Transcript Essay Prompt

All AP essays are written in
response to an essay “prompt.”
Understanding what this
prompt asks you to do is the
first important skill you need
to acquire.

Sample DBQ prompt:
› Analyze changing conceptions of French
national identity and culture in the period
since 1960.

Sample free response prompt:
› Compare and contrast Enlightenment
and Romantic views of nature, with
reference to specific individuals and their
works.

The first thing you need to do is to read
the WHOLE prompt, every word of it. This
is especially true if the prompt is in two
sentences like this one. . .
› Compare and contrast Enlightenment and
Romantic views of nature, with reference to
specific individuals and their works.

The first mistake that many students make
is in reading and answering only part of
the prompt.

Having read the whole prompt, circle or
underline the VERBS. These words will
give you your task.
› Analyze changing conceptions of French
national identity and culture in the period
since 1960.

The important verb, and thus your task, is
in the second sentence: ANALYZE.

After finding the verbs, look carefully and
mark any CONJUNCTIONS and circle or
underline them. For instance
› Compare and contrast Enlightenment and
Romantic views of nature, with reference to
specific individuals and their works.

You must compare AND contrast these
periods to successfully complete the task.
Doing only one or the other will lower your
score.

Go back and look carefully at the VERB
in the prompt.

This word will tell you what you are
expected to do.

The following is a list of commonly used
verbs and explanations for the tasks they
indicate. These are verbs the College
Board has used recently.

Analyze
› Explain how AND why something occurred.
Any question that uses “how” and/or “why”
is an analysis question even if the word
“analyze” is not in the prompt.

Evaluate
› Which factor was most important. You
usually need to rank several events or factors
and specify which is most and which is least
significant.

To what extent
› This prompt frequently requires you to specify
a cause and effect relationship and then
state which causes were more important.

Compare AND contrast
› To do this correctly you need to discuss BOTH
similarities AND differences between two
events or periods. It is important to do both
in a balanced way without shortchanging
either.

Define any terms in the prompt that you
need to explain.

For instance, a recent essay prompt asked
students to analyze : “the ways in which
the expansion of the market economy and
new financial practices affected European
society.”

Jot down some “new financial practices”
and be prepared to explain how they are
new. Failing to do this will lower your score.

Clearly understand the time period in the
prompt.

If the prompt asks you to discuss
formation of overseas colonies between
1850 and 1914, you must include
information for the WHOLE time period.

You can help yourself do this by listing
information from the last 10 years of the
time period in the prompt FIRST, then
working backward with your details.

After you are clear as to your task (analyze,
evaluate, etc.) sketch out a quick, informal
outline of how you are going to proceed. This
is very important to guaranteeing that you
cover the whole prompt.

For instance, if you were writing the following
prompt. . .
› Compare and contrast Enlightenment and
Romantic views of nature, with reference to
specific individuals and their works.

You might jot down a
simple “outline” like
the one at the right

You would list things
that were similar in
BOTH periods

Then list the
differences in BOTH
periods

Your essay would
then have either four
body paragraphs as
indicated by the
circles
Enlightenment
similarities
differences
Romanticism


Or you might have
two longer and
more involved
paragraphs as
indicated by the
two ovals.
In either case, you
would have
organized your
thinking so that you
cover all of the
material you need
to cover to address
the prompt
completely.
Enlightenment
similarities
differences
Romanticism

Read the WHOLE prompt

Mark the VERBS and the CONJUNCTIONS in
the prompt

Think about that verb. What exactly are
you being asked to do. Consider the whole
prompt

ORGANIZE your thinking before you begin
writing