AP US History — Practice Exam 1

Total: 55 points · ~1 hour 45 min. Section I: 15 multiple-choice (1 pt each). Section II: 1 short-answer question + 1 long-essay prompt (40 pts, condensed). Representative practice set.

Section I — Multiple Choice

1. The French and Indian War (1754–1763) ended with Britain (A) gaining French land east of the Mississippi (B) granting colonies independence (C) ceding Canada to Spain (D) losing all North American territory
2. The Proclamation of 1763 angered colonists because it (A) raised the tea tax (B) banned settlement west of the Appalachians (C) dissolved all assemblies (D) quartered troops in homes
3. The slogan "no taxation without representation" responded most directly to (A) the Homestead Act (B) the Embargo Act (C) the Sherman Act (D) the Stamp Act
4. The Declaration of Independence drew its ideas about natural rights primarily from (A) divine-right theory (B) John Locke (C) Karl Marx (D) mercantilism
5. A key weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress could not (A) run a post office (B) levy taxes effectively (C) declare war (D) sign treaties
6. Shays' Rebellion (1786–87) is significant because it (A) ended slavery (B) restored British rule (C) exposed the weakness of the national government (D) created the two-party system
7. The Great Compromise of 1787 resolved a dispute over (A) tariff rates (B) the national bank (C) representation in Congress (D) slavery's morality
8. The Three-Fifths Compromise concerned (A) ratifying treaties (B) dividing western land (C) counting enslaved people for representation and taxation (D) electing the president
9. The Federalist Papers were written to (A) abolish slavery (B) oppose the Constitution (C) declare independence (D) support ratification of the Constitution
10. Anti-Federalists secured the addition of the (A) federal income tax (B) national bank (C) Bill of Rights (D) standing army
11. The first two political parties of the 1790s were the (A) Federalists and Democratic-Republicans (B) Populists and Progressives (C) Whigs and Tories (D) Union and Confederacy
12. Washington's Farewell Address (1796) warned against (A) permanent foreign alliances and political factions (B) building a navy (C) westward expansion (D) public education
13. The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) were criticized chiefly for (A) restricting free speech and targeting immigrants (B) expanding voting rights (C) abolishing the army (D) lowering tariffs
14. Mercantilism held that colonies existed mainly to (A) become independent (B) govern themselves (C) trade freely with all nations (D) benefit the mother country's wealth
15. The shift from tobacco smallholdings to large sugar/cash-crop plantations worked by enslaved Africans is known as the (A) Industrial Revolution (B) Columbian Exchange (C) Market Revolution (D) Sugar Revolution

Section II — Free Response (condensed)

SAQ (~16 pts). Using your knowledge of the period 1754–1800:

• (a) Briefly describe ONE specific cause of growing tension between Britain and its colonies after 1763. (5)
• (b) Briefly explain ONE way the Articles of Confederation proved inadequate. (5)
• (c) Briefly explain ONE way the Constitution of 1787 addressed that inadequacy. (6)

LEQ (~24 pts). Evaluate the extent to which the ratification of the Constitution (1788) marked a turning point in the development of American government. Develop an argument with a defensible thesis, specific evidence, and reasoning (contextualization, evidence, analysis).

Answer Key (Section I)

FRQ scoring notes (abbreviated)

• SAQ: (a) e.g. Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, or Intolerable Acts — name and describe. (b) e.g. no power to tax → couldn't pay debts; no power to regulate interstate trade; Shays' Rebellion. (c) e.g. Congress gained the power to tax and regulate commerce; a stronger executive.
• LEQ: Reward a defensible thesis, contextualization (post-Revolution instability under the Articles), specific evidence (Great Compromise, Bill of Rights, new federal powers), and analysis of continuity vs change.

AP score guide (approx.)

Section I (15) + Section II (40) = 55 points. Map: 5 ≈ 70%+, 4 ≈ 58–69%, 3 ≈ 44–57%, 2 ≈ 32–43%, 1 ≈ below. Official cut scores vary.