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AP European History Practice Exam 1 Answer Sheet
SECTION I, PART A
ANSWER SHEET
AP European History Practice Exam 1
SECTION I, PART A
Multiple-Choice Questions
Recommended Time—55 minutes
Directions: The multiple-choice section consists of 55 questions to be answered in a recommended time of 55 minutes. The sets of questions below refer to the attached primary source, secondary source, or historical text. For each question, select the one answer that best answers or completes the question and fill in the letter that corresponds to your choice on the answer sheet supplied.
Questions 1—3 relate to the following passage:
At last it seems to me that I have come to understand why man is the most fortunate of all creatures and consequently worthy of all admiration. . . . The nature of all other beings is limited. . . . Imagine! The great generosity of God! The happiness of man! To man it is allowed to be whatever he chooses to be!
Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, 1486
1. Pico della Mirandola was participating in which cultural movement?
A. The Renaissance
B. The Reformation
C. The Scientific Revolution
D. The Enlightenment
2. Pico della Mirandola believed that humankind was unique in what way?
A. Human beings have a soul.
B. Human beings know that they will die.
C. It is possible for human beings to go to heaven.
D. The potential of the human being is unlimited.
3. Pico della Mirandola rejected which of the following notions?
A. Man was a unique kind of creature.
B. God intended man to strive to achieve.
C. Man is unworthy of admiration.
D. Humans are God’s equals.
Questions 4—6 relate to the following petition:
The Scribbling-Machines have thrown thousands of your petitioners out of employ, whereby they are brought into great distress, and are not able to procure a maintenance for their families, and deprived them of the opportunity of bringing up their children to labour. . . . The number of Scribbling-Machines extending about seventeen miles south-west of Leeds exceed all belief, being no less than one hundred and seventy! And as each machine will do as much work in twelve hours, as ten men can in that time do by hand, . . . [And, as the machines do] as much work in one day as would otherwise employ twenty men, . . . [a] full four thousand men are left to shift for a living how they can, and must of course fall to the Parish, if not timely relieved. . . . How are those men, thus thrown out of employ to provide for their families; and what are they to put their children apprentice to, that the rising generation may have something to keep them at work, in order that they may not be like vagabonds strolling about in idleness? . . . Many more evils we could enumerate, but we would hope, that the sensible part of mankind, who are not biased by interest, must see the dreadful tendency of their continuance; a depopulation must be the consequence; trade being then lost, the landed interest will have no other satisfaction but that of being last devoured.
Leeds Woolen Workers Petition, 1786
4. This document can be used as evidence for which of the following?
A. The spread of revolutionary ideas among the British working class in the eighteenth century
B. The rise of the Luddite movement in Britain in the eighteenth century
C. The replacing of traditional laborers by machines in the industrialization of Britain in the eighteenth century
D. An increase in the use of child labor in eighteenth-century Britain
5. The sentiments expressed by the Leeds woolen workers illustrate which of the following historical trends?
A. The social effects of industrialization
B. The rise of nationalism
C. Imperial expansion
D. Cultural changes in a material age
6. The authors of this document made which of the following assumptions?
A. The introduction of machines did not increase economic productivity.
B. The economic well-being of the city and region was tied to its inhabitants having employment.
C. Having large families was economically advantageous.
D. The working class was lazy and tended toward idleness.
Questions 7—9 relate to the following excerpt from a poem:
Take up the White Man’s burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
. . .
Take up the White Man’s burden—
The savage wars of peace—
Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought . . .
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to naught.
Rudyard Kipling, The White Man’s Burden, 1899
7. Based on this poem, Kipling’s conception of the British imperial mission could best be summed up as which of the following?
A. A difficult but necessary task
B. A ruthless exercise of power
C. A glorious, religious responsibility
D. A hopeless task with no purpose
8. The poem describes which kind of attitude toward the native peoples who were under the rule or influence of the British Empire?
A. They are “exiled sons” of the British race.
B. While “savage,” they fight wars for the sake of a lasting peace.
C. They are ready for conversion to Christianity.
D. They are the product of a less-civilized and less-developed civilization.
9. It is generally acknowledged that Kipling fashioned The White Man’s Burden to address the subject of the American colonization of the Philippines, which the United States had recently won from Spain in the Spanish-American War. With that information in mind, what message can Kipling be said to be offering the Americans in this excerpt?
A. A reminder of the responsibility of advanced civilizations to bring the benefits of modern civilization to less-developed peoples
B. A warning to avoid the war and hardships of imperialism
C. An exhortation to Christianize the heathen peoples of the world
D. An ironic presentation of the sheer folly of imperialism
Questions 10—12 refer to the engraving below:
William Hogarth, Marriage à la Mode (The Marriage Contract), Plate 1, 1745
10. The scene depicted in the engraving refers to which manifestation of social change in the eighteenth century?
A. The marriage of older men to younger women
B. The liquidation of art collections by a cash-poor aristocracy
C. The combining, through marriage, of aristocratic status and bourgeois wealth
D. The movement to allow Protestant churchmen to marry
11. The engraving is an example of which of the following developments in eighteenth-century art?
A. Artists’ abandonment of realistic representation
B. Artists’ criticism of social practices through satire
C. Artists’ creation of flattering portraits for rich patrons
D. The continued development of landscape
12. Which of the following is an accurate summation of the kind of commentary Hogarth was attempting?
A. The practice of selling art to foreigners leads to cultural bankruptcy.
B. The practice of painting flattering portraits of the rich will be the death of true art.
C. The practice of economically motivated marriages of convenience is morally repugnant and bound to bring misery.
D. The marrying of aristocratic status to bourgeois wealth will solidify the future of the realm.
Questions 13—14 refer to the following quotation:
The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as equally true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful.
Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776—1788
13. The interpretation of the state of religious belief in ancient Rome by the eighteenth-century English historian Edward Gibbon might be offered as evidence for which of the following?
A. The clergy’s monopoly on academic scholarship in eighteenth-century Britain
B. The hatred of all things Roman by British scholars in the eighteenth century
C. The spread of religious skepticism among the educated elite of Britain in the eighteenth century
D. The lack of sources available to the eighteenth-century scholar for the study of ancient Roman civilization
14. Gibbon’s interpretation of the state of religious worship in ancient Rome could be best summarized how?
A. In ancient Rome, religious worship was decentralized and tended to vary with one’s social position.
B. In ancient Rome, religious worship was the source of much social tension and turmoil.
C. In ancient Rome, religious worship was homogeneous and highly centralized.
D. In ancient Rome, religious worship was revolutionized by the introduction of Christianity.
Questions 15—17 refer to the following map:
15. The map above was constructed by drawing a thin line for each voyage recorded in British trade ship logs between 1750 and 1800. As a result, the darker shaded areas record the most heavily traveled routes. Which of the following conclusions could be drawn from the evidence provided by this map?
A. British ships did not sail along the west coast of Africa during this period.
B. British ships did not sail the Atlantic Ocean during this period.
C. British ships did not sail the Pacific Ocean during this period.
D. British ships did not sail in the Indian Ocean during this period.
16. The information provided by the map could be used as evidence to support which of the following assertions?
A. British ships frequented a northwest passage through North American waters into the Pacific Ocean.
B. China was a frequent destination of British trade ships.
C. British trade ships frequented the Mediterranean Sea during this period.
D. A Triangle of Trade connected Britain, North America, and the west coast of Africa.
17. The information provided by the map could be used as evidence to support which of the following assertions?
A. British trade ships of this period reached trade ports in India by sailing southward around the horn of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.
B. British trade ships of this period transported slaves from western Africa to the New World.
C. British trade ships of this period reached India by sailing west through the Mediterranean Sea and through the Suez Canal into the Indian Ocean.
D. British trade ships of this period did not travel to India.
Questions 18—20 refer to the following passage:
The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles. . . . The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones. Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes, directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, 1848
18. Marx and Engels would be most inclined to view which of the following developments as a significant event in European history?
A. The War of the Roses
B. The French Revolution of 1789 to 1793
C. The Seven Years’ War
D. Britain’s Glorious Revolution of 1688
19. The Communist Manifesto can be understood as an example of the influence of which mode of modern European thinking?
A. The Oxford Movement
B. Materialism and economic determinism
C. Hegelian idealism
D. The rationalism of the Scottish Enlightenment
20. A follower of Marx and Engels’s view of history would argue that an all-out war between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat classes was
A. a destructive development that could be avoided through the study of philosophy.
B. a possibility that should be encouraged in order to foster progress.
C. an inevitable result of fundamental economic change.
D. an example of history repeating itself.
Questions 21—23 refer to the following quotation:
1848 was the decisive year of German, and so of European, history: it recapitulated Germany’s past and inspired Germany’s future. . . . Never has there been a revolution so inspired by a limitless faith in the power of ideas; never has a revolution so discredited the power of ideas in its result. The success of the revolution discredited conservative ideas; the failure of the revolution discredited liberal ideas. After it, nothing remained but the idea of Force, and this idea stood at the helm of German history from then on. For the first time since 1521, the German people stepped on to the centre of the German stage only to miss their cue once more. German history reached its turning-point and failed to turn. This was the fateful essence of 1848.
A. J. P. Taylor, The Course of German History, 1945
21. What is the subject of Taylor’s analysis?
A. The Industrial Revolution in the context of German history
B. The failure of the revolutions of 1848
C. The rise of the Nazi Party in Germany
D. The importance of the revolutions of 1848 in modern German history
22. Taylor argues that the most important effect of the political revolutions of 1848 was
A. the failure to bring about a change in the ruling class.
B. the demonstration of the power of ideas.
C. the discrediting of both conservative and liberal political ideology.
D. the creation of the idea of a modern police force.
23. Why might it be important to note that Taylor was writing his analysis in 1945?
A. A historian writing at the end of World War II might be inclined to look for, and find, the origins of perceived German belligerence.
B. A historian writing in 1945 would be dead now, and therefore, his analysis is irrelevant.
C. Historical analysis written in 1945 is “out of date,” and one should look for a more recent book.
D. A historian writing at the end of World War II would be looking for the origins of the Cold War.
Questions 24—26 refer to the following passage:
Perestroika [Restructuring] is an urgent necessity arising from the profound processes of development in our socialist society. This society is ripe for change. It has long been yearning for it. Any delay in beginning perestroika could have led to an exacerbated internal situation in the near future, which, to put it bluntly, would have been fraught with serious social, economic, and political crises.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World, 1987
24. What was Gorbachev’s primary justification for perestroika?
A. A restructuring of the socialist society of the Soviet Union was inevitable.
B. A restructuring of the socialist society of the Soviet Union would exacerbate the current situation.
C. A restructuring of the socialist society of the Soviet Union was necessary in order to avoid a crisis.
D. A restructuring of socialist society was necessary in order to avoid the collapse of the Soviet Union.
25. Gorbachev believed that
A. the problems that required perestroika were the fault of capitalist enemies of socialism.
B. the problems that required perestroika were internal to the development of socialist society.
C. a socialist society could not work.
D. a socialist society could not coexist with capitalism.
26. Gorbachev argued that which of the following was true?
A. The need for perestroika had come upon Soviet society suddenly.
B. The need for perestroika had been exaggerated.
C. The need for perestroika was long in the making.
D. The time for perestroika had passed.
Questions 27—29 refer to the following passage:
“It’s come! It’s posted at the district mayor’s office,” a passerby shouted at me as he ran. I reached the Rue Drout in one leap. . . . I read the message at a glance. . . . “The First Day of Mobilization Will Be Sunday, August 2 [1914].” . . . It was an announcement to a million and a half Frenchmen. . . . War! . . . Dead tired but exhilarated, I got back to [my newspaper’s office] and burst into the office of Georges Clemenceau, our chief. “What is Paris saying?” he asked me. “It’s singing, sir!” “It will be all right then,” [Clemenceau replied].
Roland Doregelès, After 50 Years, c. 1965
27. According to Doregelès, how did people react to mobilization?
A. Mobilization for war in 1914 was greeted with great skepticism in Paris.
B. Mobilization for war in 1914 was greeted with great skepticism all across Europe.
C. Mobilization for war in 1914 was greeted with great enthusiasm all across Europe.
D. Mobilization for war in 1914 was greeted with great enthusiasm in Paris.
28. From the passage, one may infer that Doregelès
A. shared Paris’s excitement about the advent of war.
B. was disgusted that his city should be excited about the advent of war.
C. was frightened that his city should be excited about the advent of war.
D. had grave doubts about France’s ability to win the coming war.
29. According to the passage, Clemenceau
A. was disgusted to hear that Paris was reacting with joy at the advent of war.
B. had grave doubts about France’s ability to win a war against Germany.
C. would one day serve as prime minister of France.
D. was relieved to hear that Paris was reacting with joy at the advent of war.
Questions 30—31 refer to the following passage:
For the catastrophe of 1914 the Germans are responsible. . . . Germany, in this matter, was unfortunate enough to allow herself (in spite of her skill at dissimulation) to be betrayed into an excess of candour by her characteristic tendency to go to extremes. Deutschland über alles. Germany above everything! . . . There you have the ultimate framework of an old but childish race.
Georges Clemenceau, Grandeur and Misery of Victory, 1930
30. Clemenceau demonstrated what feelings toward the Germans?
A. He blamed Germany for the Great Depression.
B. He blamed Germany for World War I.
C. He blamed Germany for World War II.
D. He blamed Germany for the Franco-Prussian War.
31. Clemenceau, referring to the German national anthem, concluded which of the following?
A. The Lyrics from the popular song Deutschland über alles (which eventually became the German national anthem) showed the reason Germany started the war.
B. The Lyrics from the popular song Deutschland über alles (which eventually became the German national anthem) were evidence of Germany’s aggressive attitude.
C. The reason Germany lost the war was that it was betrayed from within.
D. Germany provided the ultimate framework for modern warfare.
Questions 32—33 refer to the following quotation:
What is tolerance? . . . We are full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon our follies. This is the last law of nature. . . . Of all religions, the Christian ought doubtless to inspire the most tolerance, although hitherto the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.
Voltaire, Philosophic Letters on the English, 1733
32. Voltaire was participating in what cultural movement?
A. The Scientific Revolution
B. The Reformation
C. The Enlightenment
D. The Romantic Movement
33. From the quotation, what becomes clear about Voltaire?
A. Voltaire was an atheist.
B. Tolerance was a value of the Enlightenment.
C. Voltaire believed tolerance violated the laws of nature.
D. Voltaire believed tolerance was uniquely English.
Questions 34—36 refer to the following passage:
For a long time, educated Germans answered it in the positive, initially by laying claim to a special German mission, then, after the collapse of 1945, by criticizing Germany’s deviation from the West. Today, the negative view is predominant. Germany did not, according to the now prevailing opinion, differ from the great European nations to an extent that would justify speaking of a “unique German path.” And, in any case, no country on earth ever took what can be described as the “normal path.”
Heinrich August Winkler, Germany: The Long Road West, Volume 1, 2006
34. What does the passage indicate about the author’s point of view?
A. The notion of a unique German path in history has never been the prevailing public opinion in Germany.
B. Winkler advocates a Marxist view of German history.
C. There has been a long-standing debate in Germany about the existence of a unique German path in history.
D. The question of a unique German path in history has been answered once and for all.
35. Before 1945,
A. there was significant belief in a unique German mission in history.
B. almost no one believed in a unique German mission in history.
C. the historian Heinrich August Winkler argued that there was a unique German mission in history.
D. the historian Heinrich August Winkler opposed the notion that there was a unique German mission in history.
36. The belief that Germany had a unique mission in history
A. resulted from Germany’s defeat in World War II.
B. was unaffected by Germany’s defeat in World War II.
C. was proven correct by Germany’s defeat in World War II.
D. was discredited by Germany’s defeat in World War II.
Questions 37—39 refer to the following poster from Great Britain during World War II:
37. What is the overall message of this poster?
A. The wartime needs of Britain led to the conscription of women into the military.
B. The wartime economy of Britain required women to do factory work.
C. Women working in factories with men led to social change in Britain.
D. Wartime needs led to women joining the industrial workforce of Great Britain for the first time.
38. What change does the poster reflect?
A. Women were put in charge of factories in Great Britain during World War II.
B. Women made up a significant portion of the British military during World War II.
C. Women were happy to join the industrial workforce in Great Britain during World War II.
D. Women were involved in the production of munitions during World War II.
39. What was the purpose or focus of propaganda in Great Britain during World War II?
A. It focused predominately on minority groups.
B. It had the same goals as German propaganda.
C. It aimed at making women feel like they were an important part of the war effort.
D. It gave an unrealistic picture of the opportunities open to women.
Questions 40—42 refer to the following passage:
Having by our late labours and hazards made it appear to the world how high a rate we value our freedom, and God having so far owned our cause, as to deliver the enemies thereof into our hands: We do now hold ourselves bound in mutual duty to each other, to take the best care we can for the future, to avoid both the danger of returning into a slavish condition, and the chargeable remedy of another war. . . . In order whereunto we declare:
1. That matters of Religion, and the ways of God’s worship are not at all entrusted by us to any human power . . .
2. That the matter of [compelling] and constraining any of us to serve in the wars is against our freedom . . .
3. That in all laws made, or to be made, every person may be bound alike. . . .
Leveller Army Officers, An Agreement of the People, 1647
40. According to the passage, one may infer that the authors of the passage recently fought in which of the following?
A. The Seven Years’ War
B. The American War for Independence
C. The English Civil War
D. The Battle of Agincourt
41. What were the officers fighting for?
A. They were fighting for religious freedom.
B. They were defending the monarchy in the English Civil War.
C. They were fighting to establish a republic.
D. They were fighting for independence from England.
42. According to the authors, what was the end goal of the war?
A. To form a ruling body of England
B. To establish equality under the law in England
C. An end to hostilities
D. Abolition of slavery
Questions 43—45 refer to the following passage:
We have, by this perpetual and irrevocable edict, established and proclaimed:
“First, that the recollection of everything done be one party or the other . . . during all the preceding period of troubles, remain obliterated and forgotten, as if no such things had ever happened. . . .
“We ordain that the Catholic Apostolic and Roman religion shall be restored and reestablished in all places and localities of this our kingdom and countries subject to our sway, where the exercise of the same has been interrupted, in order that it may be peaceably and freely exercised, without any trouble or hindrance. . . .
“And in order to leave no occasion for troubles or differences between our subjects, we have permitted, and herewith permit, those of the said religion called Reformed to live and abide in all the cities and places of this our kingdom and countries of our sway, and without being annoyed, molested, or compelled to do anything in the matter of religion contrary to their consciences. . . .”
Henry IV of France, The Edict of Nantes, 1598
43. From the passage, one may infer that
A. Henry IV was a Catholic.
B. Henry IV was a Protestant.
C. before 1598, France had been free of religious conflict.
D. before 1598, France was stricken with religious conflict.
44. The Edict of Nantes proclaimed which of the following?
A. The Catholic Church in France was banned.
B. The Catholic Church could exist in France.
C. The Catholic Church is the one true Church.
D. The Catholic Church caused too much trouble and hindrance in France.
45. Henry IV proposed which of the following?
A. Banning Protestants from France
B. Allowing Protestants to be able to live peacefully in his kingdom
C. His own conversion to Roman Catholicism
D. His own conversion to Protestantism
Questions 46—48 refer to the following passage:
The assumption by a government of the office of Reliever-general to the poor is necessarily forbidden by the principle that a government cannot rightly do anything more than protect. In demanding from a citizen contributions for the mitigation of distress . . . the state is . . . reversing its function. . . . To enforce the fundamental law—to take care that every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man. . . . [But that] is quite a separate thing from insuring him satisfaction. . . .
The poverty of the incapable, the distresses that come upon the imprudent, the starvation of the idle, and those shoulderings aside of the weak by the strong . . . are the decrees of a large, farseeing benevolence. . . . When regarded not separately, but in connection with the interests of universal humanity, these harsh fatalities are seen to be full of the highest beneficence.
Herbert Spencer, Social Statistics: Survival of the Fittest Applied to Humankind, 1851
46. Spencer was an advocate of which nineteenth-century political philosophy?
A. Conservatism
B. Anarchism
C. Liberalism
D. Socialism
47. Which of the following best represents Spencer’s underlying belief?
A. He opposed the use of tax money to provide aid to the poor.
B. He challenged the government’s right to tax the people.
C. He believed that the government should do more than merely protect its people.
D. He believed that working people should unite for a common cause.
48. Spencer supported which social philosophy?
A. Utopian socialism
B. Social conservatism
C. Romanticism
D. Social Darwinism
Questions 49—52 refer to the following passage:
The principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes—the legal subordination of one sex to the other—is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement. . . . The masters of all other slaves rely, for maintaining obedience on fear. . . . The masters of women wanted more than simple obedience, and they turned their whole force of education to effect their purpose. All women are brought up from the very earliest years in the belief that their ideal of character is the very opposite of that of men; not self-will and government by self-control, but submission and yielding to the control of others. . . . If the general principle of social and economic science is . . . true, we ought to act as if we believed it, and not to ordain that to be born a girl instead of a boy . . . shall decide the person’s position through all life.”
John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women, 1869
49. Mill was an advocate of which nineteenth-
century political philosophy?
A. Socialism
B. Conservatism
C. Anarchism
D. Liberalism
50. Mill also advocated which of the following?
A. The abolition of slavery
B. The maintenance of a patriarchal social organization
C. The reform of women’s education
D. An end to arranged marriages
51. Mill subscribed to which view of human nature?
A. People are born evil and corrupt.
B. People are generally good and will do the right thing most times.
C. Men and women have natures that are substantially different from one another.
D. People are born tabula rasa—a blank slate.
52. According to the passage, Mill advocated which of the following?
A. The abolition of marriage
B. Equal opportunity for women
C. Social engineering of a better society
D. Social Darwinism
Questions 53—55 refer to the following passage:
As with a Commander of the Army, or leader of any enterprise, so it is with the mistress of the house. Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment; and just in proportion as she performs her duties intelligently and thoroughly, so will her domestics follow in her path. Of all of those acquirements, which more particularly belong to the feminine character, there are none which take a higher rank, in our estimation, than such as enter into a knowledge of household duties; for on these are perpetually dependent the happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family.
Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861
53. Beeton’s book treats which subject?
A. The role of women in army regiments
B. The running of a school for domestic servants
C. The running of a school for girls
D. The role of a woman in running her own domestic household
54. Beeton believed that
A. women were better suited than men for the task of household management.
B. women were better suited than men to run schools.
C. men were better suited than women for the task of household management.
D. men were better suited than women to run schools.
55. Beeton was prompted to write the book because of which of the following situations?
A. Women held considerable power and responsibility in the public sphere of social life.
B. Women were denied power and responsibility in the public sphere of social life.
C. Women held considerable power and responsibility within the domestic sphere of social life.
D. Women were denied power and responsibility within the domestic sphere of social life.
Go on to Section I, Part B. 
AP European History Practice Exam 1
SECTION I, PART B
Short-Answer Questions
Recommended Time—40 minutes
Directions: The short-answer section consists of three questions to be answered in a recommended time of 40 minutes. Briefly answer ALL PARTS of three of the following four questions. Answer Questions 1 and 2; then choose to answer either Question 3 or Question 4. Be sure to write in complete sentences; outlines, phrases, and bullets will not be accepted.
Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.
1. Answer Parts A, B, and C.
It is a truth which admits not a doubt, that the comforts and well-being of the poor cannot be permanently secured without some regard on their part, or some effort on the part of the legislature, to regulate the increase of their numbers, and to render less frequent among them early and improvident marriages. The operation of the system of poor laws has been indirectly contrary to this. They have rendered restraint superfluous, and have invited imprudence, by offering it a portion of the wages of prudence and industry.
David Ricardo, Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, 1817
a) Briefly explain ONE reason that the passage can be identified with classical liberalism.
b) Briefly describe ONE factor that explains the rise to prominence of classical liberalism at the time at which the passage was written.
c) Briefly describe ANOTHER factor that explains the rise to prominence of classical liberalism at the time at which the passage was written.
Use the passages below to answer Question 2.
By moon or star-light, thus, from my first dawn
Of childhood, did ye love to intertwine
The passions that build up our human soul
Not with the mean and vulgar works of man,
But with high objects, with eternal things,
With life and Nature, purifying thus
The elements of feeling and of thought
And sanctifying by such discipline
Both pain and fear, until we recognize
A grandeur in the beatings of the heart.
William Wordsworth, The Prelude
2. Answer Parts A, B, and C.
a) Briefly explain ONE aspect of Romantic thought as shown in the poetic excerpts.
b) Briefly explain ONE reason for the rise of the Romantic Movement.
c) Briefly explain ANOTHER reason for the rise of the Romantic Movement.
Answer all parts of either Question 3 or Question 4.
3. The causes and effects of European exploration and settlement in the Americas are many and varied.
a) Describe one cause of European exploration in the Americas during the period 1450—1648.
b) Describe one long-term effect of European exploration on indigenous peoples in the Americas.
c) Explain how Spanish patterns of colonialization created new social classes in the Spanish colonies.
4. Historians have frequently compared the French Revolution (1789—1799) and the Russian Revolution (1917—1924), arguing that they are fundamentally similar.
a) Explain ONE piece of evidence that supports the argument that the French Revolution and Russian Revolution are similar.
b) Explain ANOTHER piece of evidence that supports the argument that the French Revolution and Russian Revolution are similar.
c) Describe ONE piece of evidence that contradicts the argument that the two events are similar.
End of Section I.
AP European History Practice Exam 1
SECTION II, PART A
Document-Based Question
Recommended Time—60 minutes
Directions: The document-based section consists of one question to be answered in a recommended time of 60 minutes. The following question is based on documents 1—7 provided below. (The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise.) The historical thinking skills that this question is designed to test include contextualization, synthesis, historical argumentation, and the use of historical evidence. Your response should be based on your knowledge of the topic and your analysis of the documents.
Write a well-integrated essay that does the following:
• States an appropriate thesis that addresses all parts of the question
• Supports that thesis with evidence from at least six of the seven documents and your knowledge of European history beyond these documents
• Analyzes most of the documents in terms of their purpose, point of view, argument, limitations, format, intended audience, and/or social context
• Places your argument in the context of appropriate broader regional, national, or global developments
Question: Evaluate the extent to which the political ideologies that were dominant between 1800 and 1910 were comparable in their interpretation of the role of government within society.
Document 1
Source: Samuel Smiles, Self-Help, 1859
“Even the best institutions can give man no active aid. Perhaps the utmost they can do is to leave him free to develop himself and improve his individual condition. But in all times men have been prone to believe that their happiness and well-being were to be secured by means of institutions rather than by their own conduct. Hence the value of legislation as an agent in human advancement has always been greatly over-estimated.”
Document 2
Source: Joseph de Maistre, Essay on the Generative Principle of Political Constitutions, 1809
“One of the greatest errors of a century which professed them all was to believe that a political constitution could be created and written a priori, whereas reason and experience unite in proving that a constitution is a divine work and that precisely the most fundamental and essentially constitutional of a nation’s laws could not possibly be written.”
Document 3
Source: John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859
“. . . [T]he sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
Document 4
Source: Prince Clement von Metternich, secret memorandum to Emperor Alexander I of Russia, 1820
“Presumption makes of every man the guide of his own belief, the arbiter of laws according to which he is pleased to govern himself, or to allow someone else to govern him and his neighbors; it makes him, in short, the sole judge of his own faith, his actions and the principles according to which he guides them. . . . Placed beyond the passions which agitate society, it is in the days of trial chiefly that [monarchs] are called upon to despoil realities of their false appearances, and to show themselves as they are, fathers invested with the authority belonging by right to the heads of families, to prove that, in the days of mourning, they know how to be just, wise, and therefore strong, and that they will not abandon the people whom they ought to govern to be the sport of factions, to error and its consequences, which must involve the loss of society.”
Document 5
Source: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, 1848
“The proletariat will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degrees, all capital from the bourgeoisie, to centralize all instruments of production in the hands of the State, i.e., of the proletariat organized as the ruling class; and to increase the total productive forces as rapidly as possible.”
Document 6
Source: Eduard Bernstein, Evolutionary Socialism, 1909
“I set myself against the notion that we have to expect shortly a collapse of the bourgeois economy, and that social democracy should be induced by the prospect of such an imminent, great, social catastrophe to adapt its tactics to that assumption. . . . [T]he conquest of political power necessitates the possession of political rights; and the most important problem of tactics which German social democracy has at this moment to solve, appears to me to be to devise the best way for the extension of the political and economic rights of the German working classes.”
Document 7
Source: Peter Kropotkin, Anarchism: Its Philosophy and Ideal, 1898
“When we ask for the abolition of the State and its organs we are always told that we dream of a society composed of men better than they are in reality. But no; a thousand times no. All we ask is that men should not be made worse than they are.”
Go on to Section II, Part B.
AP European History Practice Exam 1
SECTION II, PART B
Long-Essay Question
Recommended Time—40 minutes
Directions: The long-essay section consists of one question to be answered in a recommended time of 40 minutes. Write an essay that responds to ONE of the following three questions.
Question 1: Evaluate the most significant social effects of the Industrial Revolution.
Question 2: Evaluate the most significant ways that the development of mass politics contributed to the New Imperialism of the late nineteenth century.
Question 3: Evaluate the most significant reasons for the role of art contributing to the “climate of opinion” in the twentieth century.
End of Practice Exam
Answers and Explanations
Section I, Part A: Multiple-Choice Questions
1. A. The reference to the pride and confidence in the abilities of man and the date of publication both tell you that this is a passage from a Renaissance thinker. B is incorrect because such pride would be frowned upon by advocates of the Protestant Reformation. C is incorrect because the passage does not refer to knowledge about the natural world and because the Scientific Revolution was a seventeenth-century phenomenon. D is incorrect because the Enlightenment was an eighteenth-century development.
2. D. The passage says that humans are the most fortunate creatures because, unlike other creatures whose nature is limited, a man is “allowed to be whatever he chooses to be!” A is incorrect because the passage does not mention a soul. B is incorrect because the passage does not mention man’s foreknowledge of death. C is incorrect because the passage does not mention heaven.
3. C. The passage explicitly says that man is worthy of admiration, thus one can easily infer that Pico rejects the notion that man is unworthy of admiration. A is incorrect because the passage states that man alone has an unlimited potential; thus, one may infer that Pico accepts, rather than rejects, the notion that man is unique. B is incorrect because one may infer from the passage that God, having given man an unlimited nature, intended him to strive to achieve, and because striving to achieve is a value of Renaissance humanists like Pico. D is incorrect because one cannot infer anything from the passage about humans’ ability to become the equal of God.
4. C. The petitioners are clearly objecting to the elimination of their traditional laboring jobs by the introduction of machines. A is incorrect because the petitioners are asking for a return to traditional modes of work. B is incorrect because there is no evidence in this document that the Leeds woolen workers were resorting to the violent destruction of machines that characterized the Luddite movement. D is incorrect because there is no evidence in the document for an increase in the use of child labor; rather, the document expresses concern about the loss of apprenticeship opportunities.
5. A. The replacing of workers and traditional labor techniques by machines was a prominent social effect of industrialization. B is incorrect because the document makes no reference to nationalist concerns. C is incorrect because the document makes no reference to the empire or its expansion. D is incorrect because the concerns of the document are about a specific social effect—the elimination of jobs, not broader cultural issues.
6. B. The document makes the argument that unemployment would lead to the depopulation of the region, which in turn would cause the collapse of the local economy. A is incorrect because the document explicitly acknowledges that productivity is increased by the introduction of machines. C is incorrect because the document makes no reference to the size of families. D is incorrect because the document is an appeal for continued work and mentions “idleness” only as an undesirable outcome of unemployment.
7. A. The metaphor of a burden and images of a “heavy harness” and “savage wars of peace” all indicate difficult but necessary work. B is incorrect because none of the images in the poem implies ruthlessness. C is incorrect because the excerpt contains no images that are glorious or religious. D is incorrect because, though the excerpt does refer to hopes coming to naught, the overall theme of a burden implies an important purpose that justifies the effort.
8. D. Phrases like “half-devil, half-child,” and “sloth and heathen” imply that these are peoples of a backward or less-developed civilization. A and B are incorrect because both of the lines they refer to are describing the British imperialists, not the people over whom the British are ruling. C is incorrect because nothing in the excerpt suggests that the natives are “ready” for conversion.
9. A. The excerpt contains both a message of responsibility and a warning about great costs. B is incorrect because the excerpt exhorts the Americans to “take up the . . . burden,” not avoid it. C is incorrect because the excerpt does not call for the Christianizing of other civilizations. D is incorrect because the poem is devoid of irony; it considers the burden of imperial rule to be heavy but not folly.
10. C. Hogarth was commenting on the phenomenon of cash-strapped aristocrats marrying their sons to daughters of wealthy bourgeois businessmen in order to ensure a combination of wealth and status in the next generation of the family. A is incorrect because the engraving depicts two fathers haggling over the details of marrying their son and daughter. B is incorrect because the subject of the engraving is not the sale of art. D is incorrect because the subject of the engraving is not churchmen marrying.
11. B. Hogarth was criticizing the practice of economically motivated marriage through a satirically humorous depiction. A is incorrect because the scene is depicted realistically. C is incorrect because the depiction of the aristocrats in the scene is not flattering. D is incorrect because the image is not a landscape.
12. C. The sight of two fathers treating their children as economic assets while the clergyman leers at the bride-to-be shows Hogarth’s moral repugnance. The mutual lack of interest shown by the future bride and groom foreshadows the misery that will follow (and which Hogarth depicts in the rest of this series of engravings). A is incorrect because the subject of the engraving is not the sale of art to foreigners. B is incorrect because portrait painting and patronage are not the subject of the engraving. D is incorrect because the scene depicted does not inspire confidence in the future of the realm.
13. C. There was a spread of religious skepticism among the educated elite in Britain in the eighteenth century, and the possibility of a skeptical and flexible attitude toward religion is implied in Gibbon’s interpretation. A is incorrect because Gibbon was not a clergyman, and the clergy did not have a monopoly on scholarship in eighteenth-century Britain. B is incorrect because the excerpt implies no hatred of Roman religious attitudes. D is incorrect because one can tell nothing about the sources available from the excerpt.
14. A. Gibbon’s interpretation refers to various attitudes toward religious worship that correlated with the social position of the worshipper. B is incorrect because Gibbon makes no reference to social tension or turmoil. C is incorrect because Gibbon refers to various kinds of religious worship, which implies the opposite of homogeneity and centralization. D is incorrect because Gibbon makes no reference to the introduction of Christianity in this excerpt.
15. C. There are no lines on the map that indicate British sailing routes in the Pacific Ocean. A, B, and D are incorrect because there are lines on the map that indicate British sailing routes along the west coast of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean, and in the Indian Ocean.
16. D. The dark shaded lines connecting Britain, North America, and the west coast of Africa indicate the existence of such a Triangle of Trade. A is incorrect because no lines travel through North American waters to the Pacific Ocean. B is incorrect because there are very few lines connecting Britain and China. C is incorrect because there are no lines indicating British trade voyages in the Mediterranean during this period.
17. A. The heavy blue shading shows a high frequency of British trade ship voyages southward, around the horn of Africa, and to India via the Indian Ocean. B is incorrect because the map offers no evidence for assertions about the cargo that ships carried. The map shows that no British trade ships sailed west through the Mediterranean Sea, and because the map indicates that there is no Suez Canal during this period. D is incorrect because the map clearly provides evidence for numerous voyages to India by British ships during this period.
18. B. Marx and Engels viewed the French Revolution as a significant effect of the economic change that created a powerful bourgeoisie. A, C, and D are incorrect because they are merely political struggles between members of a stable ruling aristocracy.
19. B. Marx and Engels’s belief that all history is the struggle of economic classes is materialist, and their belief in the inevitability of historical events as a reaction to economic change is an example of economic determinism. A is incorrect because the Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans in England whose members argued for the return to lost Christian traditions of faith. C is incorrect because, while Marx makes use of the Hegelian dialectic, he turns it on its head, emphasizing materialist, economic causes, instead of the role of ideas, in history. D is incorrect because the economic ideas of the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, such as Adam Smith, emphasized the importance of individual self-interest and action, whereas Marx emphasized the importance of economic classes.
20. C. Marx and Engels’s view of history was that class conflict and the events that manifested from it were the inevitable consequences of economic change. A and B are incorrect because the economic determinism that characterized Marx and Engels’s thought convinced them that class warfare was inevitable, not a possibility which could be avoided. D is incorrect because the excerpt does not say anything about history repeating itself, and because Marx and Engels did not believe that history repeated itself.
21. D. The quotation is discussing the discrediting of political ideology in modern German history as a result of the revolutions of 1848 and their failure to bring about significant change. A is incorrect because the quotation does not discuss industrialization. B is incorrect because the quotation is not offering an analysis of the reasons why the revolutions failed but of the effects of that failure on modern German history. C is incorrect because the quotation does not analyze the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany (even though there is an implied connection).
22. C. The quotation suggests that the most important long-term effect was the rise of “Force” as the only viable option in German political history, due to the discrediting of both the conservative and liberal political ideologies in the course of the revolutions of 1848. A is incorrect because, although the quotation notes that no change in who ruled was brought about in 1848, the thrust of the quotation is about the long-term effects of the revolutions of 1848 on German history. B is incorrect because, although the quotation notes that the early stages of the revolutions demonstrated the power of ideas, it argues that the long-term effect is a discrediting of that power. D is incorrect because the “Force” alluded to in the quotation is not a police force.
23. A. It is important to note the post—World War II context of a historical analysis that purports to find the roots of a German fascination with “Force” as a political ideology. B is incorrect because it is not the status of the historian, but the quality of his logic and evidence that one should consider. C is incorrect because, although the statement is in some general sense true, it is not particularly important to the reading of Taylor’s analysis. D is incorrect because, although the statement may be true, it is not at all relevant to Taylor’s analysis, which does not purport to find the roots of the Cold War.
24. C. The passage quotes Gorbachev as saying that perestroika (restructuring) was urgently necessary because delay would have exacerbated (worsened) the situation and led to crises. A is incorrect because the passage does not say that restructuring was inevitable. B is incorrect because the passage does not say that restructuring would exacerbate the situation, but rather that delay in restructuring would. D is incorrect because the passage does not go as far as to say that delay in restructuring would have caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.
25. B. In the passage Gorbachev states that the need for perestroika arose from the process of development in the socialist society in which he and his audience lived. A is incorrect because the passage makes no mention of capitalist enemies. C is incorrect because perestroika was meant to allow a socialist society to develop successfully, and because the passage makes no mention of the failure of socialism. D is incorrect because the passage makes no mention of capitalism.
26. C. The passage quotes Gorbachev as saying that the time for perestroika was ripe and that people had yearned for change for a long time. A is incorrect because the passage says that people had yearned for change for a long time, and because it says nothing about a sudden crisis. B is incorrect because the document says nothing about the need for perestroika being exaggerated. D is incorrect because the document says the time for perestroika is ripe, not that it has passed.
27. D. Doregelès recalled that the people of Paris (thereby indicating that it is the reaction of the people of that city) were singing (a sign of enthusiasm). A is incorrect because Doregelès recalled that the people of Paris were singing (a sign of enthusiasm, not skepticism). B and C are incorrect because Doregelès recalled that the people of Paris were singing; one can infer nothing, therefore, about the rest of Europe.
28. A. Doregelès says that he was “exhilarated” (excitedly happy) by what he had seen and experienced. B is incorrect because nothing in the passage indicates that Doregelès was disgusted. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage indicates that Doregelès was frightened. D is incorrect because the passage gives no indication about how Doregelès thought France would fare in the war.
29. D. The passage tells us that Clemenceau reacted by saying, “It will be all right then,” indicating that Clemenceau had some concern that the French public would react poorly. A is incorrect because nothing in the passage indicates that Clemenceau was disgusted. B is incorrect because there is nothing in the passage that indicates what Clemenceau thought of France’s chances in the war. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage indicates that Clemenceau would serve as Prime Minister of France.
30. B. World War I began in 1914, and the passage clearly states that Clemenceau blames Germany for it. A is incorrect because the Great Depression began in 1929. C is incorrect because World War II began in 1939. D is incorrect because the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870.
31. B. The passage indicates that Clemenceau believes that the chauvinistic lyrics of Deutschland über alles reveal the German aggressiveness that caused the war. A is incorrect because the passage does not offer an argument or an opinion about the reasons Germany started the war. C is incorrect because the meaning of betrayed in the passage is “unwittingly revealed” and refers to Germany’s intentions, not the outcome of the war. D is incorrect because the phrase ultimate framework refers to the German “race,” not to modern warfare.
32. C. The date locates the passage in the eighteenth century (the century of the Enlightenment), the phrase law of nature is a key phrase from the Enlightenment, and Voltaire is a famous Enlightenment philosophe. A is incorrect because the Scientific Revolution was a seventeenth-century phenomenon, and because Voltaire is associated with the Enlightenment. B is incorrect because the Reformation was a sixteenth-century phenomenon, and because Voltaire is associated with the Enlightenment. D is incorrect because the Romantic Movement was an eighteenth-century phenomenon, and because Voltaire is associated with the Enlightenment.
33. B. Voltaire is known to be an Enlightenment philosophe, and the quotation asserts the necessity of tolerance. A is incorrect because, although it criticizes the behavior of Christians, it says nothing about Voltaire’s religious beliefs (or lack thereof). C is incorrect because the quotation asserts that the imperfection of men is a natural law; it does not say that tolerance violates the laws of nature. D is incorrect because, although the quotation is from a letter praising English society, it does not say that tolerance is uniquely English.
34. C. The passage indicates that German public opinion on the existence of a unique German path in history shifted in 1945 and has shifted again “today” (when Winkler was writing in 2006); all of that indicates a long-standing debate. A is incorrect because the passage indicates that the prevailing public opinion until “today” held that there was some sort of unique German path in history. B is incorrect because there is nothing Marxist about the existence of public belief in a unique German path in history. D is incorrect because the passage says nothing to indicate that Winkler believed that the question has been answered “once and for all.”
35. A. In the first sentence of the passage, Winkler asserts that there was significant public belief in a special German mission. B is incorrect because, in the first sentence of the passage, Winkler asserts that there was significant public belief in a special German mission. C and D are incorrect because Winkler was not asserting or opposing anything in 1945; he wrote in 2006.
36. D. The passage indicates that Germany’s defeat in World War II (“the collapse of 1945”) led to a shift from asserting that Germany had a unique mission in history to a claim that Germany was unique in the way it had “deviated” from the rest of Western civilization. A is incorrect because the passage clearly indicates that public opinion on the existence of a unique German mission was changed by the collapse of 1945. B is incorrect because the passage clearly indicates that German public opinion on the question of its uniqueness was substantively affected by the collapse of 1945. C is incorrect because the passage indicates that public opinion was changed by the collapse of 1945, not “proven to be correct.”
37. B. One can infer from this World War II—era poster that the wartime economy required women to do factory work. A is incorrect because the poster does not indicate that women were being conscripted. C is incorrect because the poster indicates nothing about the consequences of women and men working together in factories. D is incorrect because nothing in the poster indicates that this was the first time that women were part of Great Britain’s industrial workforce.
38. D. The prevalence of tanks and aircraft seeming to emanate from the factory in the poster allow you to infer that women were used in the production of munitions in Great Britain during World War II. A is incorrect because one may infer nothing from the poster about who is “in charge” of the factories. B is incorrect because one may infer nothing from the poster about the proportions of men and women in the military. C is incorrect because one may infer nothing from the poster about the emotional state of the women working in factories.
39. C. It is clear that the goal of the poster was to make women feel like they were important to the war effort. A is incorrect because women were not a minority group in Great Britain during World War II. B is incorrect; although its assertion that British and German propaganda had similar goals is probably true, it cannot be inferred from this British poster alone. D is incorrect because factory work during the war was available to women (and because the poster asserts nothing more than that).
40. C. The phrase “late labours and hazards,” the reference to the delivering of the enemies of God into their hands, the date (1647), and the term “Leveller” all allow one to infer that the authors recently fought in the English Civil War. A is incorrect because the Seven Years’ War was fought from 1756 to 1763. B is incorrect because the American War for Independence was fought from 1775 to 1782. D is incorrect because the Battle of Agincourt was fought in 1451.
41. A. The demand articulated by the passage, “That matters of Religion, and the ways of God’s worship are not at all entrusted by us to any human power,” allows one to infer that the authors of the passage fought for religious freedom. B is incorrect because the Levellers fought on the Parliamentary side, not the side of the monarchy, and because supporters of the monarchy would not be demanding any of the things the Levellers do in the passage. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage mentions the establishment of a republic. D is incorrect because the Levellers were English, and because the passage mentions nothing about independence.
42. B. The phrase, “That in all laws made, or to be made, every person may be bound alike,” allows one to infer that the authors of the passage meant to establish equality under the law in England. A is incorrect because nothing in the passage indicates that the Levellers were demanding to form a ruling body of England. C is incorrect because, at the time the passage was written, hostilities in the English Civil War had already ceased, and because nothing in the passage indicates a demand for the cessation of hostilities. D is incorrect because the authors were army officers, not slaves (the word slavish in the phrase, “the danger of returning into a slavish condition,” is used as an analogy).
43. D. One can infer from the phrase, “the recollection of everything done by one party or the other . . . during all the preceding period of troubles,” that Henry is trying to put an end to religious conflict in France. A and B are incorrect because one can infer nothing about Henry IV’s own religion from the document. C is incorrect because the phrase, “the recollection of everything done by one party or the other . . . during all the preceding period of troubles,” clearly indicates that there had been religious conflict in the period prior to 1598.
44. B. The reference to the restoration of the Catholic Church anywhere where it had been interrupted allows one to infer that Henry IV was assuring the existence of the Catholic Church in France. A is incorrect because the reference to the restoration of the Catholic Church anywhere where it had been interrupted shows that Henry IV was not abolishing the Catholic Church. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage allows one to infer that Henry IV believed or asserted that the Catholic Church was the one true Church. D is incorrect because nothing in the passage allows one to infer that Henry IV believed or asserted that the Catholic Church had caused too much trouble and hindrance.
45. B. The phrase, “herewith permit, those of the said religion pretended Reformed to live and abide in all the cities and places of this our kingdom and countries of our sway,” allows one to infer that Henry IV intended for Protestants to be able to live peacefully in his kingdom. A is incorrect because the phrase, “herewith permit, those of the said religion pretended Reformed to live and abide in all the cities and places of this our kingdom and countries of our sway,” shows that Henry IV intended for Protestants to be able to live peacefully in his kingdom, not be banned from it. C and D are incorrect because nothing in the passage allows one to infer anything about Henry IV’s religious conversion.
46. C. The statement in the passage, “To enforce the fundamental law—to take care that every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man,” allows one to infer that Spencer was an advocate of nineteenth-century liberalism. A is incorrect because the passage makes no reference to the nineteenth-century conservative belief in the value of traditional customs and institutions. B is incorrect because nothing in the passage refers to the nineteenth-century anarchist belief that the government was the enemy of liberty. D is incorrect because nothing in the passage makes reference to the nineteenth-century socialist belief that competition should be replaced by cooperation.
47. A. The passage makes it clear that Spencer believed that to use tax money to aid the poor exceeded the bounds of the proper role of government and would do harm to the “universal interests of humanity.” B is incorrect because the passage does not challenge the right of the government to tax its people. C is incorrect because the passage explicitly says that the government “cannot rightly do anything more than protect.” D is incorrect because the passage makes no reference to people uniting.
48. D. The last paragraph of the passage articulates the basic belief of social Darwinism, that weeding out of the weak makes for a stronger, more prosperous society. A is incorrect because nothing in the passage makes any reference to the creation of the cooperative society called for by utopian socialism. B is incorrect because nothing in the passage refers to the upholding of traditional social customs called for by social conservatism. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage refers to the cultivation of emotion and sentiment called for by Romanticism.
49. D. The passage’s reference to “hindrances to human improvement” allows one to infer that Mill was an advocate of nineteenth-century liberalism. A is incorrect, because nothing in the passage makes reference to the nineteenth-century socialist belief that competition should be replaced by cooperation. B is incorrect because the passage makes no reference to the nineteenth-century conservative belief in the value of traditional customs and institutions. C is incorrect because nothing in the passage refers to the nineteenth-century anarchist belief that the government was the enemy of liberty.
50. C. The passage indicates that the cause of women’s submission to men is the nature of women’s early education; thus, one may infer that Mill advocated educational reform to reverse the condition. A is incorrect because the subject of the passage is the subjection of women; the word “slavery” is used metaphorically. C is incorrect because a patriarchal social hierarchy is based on the subjection of women; Mill’s passage is dedicated to ending the subjection of women. D is incorrect because there is no reference to the institution of marriage in the passage.
51. D. The passage’s notion that early education determines a person’s character is consistent with a tabula rasa, or blank slate, theory of human nature. A is incorrect because nothing in the passage refers to a corrupt or evil nature of human beings. B is incorrect because nothing in the passage implies that people are generally good or will do the right thing most of the time. C is incorrect because the passage indicates that the differences between the nature of women and men are a product of differing early educations.
52. B. Mill’s call, in the last sentence of the passage, for an end to a system by which gender decides a person’s opportunity in life allows one to infer that Mill advocated for equal opportunity for women. A is incorrect because the passage does not refer to the institution of marriage. C is incorrect because the passage does not mention social engineering. D is incorrect because the passage does not advocate the benefits of unbridled competition the way a social Darwinist passage would.
53. D. The references to the “mistress of the house” and “household duties,” along with the title, allow one to infer that the subject is the role of a woman in running her own domestic household. A is incorrect because the reference to a commander of the army is a metaphor. B is incorrect because the “domestics” referred to are household servants. C is incorrect because the topic of the passage is clearly the management of a household, not a school.
54. A. The passage’s reference to the importance of “acquirements, which more particularly belong to the feminine character” allow one to infer that Beeton believed that women were better suited than men for the task of household management. B and D are incorrect because the topic of the passage is not the running of a school. C is incorrect because the passage’s reference to the importance of “acquirements, which more particularly belong to the feminine character” allow one to infer that Beeton believed that women, not men, were better suited than men for the task of household management.
55. C. The reference in the passage to a mistress of the house being the “leader” of an establishment, and her assertion that the “happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family” were dependent on her doing her job well, allow one to infer that Beeton believed that women held considerable power and responsibility within the domestic sphere of social life (within the confines of the household). A and B are incorrect because the passage makes no reference to the public sphere of life (outside the confines of the household). D is incorrect because the reference in the passage to the mistress of the house being the “leader” of an establishment and her assertion that the “happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family” were dependent on her doing her job well allow one to infer that Beeton believed that women held considerable power and responsibility within the domestic sphere of social life (within the confines of the household), not that they were denied such power and responsibility.
Section I, Part B: Short-Answer Questions
Strategies
Remember the strategies discussed in Chapter 6 for the short-answer questions:
Step 1. Compose a topic sentence that responds to the question and gives you something specific to support and illustrate.
Step 2. Support and illustrate the assertion in the topic sentence with specific examples.
Question 1
a) Ricardo’s notion that state intervention on behalf of the poor (“the poor laws”) would only serve to increase the number of poor people identifies the passage with classical liberalism.
Classical liberalism asserted that there were laws of nature that governed economic markets and that any attempt by the state or society to interfere with the workings of those laws would only make matters worse. Specifically, Ricardo is writing in the tradition of Adam Smith, who argued in Wealth of Nations (1776) that there was an “invisible hand” that guided the economic activity of societies.
b) and c) Two factors that help explain the rise to prominence of classical liberalism in 1817 are the wide-ranging influence of the Enlightenment and the emergence of a fully commercial economy in Great Britain (where Ricardo wrote).
By 1815, Enlightenment works such as John Locke’s Essay on Human Understanding and Second Treatise of Government (both 1689) and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (1776), which propounded the existence of laws of nature and the need for constitutions that synchronized human law with natural law, provided a treasure trove of ideas that could be applied to new economic questions. By the second decade of the nineteenth century, such ideas were mined by a new generation of thinkers who were confronted both by the world’s most productive economy and a whole set of unprecedented social problems that came with it. Thinkers like Ricardo and Jeremy Bentham (who espoused utilitarianism, a strain of liberalism that argued that all human laws and institutions ought to be judged by their usefulness in promoting “the greatest good for the greatest number” of people) saw in classical liberalism an approach to social problems that embraced a tradition of rational scientific thought that could be adapted to new problems.
Question 2
a) One aspect of the Romantic Movement was its insistence on the importance of the cultivation of the senses, sentiment, and emotion.
Two examples of that aspect of the Romantic Movement are seen in the works of William Wordsworth. The roots of Romanticism are often traced back to the works of Rousseau, who argued that humans are born essentially good and virtuous but are easily corrupted by society. Wordsworth refers to the purity of Nature as opposed to the corrupt and “vulgar” experiences of society.
b) and c) Two reasons for the rise of the Romantic Movement are the emphasis on reason that dominated the writings of the Enlightenment philosophes and the changes wrought by the process of industrialization.
The works of Rousseau and Goethe explicitly assert the need for the cultivation of the senses, sentiment, and emotion as a remedy for the ruthless and soulless rationalism of the Enlightenment. Meanwhile, many of the Romantics explicitly offered the solace of nature as a remedy for the dehumanizing effects of factory work and urban living conditions, both of which they saw as arising from the excessive emphasis on reason in European society. For example, the works of the English poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge extolled the almost mystical qualities of the lake country of northwest England. Lord Byron and Mary Shelley concentrated on the corrupting effects of society on pure souls, again stressing the importance of Nature.
Question 3
a) Europeans exploring the Americas were motivated by the desire for personal profit. They were seeking a new route to Asia for access to the spice trade, first with Columbus’s voyages looking for a westward passage and later with England and France hoping to find a northwest passage to Asia. One could also include explorers like Coronado of Spain, who explored in the Southwest (today AZ, NM, TX, OK, and KS) looking for gold. Other possible answers could discuss the desire to spread Christianity, especially in Catholic Spain, as the Reformation took hold in Europe, or the desire for adventure and personal glory as a natural outgrowth of Renaissance ideals. One could also discuss political causes such as competition among countries for routes to Asia and access to resources. Students should be careful about mixing exploration and colonization. For example, a discussion of English Puritans seeking religious freedom is less directly related to the question of exploration and more directly related to settlement and colonization.
b) An effect of European exploration on indigenous people of the Americas is the sharp decline in population due to European diseases such as smallpox, to which they had no previous exposure and thus no population immunity. Other long-term effects might include the imposition of Christianity on Native Americans. Especially in the Spanish colonies, Catholic priests worked to convert Native Americans to the Catholic faith, often by force, destroying sacred objects and banning traditional ceremonies. Students could also point to lifestyle changes due to the Columbian Exchange, including the introduction of horses to the Native Americans on the Great Plains. Finally, students might respond that indigenous populations lost rights to their land and were forced to labor to benefit the Spanish under the encomienda system or were removed from their lands by force and by treaty by the English.
c) The original Spanish settlers were conquistadores, young men who came to conquer. They did not bring women or children at first. Consequently, they interacted with Native American women, creating a new social class called mestizos (mixed) with both Native American and European ethnicities. The original Spanish became the upper class called peninsulares, after the Iberian Peninsula. Those of Spanish heritage born in the colonies were criollos (creoles), and were just under the peninsulares. Other social classes developed in Spanish colonies that used African slaves (in the Caribbean, for example). Mulattoes had mixed African and European heritage.
Question 4
Historians have frequently compared the French Revolution (1789—1799) and the Russian Revolution (1917—1924), arguing that they are fundamentally similar.
a) A good response will identify how ONE piece of evidence supports the argument that the French and Russian Revolutions were similar.
b) A good response will identify an additional piece of evidence to support the argument that the French and Russian Revolutions were similar:
• Both countries were deeply in debt from wars. In France, these were due to earlier wars of Louis XIV, whereas in Russia, they were due to the burden of participating in World War I. Both countries responded to these debts by increasing the tax burden on lower classes like peasants and the bourgeoisie.
• Radicals in both nations were inspired by new political theories that seemed to justify transforming the political regime. French revolutionaries were inspired by the ideas of the philosophes in the Enlightenment, whereas in Russia, they were inspired by the ideas of Marxism.
• Women played pivotal roles early on in both revolutions. In France, women protested the shortage of bread by marching on Versailles and escorting King Louis XVI into Paris. In Russia, female factory workers, angry at having to stand in line for bread rations after long factory shifts, protested and encouraged a general workers’ strike.
• Both revolutions had middle-class factions that attempted to form moderate governments, before being taken over by more radical elements. In France, this was seen in the National Assembly, whose goal was establishment of a constitutional monarchy. In Russia, it took the form of the provisional government formed in March 1917, which embarked on a series of liberal reforms but intended to fulfill Russia’s wartime commitments.
• In both nations, revolutionary tensions were exacerbated by weak leadership in the form of Louis XVI in France and Nicholas II in Russia.
c) A good response will explain ONE piece of evidence that contradicts the comparison that the Russian and French Revolutions were similar, such as:
• The French Revolution ultimately resulted in few permanent political changes, including return of hereditary monarchy in the 1800s. In Russia, the political landscape was permanently changed with the execution of the entire royal family. Russia never again had a monarchy.
• A second difference can be seen in the attitudes toward foreign conflicts. In France, war with other countries like Austria was encouraged by some revolutionaries as a means of uniting the nation, whereas in Russia, the war turned people against the government.
Section II, Part A: Document-Based Question (DBQ)
Strategies
Remember the five steps to a history essay of high quality described in Chapter 7:
Step 1. As you read the documents, determine what they have in common and how they reveal different points of view.
Step 2. Compose a thesis that explains how these documents are linked in the way you have chosen.
Step 3. Compose your topic sentences and make sure that they add up logically to your thesis.
Step 4. Support and illustrate your thesis with specific examples that contextualize the documents.
Step 5. If you have time, compose a one-paragraph conclusion that restates your thesis.
Grouping the Documents
A question about politics or political ideology almost always lends itself to the construction of a spectrum. Begin by grouping the documents according to ideology. Outline the shared aspects of each group of documents and explain how those shared characteristics identify a particular ideology. Construct a spectrum and organize the groups along it. Finally, note the differences in the documents within each group to note the variation possible in each ideology. For speed and brevity, refer to the documents by their number.
Creating Your Outline
A possible outline to an answer to this DBQ looks like this:
Thesis: During 1800—1910 the political ideologies of conservatism, liberalism, and socialism created a vastly different approach to the role of government within society.
Topic Sentence A: The political ideology of conservatism focused heavily on traditional government that had long controlled Europe and worked to mitigate changes to that old order.
Specific Examples: In #2, de Maistre illustrates the conservative belief that written constitutions are unnatural. In #4, Metternich illustrates the conservative belief that traditional monarchy is the natural, time-tested and, therefore, proper form of government, and that monarchs must not yield to calls for reform.
Topic Sentence B: The political ideology of liberalism took a new lens on the role of government that focused on serving the people’s interests.
Specific Examples: In #1, Smiles illustrates the early liberal belief that only individual effort can better a person’s social and economic position. In #3, Mill illustrates the liberal position that the only legitimate role for government is to protect individual liberty. (Note: later in his career, Mill would speak for the utilitarian position that there is a role for government in improving social conditions.)
Topic Sentence C: Socialism interprets the role of government as one that should be further controlled by the people. It establishes a link to liberalism as it focuses on the interests of the populace, while further pushing back on the traditional lens of conservatism.
Specific Examples: In #5, Marx and Engels establish the position of scientific socialism, which argues that capitalism demands the exploitation of the working class, will inevitably crash, and that the workers should seize political power through violent revolution. In #6, Bernstein provides a corrective in the form of revisionism, arguing that capitalism’s collapse is not imminent and that the workers should participate in politics. In #7, Kropotkin argues through the lens of anarchism, which illustrates corruption of humanity through government and thus the government must be disrupted. This offers some similarity to the role of socialism and their view on capitalism within society. They stand as a disruptor to the long-standing structure that the ideologies of liberalism and conservatism offer.
Conclusion: The political ideologies of 1800—1910 posed incremental changes from one to another with conservatism holding onto traditionalism in the role of government within society, while socialism stretched furthest from the structures that were familiar to Europe at this time, but laid the foundation for future developments within the governance of nation states.
Section II, Part B: Long-Essay Question
Strategies
Choose the question for which you can quickly write a clear thesis and three topic sentences that you can illustrate and support with several specific examples. Then follow the formula to constructing a history essay of high quality.
Step 1. Find the action words in the question, and determine what the question wants you to do.
Step 2. Compose a thesis that responds to the question and gives you something specific to support and illustrate.
Step 3. Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
Step 4. Compose your topic sentences, and make sure that they add up logically to your thesis.
Step 5. Support and illustrate your thesis with specific examples.
Step 6. If you have time, compose a one-paragraph conclusion that restates your thesis.
And remember the pitfalls to avoid:
• Avoid long sentences with multiple clauses. Your goal is to write the clearest sentence possible; most often the clearest sentence is a relatively short sentence.
• Do not get caught up in digressions. No matter how fascinating or insightful you find some idea or fact, if it doesn’t directly support or illustrate your thesis, don’t put it in.
• Skip the mystery. Do not ask a lot of rhetorical questions, and do not go for a surprise ending. The readers are looking for your thesis, your argument, and your evidence; give it to them in a clear, straightforward manner.
Creating Your Outline: Question 1
Question 1: Evaluate the most significant social effects of the Industrial Revolution.
Thesis: The Industrial Revolution produced a western European society that was more urban, less family oriented, and filled with uncertainty.
Topic Sentence A: The rise of the centralized factory system that characterized the Industrial Revolution produced a western European society that was much more urban.
Specific Examples: In the eighteenth century, the majority of the British population lived in the countryside. By the end of the nineteenth century, the majority of the British population lived in cities. Examples include the rise of Manchester, Sheffield, and Birmingham from small villages to industrial cities.
Topic Sentence B: The Industrial Revolution created a western European society that was less family oriented.
Specific Examples: Eldest sons and daughters moved to cities to seek factory work. With the rise of industrial cities came the rise of working-class slums. Fathers, wives, and children often worked in different factories.
Topic Sentence C: The Industrial Revolution destroyed the certainties of traditional society.
Specific Examples: In the agricultural economy, there was no such thing as unemployment. As more and more machines were introduced, the demand for labor went down, and unemployment became a cyclical phenomenon. The rise of the workhouses and poor houses in Great Britain were responses to that unemployment.
Conclusion: The Industrial Revolution replaced the traditional, rural, family-oriented society of certainty with a new urban, individualized society of uncertainty.
Creating Your Outline: Question 2
Question 2: Evaluate the most significant ways that the development of mass politics contributed to the New Imperialism of the late nineteenth century.
Thesis: The development of mass politics contributed to the development of the New Imperialism of the late nineteenth century by creating a large group of nationalistic voters whose support had to be won by political elites.
Topic Sentence A: The second half of the nineteenth century saw a development of a large group of new voters.
Specific Examples: In Great Britain, reform bills of 1867 and 1884 created nearly universal manhood suffrage. In France, Louis-Napoleon granted universal manhood suffrage in 1848. In Germany, Bismarck promised universal manhood suffrage (though he never provided it) in return for popular support of his policies.
Topic Sentence B: The newly politicized masses were enthusiastically nationalist.
Specific Examples: Support for the Crimean War and the occupation of Egypt in Great Britain. Plebiscites for the Second Empire, making Louis-Napoleon emperor in France. Support for the Franco-Prussian War in Germany.
Topic Sentence C: Politicians discovered that imperialism appealed to the newly politicized masses.
Specific Examples: Disraeli made the Conservatives the party of “Church, monarchy, and empire” in Great Britain. Louis-Napoleon’s decision to end the republic and proclaim the Second Empire in France. Bismarck’s “blood and iron” unification of Germany. The popularity of the Scramble for Africa.
Conclusion: The rise of a large, nationalistic constituency that politicians had to win over contributed to the New Imperialism of the late nineteenth century.
Creating Your Outline: Question 3
Question 3: Evaluate the most significant reasons for the role of art contributing to the “climate of opinion” in the twentieth century.
Thesis: The twentieth century saw the arts determine the “climate of opinion” due to its ability to reach a broad public and influence the public’s reactions to current events.
Topic Sentence A: Visual arts—posters, editorial cartoons, paintings—are examples of artwork directed often at a public, and designed to elicit a reaction.
Specific Examples: War posters geared to promoting nationalistic fervor and patriotism. Editorial cartoons, often reflective of policy concerns, direction, and plans. Paintings that both show events, frequently from a particular point of view, and ideals.
Topic Sentence B: The performing arts—plays or films, for example—can reflect current events and policy concerns.
Specific Examples: Movies and plays can reach a broad audience and bring topics of current and ongoing interest to life. War is a topic common to both genres: The portrayal of the Battle of Agincourt in which a small English force defeated a larger and better equipped French force is portrayed as “glorious” in a 1940s film designed to whip up patriotic fever and in the 1980s film, which demonstrated a distinct post-Vietnam antipathy to war.
Conclusion: The arts can portray society as it is and society as it should be, giving audiences topics for common conversation and concern. They can serve as inspiration for subsequent policy movements.