APUSH Skills Walkthrough – Major Grade

Complete each of the following tasks to earn a test grade. For your own peace of mind, do not wait until the night
before to complete this process. You can succeed with careful attention to the directions and by accessing the
materials in the APUSH Skills folder.
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Task 1: Read the following SAQ responses; decide whether each response does what is required to earn the
point. Record your answers on the next page. If you opt not to use the answer page provided, please create a
similar setup on your own document.

The following SAQ prompt was supplied to students; their answers are below:

(A) Briefly describe ONE specific historical difference between the antislavery movement in the period
1780-1810 and in the period 1830-1859.
(B) Briefly describe ONE historical similarity between the antislavery movement in the period 1780-1810
and in the period 1830-1859.
(C) Briefly explain ONE specific historical effect of the antislavery movement in either the period 1780-
1810 or the period 1830-1859.

Student Answer A: “There aren’t too many differences between the antislavery movements of these periods.
Both time periods had people in them who wanted to abolish the institution, but definitely the people of the
second time period were more determined to get it done. People like Harriet Tubman led people on the
underground railroad, so the fact that an entire train was built in order to help people escape shows a huge
difference between the two time periods.”

Student Answer B: “In both time periods, religious organizations worked to promote the end of slavery by
contrasting it against Christian principles. From 1780-1810, the Quakers were the most well-known group to
speak out against the institution. From 1830-1859, members of other protestant groups such as Methodists,
inspired by the Second Great Awakening, worked to end slavery because it conflicted with religious
doctrine. In both cases, these religious groups and movements operated out of the North, underscoring the
fact that the North was far less reliant on slave labor.”

Student Answer C: “The primary effect of the antislavery movement’s efforts from 1830 to 1859 was that it
led to actions rather than conversations. Anti-slavery groups were gaining members, and the fear of the end
of slavery was so widespread that events such as Bleeding Kansas prompted both pro- and anti-slavery
people to flood into Kansas to vote on the state’s free/slave status. Groups of farmers who owned small
family farms formed the Free-soilers party, interested in abolishing slavery for economic and moral reasons;
this party became the Republican Party of Lincoln. Upon his election to the office of president, slave states
began the process of seceding, ultimately leading to the Civil War. The anti-slavery movement of the later
period was more effective than the one from 1780-1810.”
Task 1:
Student Response A: Circle or highlight your point choice. 0 or 1

Explain what is missing from or what is included in the response to warrant the score:

_________The information in this SAQ response is not very specific as they used casual and general words
like “second time period” “both time periods”. The one evidence they used was not described in detail and
lacked development and the reasoning for the evidence is insufficient. ______________________________

Student Response B: Circle or highlight your point choice. 0 or 1

Explain what is missing from or what is included in the response to warrant the score:

_____________This response is good as it meets all the requirements of a proper SAQ. They provided
specific evidence by including the different groups (Quakers and Methodists) that spoke out against the
institution of slavery along with proper commentary. The student also elaborated on their reasoning for the
evidence. They also provided SFI for both time periods which gives the reader more clarity.
________________________________

Student Response C: Circle or highlight your point choice. 0 or 1

Explain what is missing from or what is included in the response to warrant the score:

_______This is an excellent response to the SAQ as it offers proper SFI with complete and accurate
commentary. The student provides an in-depth explanation to the evidence they wrote, and they established
a proper line of reasoning. They provided relevant characteristics of the specified topic of the historical
effect of the antislavery movement in the period 1830-1859. They included SFI like the event of the
Bleeding Kansas and the formation of the free-soilers party. ______________________________________

Continued on page 3

Task 2: Multiple Choice Review

Directions: Read the following multiple choice questions. View the answers and explanations selected by
Steve Student. Which answer choices and explanations are valid? Which ones are not? Explain.
 Steve’s answers
1. “A: I chose A because it said that Whitefield was from Ireland, and Ireland has lots of Catholics in it.”
2. “B: I chose B because people were being exposed to religion in ways that didn’t involve sitting in a church, which
seems to promote more independent thinking, unlike what the Puritans had done. Also, this is happening during
the Enlightenment.”
3. “C: I chose C because the Enlightenment spread ideas, and Whitefield is moving from town to town spreading
religion.”

Task 2: Steve Student’s Multiple Choice Answers

For each of the three items, explain whether Steve’s answer and explanation are valid. If you think Steve’s answer is wrong,
identify the correct answer, and justify your choice.
1. ____Steve’s explanation for this question is not accurate and the correct answer for this question would be option C as
the trans-Atlantic exchange increased European exploration of good, livestock and religion. With mercantilism in
effect along with the Navigation Acts, the eastern hemisphere met the western hemisphere for the first time and
exchanged these new ideas from the old world to the new world. ________________________________________

2. ____I agree with Steve’s answer choice and explanation as they are valid with the question asked. It is true that it was
during the enlightenment period which promoted independent thinking and the use of reason. This was also the period
of the First Great Awakening which was a period when spirituality and religious devotion were revived. These both
events go in line with the assertion of “diversity of thought”. _____________________________________________

3. __________Steve’s explanation for this question is not right as it has a weak analogy. The correct answer would be
option D which is “the expansion of Protestant evangelism”. George Whitefield was an important preacher of the
Evangelical Revival in the Great Awakening. Since Whitefield was a popular priest of this time, he helped contribute
to the expansion of Protestant evangelism. ____________________________________________________________

Continued on page 5

Task 3: Analyze the following prompt and document; then decide which student most successfully uses the document
to support an argument related to the prompt. NOTE: The student excerpts are from the body paragraphs of their
essays, so you are not reading their original claims.
Dwight: “The American Revolution changed society by asking women to go to war. This means that lots of kids
were left home alone while their parents were off fighting. This is probably why so many people thought that
women should get the right to vote.”
Michael: “The American Revolution drastically altered society because it raised the question of natural rights;
however, once the war was over, people might have been free from an oppressive king, but rights were still not
granted to everyone. Women like the one depicted in the document aided in the war effort as spies and nurses, but
they had no additional rights when the war was over.”
Jim: “The war for American independence completely changed America’s view of women; like the one depicted in
the document, women fought to protect their homes from British invaders, and they were rewarded when the war
was over. Although it would be another 137 years before women got the right to vote, society treated them better
because they showed how important they were.”
Your decision:
_____Michael used the document successfully as evidence to support his argument. He provided proper
commentary related to the prompt. Michael’s statement is better than the others as Dwight does not mention the
document at all in his statement, and Jim only mentions how the American Revolution changed the view of women.
Michael also mentions what the country gained after independence and how the women were seen inferior again
even after their participation in the war. ____________________________________________________________