SAQ Practice: Introduction
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “SAQ Practice: Unit 1,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeLearn about the short-answer questions (SAQs) that are assessments included on the AP® World History: Modern exam. Understanding what you’re supposed to do based on the prompts is an important first step to helping you succeed at this type of assessment.Process In this activity, you’ll begin to unpack what the SAQ prompts are asking on the AP exam. Not sure what an SAQ is? That’s OK—the first thing you’ll do is discuss that with your class. Here’s how the College Board describes SAQs: “Short-answer questions assess students’ ability to analyze patterns and connections between and among historical developments and processes using historical reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation, continuity and change).” The exam includes three mandatory SAQs: Question 1 has a secondary source text(s) stimulus; question 2 has a primary source text(s) stimulus; and question 3 has a primary or secondary source nontext stimulus. Each SAQ question really consists of three subquestions, all focused on the same topic. The image on the right is an example of what an SAQ with a primary source nontext stimulus looks like.Now that you have a better understanding of what a short answer question is, it’s time to start really understanding what those SAQs are asking! This may sound silly, but it can be a lot harder than it sounds. Thankfully, the exam structures all its SAQs in a similar way by asking you to either describe, explain, or identifya historical event or process. (Note: The College Sample SAQ from the 2017 released AP® World History exam.
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “SAQ Practice: Unit 1,” OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/2Board also refers to these words as “task verbs,” so if you see that language, this is what they’re talking about.) Strong SAQ responses do exactly what the task verb is asking and support the response with specific historical evidence.Once you’ve discussed these definitions with your class, take out the SAQ Practice: Introduction worksheet and work through it in small groups.Now, think about what the words describe, explain, and identifymean, and then share your ideas with the class. Your teacher will then share how the College Board defines these words. 1.First, rewrite the definition of the verbs describe, explain, and identifyin your own words. Be sure to keep the same meaning as the College Board definitions. Be prepared to share your definitions with the class.2.Second, rewrite some prompts in your own words. Be sure to keep the same meaning of the SAQ task verbs describe, explain, andidentify.3.Finally, practice your new understanding of the meaning of the task verbs describe, explain, andidentifyby matching SAQ prompts with responses on the worksheet.Once you’re done, reflect on which aspects of the verbs describe, explain, andidentifyyou found most challenging. Be prepared to discuss this with your class. Keep your notes so you can review them if your SAQ responses in later activities don’t get full scores.
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION WORKSHEET3Directions: Follow each of the steps below.Step 1Define describein an SAQ prompt using the College Board definition as your starting point. The College Board definition for describe is, “Provide the relevant characteristics of a specified topic.” Define explainin an SAQ prompt using the College Board definition as your starting point. The College Board definition for explain is, “Provide information about how or why a relationship, process, pattern, position, situation, or outcome occurs, using evidence and/or reasoning.”Define identifyin an SAQ prompt using the College Board definition as your starting point. The College Board definition for identify is, “Indicate or provide information about a specified topic, without elaboration or explanation.”
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION WORKSHEET4Step 2Rewrite the following SAQ prompts in your own words, making sure that you rewrite the task verbs describe, explain, andidentifyusing the College Board definition as your starting point.Prompt 1A)Identify ONE cause of the rise of Islamic states up to c. 1200.B)Describe ONE effect of Islam on ONE society in Africa and ONE society in Asia up to c. 1200.C)Explain ONE effect of an intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam up to c. 1200.
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION WORKSHEET5Prompt 2A)Identify ONE technological change that facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450.B)Explain ONE way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to political change.C)Explain ONE way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to cultural change.
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION WORKSHEET6Step 3Match each SAQ prompt on the left with the correct response to that verb prompt on the right. You can draw lines between boxes or cut them out to match them up!SAQ Prompt 1SAQ Response 11a) Identify ONE cause of the rise of Islamic states up to c. 1200.One effect of an intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam up to 1200 CE was the expansion of mathematical knowledge through the use of new mathematical concepts such as algebra and trigonometry. Muslim mathematicians invented trigonometry to determine the location of Mecca, the direction to which Muslims pray, in relation to any of the places Muslims migrated to in Afro-Eurasia.1b) Describe ONE effect of Islam on ONE society in Africa and ONE society in Asia up to c. 1200.One cause of the spread of Islam up to 1200 CE was the wide range of travel destinations by Muslim merchants and missionaries who were active in speaking about Islam along trade routes in Central Asia, trans-Sahara, the Indian Ocean, and across North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula.1c) Explain ONE effect of an intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam up to c. 1200.By 1200 CE, one effect of Islam on sub-Saharan Africa was the spread of the Islamic written language of Arabic, which enabled rulers in these societies to keep written records of their lineages and record oral traditions told by griots. One effect of Islam on Southeast Asia was the adoption of the faith, which facilitated trade as more merchants converted and traded using common customs and laws.
OER PROJECT: WH AP / LESSON 1.2 CLOSERSAQ PRACTICE: INTRODUCTION WORKSHEET7SAQ Prompt 2SAQ Response 12a) Identify ONE way that technological changes facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450.One way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to political change was in the rise of Swahili states in East Africa, which can be linked to the increase in the number of Muslim merchants traveling to and from East Africa and their support of Muslim rulers of the Swahili states.2b) Describe ONE way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to political change.One way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to cultural change was the development of the Swahili language, which mixed the Bantu languages of East Africans who came to the coast to trade with the Arabic spoken by Muslim merchants. 2c) Explain ONE way that trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 led to cultural change.One way the use of the Chinese compass facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean in the period 1200 to 1450 was that it helped make travel safer since the use of the compass and knowledge of the monsoon wind patterns led to fewer ships going off course and bringing the cargo to incorrect ports.