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

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.