CliffsNotes AP U.S. History with CD-ROM: 3rd Edition

Paul Soifer is chair of the history department at Yeshiva University High Schools of Los Angeles. Abraham Hoffman has taught AP U.S. History since 1982 in the Los Angeles Unified School District and has served countless terms as an AP reader for the U.S. History exam.

PART I: INTRODUCTION. Introducing the Advanced Placement U.S. History Examination. Format of the Exam. Subject Matter of the Exam. How the Exam Is Scored. Scoring the Multiple-Choice Section. Grading the Essays. Questions Commonly Asked about the AP U.S. History Examination. General Test-Taking Strategies for the AP U.S. History Examination. Hints for the Multiple-Choice Questions. Doing the DBQ. Answering the Standard Essay Questions. Hints on Writing Technique. Suggestions on Preparing for the Exam. Test Simulations. The Limited Research Paper. Two Historical Figures. Study Groups and Peer Review. PART II: ANALYSIS OF EXAM AREAS. Multiple-Choice Question Types. "What" Questions. The "Reverse" Multiple-Choice Question. The "When" Question. The "Multiple" Multiple-Choice Question. The Quotation Question. Tables, Charts, and Graphs. Maps. Political Cartoons, Photographs, and Artwork. Essay Question Types. Question Types for the DBQ. Assess the Validity DBQ. Sample Document-Based Question. Analysis of the DBQ Question and Documents. First Student DBQ Essay. Reader's Comments on the First Student DBQ Essay. Second Student DBQ Essay. Reader's Comments on the Second Student DBQ Essay. Question Types for the Standard Essays. Identification/Evaluation Questions. First Student Essay (Question 1). Reader's Comments on the First Student Essay for Question 1. Second Student Essay (Question 1). Reader's Comments on the Second Student Essay for Question 1. Other Examples of Identification/Evaluation Questions . Discuss/Describe Questions. First Student Essay (Question 2). Reader's Comments on the First Student Essay for Question 2. Second Student Essay (Question 2). Reader's Comments on the Second Student Essay for Question 2. Other Examples of Discuss/Describe Questions. Compare and Contrast Questions. Student Essay (Question 3). Reader's Comments on the Student Essay for Question 3. Student Essay (Question 4). Reader's Comments on the Student Essay for Question 4. Other Examples of Compare and Contrast Questions. Assess the Validity Questions. Student Essay (Question 5). Reader's Comments on the Student Essay for Question 5. Other Examples of Assess the Validity Questions. PART III: STUDYING UNITED STATES HISTORY. Reading United States History. The Textbook. United States History Survey Textbooks. How to Read a History Textbook. The Reader . Readers in United States History. Source Readers. Interpretative Readers. The Monograph and Historical Series. Scholarly Journals. Scholarly Journals in United States History. Other Regional History Journals. Field of Study Journals. Audiovisual Sources. Reference Sources. American History on the Internet. Historians and Their Work. The Varieties of History. Some Prominent American Historians. An Overview of United States History. Exploration and Colonization, 1492-1763. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on Exploration and Colonization. The American Revolution, 1763-1787. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the American Revolution. The Constitution and the Federalists, 1787-1800. Things to Know. The Structure of Government under the Constitution. Article I: Legislative Branch (Congress). Article II: Executive Branch (President and Vice President). Article III: Judicial Branch (Supreme Court). Article IV: Relations with States. Article V: Amendment Process. Article VI: Supremacy Clause. Article VII: Ratification of Constitution. Amendments to the Constitution. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the Constitution and the Federalists. Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracy, 1800-1840. Things to Know . Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Democracy. Sectionalism and Expansion, 1840-1860. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on Sectionalism and Expansion. Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the Civil War and Reconstruction. The Gilded Age, 1877-1900. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the Gilded Age, 1877-1900. The United States at Home and Abroad, 1896-1920. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the United States at Home and Abroad, 1896-1920. Prosperity and Depression, 1920-1940. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on Prosperity and Depression, 1920-1940. America at War, 1941-1945. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on America at War, 1941-1945. The United States As a Superpower, 1945-Present. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on the United States as a Superpower, 1945-Present. Contemporary America, 1945-Present. Things to Know. Key Terms and Concepts. Important Definitions. Readings on Contemporary America, 1945-Present. PART IV: FOUR FULL-LENGTH PRACTICE TESTS. Practice Test 1. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Answer Key For Practice Test 1. Answers and Explanations for Practice Test 1. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Practice Test 2. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Answer Key For Practice Test 2. Answers and Explanations for Practice Test 2. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Practice Test 3. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Answer Key for Practice Test 3. Explanations for Practice Test 3. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Practice Test 4. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions . Answer Key for Practice Test 4. Answers and Explanations for Practice Test 4. Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions. Section II: Essay Questions. Final Preparation. Before the Exam. Taking the Exam.