Please note that many tasks were constructed prior to Common Core and the task alignments to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were not identified in the task materials. To search for the performance tasks explicitly aligned to the CCSS, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), or College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards, please go to CCSS, NGSS, and C3 tabs.
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Plague Doctor This task asks that students source a painting of clothing worn by doctors in the 17th century in order to determine its usefulness in answering the question of what doctors wore when treating patients with the Plague. Students with a sophisticated understanding of how to source a document will be able to explain that the painting is useful in that it is based on information from a person who witnessed the plague in the 17th century. They will also observe, however, that the image might be limited as evidence of what doctors wore, because it is an artist’s interpretation rendered over two centuries after the account was recorded. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
AP World History 2012 Free-Response Questions |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
AP World History 2013 Free-Response Questions |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
AP World History 2014 Free-Response Questions |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Apartheid in South Africa This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to explain that the social conditions of apartheid grew out of racial oppression instituted during European colonial rule of South Africa. Strong students will also explain that social conditions like those depicted in the photograph led the United States Congress to impose economic sanctions against South Africa in an effort to bring an end to the policy of apartheid. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Appeasement at Munich This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to explain that the Munich Agreement can be seen in part as the result of the sanctions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. A strong response to the second question will explain that the Munich Agreement emboldened Hitler, which eventually led to the invasion of Poland. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
China's Cultural Revolution This task assesses students' knowledge of the past—but rather than measure rote recall of decontextualized facts, this assessment requires students to make connections across time and construct an argument about how events are connected. Students with a strong sense of the past will be able to identify that the poster promotes Maoist teachings and explain that Mao Zedong rose to power during the Chinese Revolution. Strong students will also note that the utter failure of the Great Leap Forward diminished some of Mao’s power and reputation. They will elaborate that this failure contributed to Mao’s initiation of the Cultural Revolution in an attempt to eliminate critics and win back popular support. Resources available for this task include downloadable PDF versions of both the assessment with source materials, as well as the Rubric containing benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Inca Fortification This task requires students to weigh the values and limitations of a document as historical evidence, as it relates to resistance against Spanish rule by the Inca. Students well-versed in sourcing a document will be able to explain that a photograph of a native Inca fort is useful in that it provides some evidence of Inca fortification against Spanish attacks. However, for Question 2, Students will also observe that the photograph was taken centuries after the Spanish conquest of Tawantinsuyu-and explain how that fact limits the its usefulness as evidence of how the Inca resisted Spanish forces. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Italian Atrocities This task requires students to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of a document as historical evidence. Students with a sophisticated understanding of how to source a document will be able to explain how a news article from the time period provides a useful contemporary account of Italian actions against the Ottomon Empire. They will also observe, however, that an international news report by a local American newspaper may contain biases and second-hand information which make it less useful as evidence of what really happened--and exemplifying American Imperialism. Resources provided include a rubric and scoring guide, a downloadable PDF of the assessment with excerpted primary sources, as well as links to the original sources via the Library of Congress. |
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Source Subject Grade Level |
Louis XVI This task requires students to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of a document as historical evidence. Students with a sophisticated understanding of how to source a document will be able to explain that Jefferson's memoir is useful as evidence of Jefferson's thoughts on Louis XVI's leadership and his observations while in France. They will also observe that Jefferson's memoir was written many years after his time in France, making it less useful as specific evidence about Louis XVI's leadership. Resources include PDF downloads of the assessment with source materials, and a rubric with benchmark descriptors. |
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