The Oral LEQ
In advance of the AP exam, you will prepare an “oral LEQ” for each of the following prompts.
On May 2nd and 3rd you and your partner may be selected to present ANY of the essay prompts (the
drawing of who will present and what they will present on will be done completely randomly). Notes are
NOT permitted to be used during the presentation (although you will be permitted 3-4 minutes to review
your notes and/or confer with your partner before you start).
 The “oral essay” should be between 5-7 minutes for partners and 7-10 minutes for groups of three
(you will be penalized for not reaching the minimum time limit and will be cut off at the maximum,
whether you have finished or not).
 The “oral essay” will be placed in the test category (worth 75 points) and, as on a written essay,
you will be graded on:
o The extent to which your partition/thesis specifically answers the essay prompt
o The quantity and quality of specific evidence you use to support your thesis
o The analysis of both the “why question” and the “effect question”
o Use of historical context
o Providing a synthesis example (extend or modify thesis, OR pull in analysis from
another time period OR pull in examples from another area of analysis (good place for
PERSIA, ie. If essay is on political, pull in social, economic, religious, etc. here)
o
o
o
Aligned to points rubric
How equitably you and your partner share the presentation
Staying within the time limit
In the development of your thesis and in finding specific evidence to support your thesis, you should
utilize:
 American Pageant (Your textbook)
 Amsco Preparing for the Advanced Placement US History Exam
 class notes and class readings
You ABSOULTELY should consult your fellow APUSH’ers as this kind of preparation lends itself well to
collaboration. I am available to help clarify what the question is asking but not to answer the questions for
you. You are welcomed and encouraged to ask me to look over any part of your planning – specifically
your thesis, the analysis that you develop, and the vocabulary that you use.
This is the type of assignment on which you WILL undoubtedly fail to succeed
should you wait until the last minute … so use the near month that you have to
appropriately prepare for May 2 and 3 (in doing so, you’re going a long way
toward preparing yourself for the AP Test).
As you work, you will see targeted skills noted with each question. This is to help you recognize what the question is
asking you to do, as the questions on the AP exam will. Remember: For Long Essay you will write one essay on the
AP exam. You will have two choices on that essay and both will come from the same skill area. One will be pre 1865
and the other post 1865. For example:
Choice 1: Some historians argue that the nature of slavery and the debates over slavery in the
United States dramatically changed between 1800 and 1848. Support, modify, or refute this
contention using specific evidence.
Choice 2: To what extent and in what ways did the conservation and preservation movements in
the late 19th century extend public control over U.S. natural resources? Support your answer with
specific and relevant historical information.
Both of these choices are asking you to assess Continuity & Change. Remember- for long essay you must:
o State a relevant thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question
o Support your argument with evidence, using specific examples
o Apply historical thinking skills as directed by the question
o Synthesize the elements into a persuasive essay that extends your argument, connects it to a different historical context, or
connects it to a different category of analysis
THE ESSAY QUESTIONS
Exploration and Colonization (1492 – 1763)
1. Compare and contrast the impact that political, economic, and social factors had on the development TWO of
the following regions: (Targeted skill=Comparison)
o The Spanish Colonies
o New England
o The Chesapeake
o The Middle Colonies
o The Southern Colonies
Revolution, Confederation, and Constitution (1763 – 1789)
2. Analyze how the ideas and experiences of the revolutionary era influenced the principles embodied in the
Articles of Confederation. (Targeted skill=Periodization)
3. Evaluate the extent to which the United States Constitution was a continuity from the Articles of Confederation
and to what extent it was a departure? (Targeted skill=Continuity & Change)
The Early Republic: Washington – Monroe (1789 – 1824)
4. Evaluate the extent to which the government of the Early Republic (1783-1800) showed both continuity and
change from its relationship with Great Britain during the Revolutionary Era (1763-1789) with regards to
political, economic, and constitutional issues. (Targeted skill=Continuity & Change)
5. “Presidents who have been notably successful in either foreign affairs or domestic affairs have seldom been
notably successful in both.” Support, refute, or modify this statement with reference to THREE of the
following: (Targeted skill=Comparison)
o George Washington
o John Adams
o Thomas Jefferson
o James Madison
o James Monroe
Age of Jackson, The Market Revolution, Reform (1824 – 1860)
6. "Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic
growth in the first half of the nineteenth century." Support, refute, or modify this statement. (Targeted
skill=Causation)
7. Evaluate the extent to which the Age of Jackson (1824-1840) was a turning point in the “role of the common
man.” (Targeted skill=Periodization)
Manifest Destiny, the Civil War, and Reconstruction (1848 – 1877)
8. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820 to 1861.
(Targeted skill=Periodization)
9. Evaluate the extent to which Reconstruction (1860 to 1877) was a constitutional, economic, and social turning
point. (Targeted skill=Comparison)
The Gilded Age (1865 – 1900)
10. Analyze the extent to which the following caused economic growth during the period from 1865 – 1900:
(Targeted skill=Causation)
o The role of the federal government
o Development in transportation
o Industrialists of the time period
11. Analyze the impact of industrialization on farmers and industrial workers in the Gilded Age (1865-1900) and
how both groups responded to this. (Targeted skill=Causation)
Imperialism, the Progressive Era, and WWI (1898 – 1919)
12. Compare the debates that took place over the American expansionism in the 1840s with those that took place
in the 1890s, analyzing the similarities and differences in the debates of the two eras. (Targeted
skill=Comparison)
13. Analyze the effectiveness of Progressive Era reformers in addressing problems of the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. In your answer, focus on the reform efforts in THREE of the following areas: (Targeted
skill=Periodization)
o State and federal government
o The workplace
o Living conditions
o Rights of women
o Rights of African Americans
14. "The United States entered the First World War not 'to make the world safe for democracy' as President Wilson
proclaimed, but to safeguard American interests." Support, refute, or modify this statement. (Targeted
skill=Causation)
1920s, Depression, New Deal, and WWII (1920 – 1945)
15. “War has frequently had unexpected consequences for United States foreign policy but has seldom resulted in
major reorientations of policy.” Discuss with reference to the first and second world wars, giving about equal
attention to each. (Targeted skill=Comparison)
16. “From 1790 to the 1870’s, state and national governments intervened in the American economy mainly to aid
private economic interests and promote economic growth. Between 1890 and 1929, however, government
intervention was designed primarily to curb and regulate private economic activity in the public interest.”
Assess the validity of this statement, discussing for each of these periods at least two major areas of public
economic policy. (Targeted skill=Periodization)
Unit 9: The Cold War and Modern America (1945 – 1991)
17. Analyze the ways in which the Cold War affected the foreign policies of THREE of the following:
(Targeted skill=Comparison)
o Harry Truman
o Dwight D. Eisenhower
o John F. Kennedy
o Lyndon B. Johnson
o Richard Nixon
o Ronald Reagan
18. Compare and contrast United States society in the 1920s and 1950s with respect to THREE of the following:
(Targeted skill=Comparison)
o Race relations
o Role of women
o Consumerism
o Literary developments
19. Analyze how the African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s displayed both continuity
and change from the period of Reconstruction. (Targeted skill=Continuity & Change)
20. Analyze the effects of the events and trends of the 1970s on the nation’s economic power and international
influence. How did they challenge America’s confidence in both? (Targeted skill=Causation)
21. Compare and contrast the patterns immigration and the responses of Americans to these immigrants in TWO
of these periods: (Targeted skill= Comparison)
a. 1820 to 1860
b. 1880 to 1924
c. 1965 to 2000
22. "Reform movements of the twentieth century have shown continuity in their origins, goals, strategies."
Support, refute, or modify this statement for ONE of the following pairs of reform movements keeping their
effectiveness in mind.
Progressivism and the New Deal
Woman’s suffrage and post-Second War War feminism
The New Deal and Great Society
(Targeted skill=Continuity & Change)
The Oral LEQ Presentation Rubric
Category
Multiplier
Total for Category
Thesis
X4
_____ / 20
Evidence/Vocabulary
X4
_____ / 20
Analysis(why/cause)
X3
_____ / 15
Analysis(sig./effect/synthesis)
X3
_____ / 15
Organization
X1
_____ / 5
Deductions for Time (3 points
for every 30 seconds under
time)
X1
Total
Comments:
Number of Points
(1-5)
_____ / 75