Write As Historian: WRITE AS A HISTORIAN: WRITE THE SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS

The supporting paragraphs in your long essay will demonstrate your skill in using evidence. They will also demonstrate your ability to follow a reasoning process and develop a complex interpretation of the prompt.

Use of Evidence Suppose your thesis is that imperialism and militarism are the two most significant causes of global conflict in the period 1900 to the present. To earn any points, you need to provide two examples of evidence relevant to your thesis—that is, directly connected to your topic. For example, you might point out that imperialism caused conflict not only between competing empires but also between the imperialists and the native peoples whose land they colonized. You might also note that militarism fed nationalist competition and reduced the gravity of warfare in the eyes of the public. For both points of evidence, you would include specific examples.

However, to earn the maximum number of points, you need to show how your evidence supports your argument. For example, you would need to point out that because imperialism touched nearly every part of the globe and disrupted so many native peoples, it was a far more significant cause of global conflict than other causes, such as European alliances. You would use examples to show the breadth of imperialist reach and the smaller sphere of European alliances. You might explain in a second paragraph that militarism was such a significant cause of global conflict because it was the force that made imperialism possible. You might also provide examples of the increasing power of military technology to inflict harm. Using such terms as because and for this reason will help you link your evidence to your argument.

Historical Reasoning and Complexity Your supporting paragraphs also need to show that you have framed your argument with historical reasoning— causation, continuity and change, or comparison. You can show this framing in your choice of key words as well as in the organization you use. For example, if you are comparing imperialism in Africa with imperialism in South America, you could organize your material so that you cover imperialism in Africa in one or more paragraphs and then move on to cover imperialism in South America, noting similarities and differences as you go. Or you might subdivide the topic of imperialism into such categories as its effect on social structures and its effect on economic matters and discuss both regions in each category.

To earn the most points, however, your supporting paragraphs must demonstrate a complex understanding of the historical development that is the focus of the prompt. You can show your complex understanding in many ways. You can explain both similarities and differences or address multiple causes and effects. You could make insightful connections across geographic areas and time periods. You could also use evidence from other sources to corroborate (verify), qualify (set limitations), or modify (revise) an argument that addresses the question. (See Write as a Historian in Topic 8.9 for more on these uses of evidence.)

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Application: Review the sample scored essays on the College Board website. Explain why each received the score it did for the use of evidence, historical reasoning, and complexity.

For current free response question samples, visit: https://apcentral. collegeboard.org/courses/ap-world-history/exam