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Home > AP Courses and Exams > AP Exam Questions > The AP World History Exam The AP World History Exam More About AP World History... 2008-2009 AP Exam Formats AP World History Course Home Page Exam Content World History is one of the most recent additions to the roster of AP Exams. The exam was administered for the first time in May 2002. The AP World History Exam tests knowledge of topics included in a full-year introductory college course in world history. The exam highlights five over-arching themes: the interaction between humans and the environment; the development and interaction of cultures; state-building, expansion, and conflict; the creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and the development and transformation of social structures. The exam addresses historical habits of mind or thinking skills including constructing and evaluating arguments, using primary documents and data, assessing change and continuity over time, handling diversity of interpretations, recognizing global patterns, comparison within and among societies, and understanding human commonalities and differences. The multiple-choice section of the exam measures students' knowledge of world history from the Foundations period (c. 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.) to the present. Approximately 19 to 20 percent of the questions deal with the Foundations period, 22 percent cover the period 600 C.E. to 1450, 19 to 20 percent cover the period 1450 to 1750, 19 to 20 percent deal with the period 1750 to 1914, and 19 to 20 percent cover the period 1914 to the present. In the free-response section of the exam, students answer three questions: a document-based question; a question that deals with change over time and is focused on large global issues such as technology, trade, culture, migrations, or biological developments; and an essay question requiring students to compare a wider set of issues and focus on interactions of at least two societies. Multiple-Choice Questions For sample multiple-choice questions, refer to the Course Description.   AP World History Course Description (.pdf/520KB) New! Free-Response Questions Below are free-response questions from past AP World History Exams. Included with the questions are scoring guidelines, sample student responses, and commentary on those responses, as well as exam statistics. Free-Response Questions 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2009: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples and Commentary Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2008: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples and Commentary Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2007: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples and Commentary Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2006: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples and Commentary Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2005: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Scoring Commentary Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Grade Distributions 2004: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Scoring Commentary Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2003: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Scoring Commentary Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions 2002: Free-Response Questions Questions Scoring Samples Grade Distributions All Questions Scoring Guidelines Scoring Commentary Student Performance Q&A Scoring Statistics Sample Responses Q1 Sample Responses Q2 Sample Responses Q3 Grade Distributions Important Note: PDF Files The links to exam questions for this course are in Adobe® PDF format, and you will need to use the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® to view them. If you don't have Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher installed on your computer, choose the link for the Adobe Web site below for installation instructions. For help downloading and printing PDF files, choose the link "PDF Troubleshooting" below in "See also." See also... Exam Questions Index PDF Troubleshooting Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®

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