The Oral LEQ
DIRECTIONS: In advance of the AP exam, you will prepare an “oral LEQ” for each of the following prompts.
Starting on Wednesday, April 29th – May 4th, 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 2-3
minute to review your notes and/or confer with your partner before you start).
• The “oral essay” should be between 3 and 5 minutes (you will be penalized for not reaching the
minimum time limit and will be cut off at 5 minutes, whether you have finished or not).
• The “oral essay” will be placed in the Writing Assessment category (worth 25 points) and, as on a
written essay, you will be graded on:
1. The extent to which your thesis specifically responds to the essay prompt
2. The quantity and quality of specific evidence you use to support your thesis
3. The analysis of both the “why question” and the “effect question”
4. Use of historical context
5. How equitably you and your partner share the presentation
6. Staying within the time limit
o YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SYNTHESIS – allow it is good to practice
this skill.
In the development of your thesis and in finding specific evidence to support your thesis, you should utilize:
• By the People (Your textbook)
• class notes
• 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.
I will not collect any planning that is done; however, 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 time that you have to appropriately prepare for
April 29th (in doing so, you’re going a long way toward preparing yourself for the AP
Exam).
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:
§ The Spanish Colonies
§ New England
§ The Chesapeake
§ The Middle Colonies
§ The Southern Colonies
Revolution, Confederation, and Constitution (1763 – 1789).
2. 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?
The Early Republic: Washington – Monroe (1789 – 1824)
3. 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.
Age of Jackson, The Market Revolution, Reform (1824 – 1860)
4. "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.
5. Evaluate the extent to which the Age of Jackson (1824-1840) was a turning point in the “role of the
common man.”
Manifest Destiny, the Civil War, and Reconstruction (1848 – 1877)
6. Analyze the effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions in the period 1820 to
1861.
7. Evaluate the extent to which Reconstruction (1860 to 1877) was a constitutional, economic, and social
turning point.
The Gilded Age (1865 – 1900)
8. Analyze the extent to which the following caused economic growth during the period from 1865 – 1900:
§ The role of the federal government
§ Development in transportation
§ Industrialists of the time period
9. Analyze the impact of industrialization on farmers and industrial workers in the Gilded Age (1865-1900)
and how both groups responded to this.
10. Compare and contrast the beliefs of the Jacksonian Democrats with those of the Populists.
Imperialism, the Progressive Era, and WWI (1898 – 1919)
11. 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:
§ State and federal government
§ The workplace
§ Living conditions
§ Rights of women
§ Rights of African Americans
12. "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.
1920s, Depression, New Deal, and WWII (1920 – 1945)
13. “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.
Unit 9: The Cold War and Modern America (1945 – 1991)
14. Analyze how the African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s displayed both
continuity and change from the period of Reconstruction.
15. Compare and contrast the patterns immigration and the responses of Americans to these immigrants in
TWO of these periods:
a. 1820 to 1860
b. 1880 to 1924
c. 1965 to 2000
The Oral LEQ Presentation Rubric
CATEGORY
NUMBER OF POINTS
(0-5)
THESIS
EVIDENCE
ANALYSIS (why/cause)
ANALYSIS (sig./effect)
ORGANIZATION/
EQUITABLE
Deductions for Time
(1 point for every 30
seconds over or under
time)
TOTAL
Comments:
/25
Name: ____________
Name: ____________
The Oral LEQ Presentation Rubric
CATEGORY
NUMBER OF
POINTS
(0-5)
The Oral LEQ Presentation Rubric
CATEGORY
THESIS
THESIS
EVIDENCE
EVIDENCE
ANALYSIS (why/cause)
ANALYSIS (why/cause)
ANALYSIS (sig./effect)
ANALYSIS (sig./effect)
ORGANIZATION/
EQUITABLE
ORGANIZATION/
EQUITABLE
Deductions for Time
(1 point for every 30
seconds over or under
time)
Deductions for Time
(1 point for every 30
seconds over or under
time)
TOTAL
Comments:
/25
TOTAL
Comments:
NUMBER OF
POINTS
(0-5)
/25