AP World History
Mostly Everything You Need to Know About AP World History
Exam Outline
Section 1A: Multiple Choice
| Questions | Time | Exam Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | 55 minutes | 40% |
Section 1B: Short Answer
| Questions | Time | Exam Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 3 out of 4 questions | 40 minutes | 20% |
You can choose between Question 3 (which focuses on the period from 1200 to 1750) and Question 4 (which focuses on the period from 1750 to 2001) for the last question. No sources are included for either Question 3 or Question 4.
Section 2: Free Response
| Questions | Time | Exam Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 hour 40 minutes | 40% |
Recommended Time: 60 Minutes | 25% of Score
You’ll be presented with seven documents that give various perspectives on a historical development or process.
You’ll be asked to develop and support an argument based on these documents and other evidence from your own knowledge.
The topic of the document-based question will include historical developments or processes between the years 1450 and 2001.
Long Essay Question
40 Minutes | 15% of Score
You’ll have a choice of three questions; you’ll pick one to answer.
Each tests the same skills, but the questions focus on different historical time periods (either the period from c. 1200–1750, from c. 1450–1900, or from c. 1750–2001).
You’ll be asked to develop and support an argument based on evidence.
Course Content
Unit 1: The Global Tapestry, 1200-1450
1.1 Developments in East Asia
1.2 Developments in Dar al-Islam
1.3 Developments in South and Southeast Asia
1.4 State Building in the Americas
1.5 State Building in Africa
1.6 Developments in Europe
1.7 Comparison in the Period of 1200-1400
Unit 2: Networks of Exchange, 1200-1450
2.1 The Silk Roads
2.2 The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World
2.3 Exchange in the Indian Ocean
2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
2.5 Cultural Consequences of Connectivity
2.6 Environmental Consequences of Connectivity
2.7 Comparison of Economic Exchange
Unit 3: Land-Based Empires, 1450-1750
3.1 Empires Expand
3.2 Empires: Administration
3.3 Empires: Belief Systems
3.4 Comparison in Land-Based Empires
Unit 4: Transoceanic Connections, 1450-1750
4.1 Technological Innovations from 1450-1750
4.2 Exploration: Causes and Events from 1450-1750
4.3 Columbian Exchange
4.4 Maritime Empires Established
4.5 Maritime Empires Established and Maintained
4.6 Internal and External Challenges to State Power from 1450-1750
4.7 Changing Social Hierarchies from 1450-1750
4.8 Continuity and Change from 1450-1750
Unit 5: Revolutions, 1750-1900
5.1 The Enlightenment
5.2 Nationalism and Revolutions in the Period of 1750-1900
5.3 Industrial Revolution Begins
5.4 Industrialization Spreads in the Period of 1750-1900
5.5 Technology in the Industrial Age
5.6 Industrialization: Government’s Role from 1750-1900
5.7 Economic Developments and Innovations in the Industrial Age
5.8 Reactions to the Industrial Economy from 1750-1900
5.9 Society and the Industrial Age
5.10 Continuity and Change in the Industrial Age
Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization, 1750-1900
6.1 Rationales for Imperialism from 1750-1900
6.2 State Expansion from 1750-1900
6.3 Indigenous Response to State Expansion from 1750-1900
6.4 Global Economic Development from 1750-1900
6.5 Economic Imperialism from 1750-1900
6.6 Causes of Migration in an Interconnected World
6.7 Effects of Migration
6.8 Causation in the Imperial Age
Unit 7: Global Conflict, 1900-present
7.1 Shifting Power After 1900
7.2 Causes of World War I
7.3 Conducting World War I
7.4 Economy of the Interwar Period
7.5 Unresolved Tensions After World War I
7.6 Causes of World War II
7.7 Conducting World War II
7.8 Mass Atrocities After 1900
7.9 Causation in Global Conflicts
Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization, 1900-present
8.1 Setting the Stage for the Cold War and Decolonization
8.2 The Cold War
8.3 Effects of the Cold War
8.4 Spread of Communism after 1900
8.5 Decolonization After 1900
8.6 Newly Independent States
8.7 Global Resistance to Established Power Structures After 1900
8.8 End of the Cold War
8.9 Causation in the Age of the Cold War and Decolonization
Unit 9: Globalization, 1900-present
9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange After 1900
9.2 Technological Advances and Limitations After 1900: Disease
9.3 Technological Advances: Debates About the Environment After 1900
9.4 Economics in the Global Age
9.5 Calls for Reform and Responses After 1900
9.6 Globalized Culture After 1900
9.7 Resistance to Globalization After 1900