocentrism belief that Earth is the centre of the universe

historicism belief that all phenomena are historically determined

idealism belief that our experiences of the world consist of ideas

individualism belief that individual interests and rights are paramount

legalism Chinese belief that salvation depends on strict adherence to the law

liberalism doctrine of social change and tolerance

libertarianism doctrine that personal liberty is the highest value

Marxism System created by Marx; focuses on who owns the means of production;
inspiration for socialism/communism

monotheism belief in only one God

nationalism belief that your nation is superior to others; feeling of belonging to a group

naturalism belief that the world can be explained in terms of natural forces

polytheism belief in multiple deities or gods

racism belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities

rationalism belief that reason is the fundamental source of knowledge

realism doctrine that objects of cognition are real

republicanism belief that a republic is the best form of government

self-determinism doctrine that the actions of a self are determined by itself

sexism belief in systematic inequalities between the sexes

socialism doctrine of centralized state control of wealth and property

Stoicism belief in indifference to pleasure or pain

a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete

Totalitarianism subservience to the state

transcendentalism theory that emphasizes that which transcends perception

utilitarianism belief that utility of actions determines moral value

Islamic Caliphates:

Sample Essay Prompts:

Google “AP World History Sample ___ Prompt” (DBQ, LEQ, or SAQ) and you will see lots of results!

Review Movies/Videos to take note of:

BBC Documentary Series called “Civilizations” available for purchase on Youtube & Amazon
AP World History Period Review videos by Stephanie Gorges on Youtube
AP World History Key Concept Review videos by Patrick Lasseter on Youtube
“Fiveable” AP World Review videos on Youtube
Crash Course World History on Youtube
Khan Academy Videos/Materials
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