00R_AP_World_History_Redesigned_Sample_Questions_2017 - Sample Questions

Sep 20, 2026

Sample Questions for the Redesigned AP World History Course (as of August 2017), intended for teacher classroom use and not for public distribution. The material includes a Multiple Choice Exam section with time limits and directions, followed by passage-based and image-based questions. It features document analysis of Ashoka’s major rock edicts, trade-route evidence from the Silk Road map, and technology prompts using late 19th-century incandescent lighting examples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Multiple Choice Exam

Directions and time

Ashoka Major Rock Edicts (Questions 1-3)

Silk Road image (Questions 4-6)

Incandescent bulb image (Questions 7-9)

End of Part A

SAMPLE QUESTIONS for the Redesigned AP World History Course (as of August 2017) IMPORTANT NOTE: IMPORTANT NOTE: These exams are written for teacher use in the classroom only and will NOT be sold to anyone who is not an AP History teacher. For the benefit of all teachers in the AP World History community who use these exams for assessments with their students, please DO NOT post any of the material in this exam on any website or encourage any student to do so. We can all benefit from this resource if we work together to maintain test security. TABLE OF CONTENTS Multiple Choice Exam …..………………………….…..……….. 3 Answer Key with CED References and Skills ….….…. 8 Answer Key with Explanations ……………………..……. 9 Short Answer Questions …………………………………..…… 10 Long Essay Questions …………………………………………... 13 Document Based Question …………………………………….. 15 WORLD HISTORY SAMPLE QUESTIONS SECTION I, Part A Time – 55 minutes 55 Questions Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by four suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then enter the appropriate letter in the corresponding place on the answer sheet. Source materials have been edited for the purpose of this exercise. [Period 2: c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE] Questions 1-3 refer to the passages below. Seventh Major Rock Edict “The Beloved of the Gods, the king of Piyadassi, wishes that all [religious] sect may dwell in all places, for all seek self-control and purity of mind. But men have varying desires and varying passions. They will either practice all that is requires or else only apart. But even he who is generous, yet has not selfcontrol, purity of mind, gratitude, and firm faith, is regarded as mean.” Twelfth Major Rock Edict “The Beloved of the Gods, the king Piyadassi, honors all sects and both ascetics and laymen, with gifts and various forms of recognition. But the Beloved of the Gods do not consider gifts or honor to be as important as the advancement of the essential doctrine of all sects On each occasion one should honor another man’s sect, .... Therefore, concord* is to be commanded, so that men may hear one another’s principles and obey them. This is the desire of the Beloved of the Gods, that all sects should be wellinformed, and should teach that which is good, ...” *harmony between people or groups --India, c. 269-232 BCE 1. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka posted these edicts in response to which of the following situations? (A) The promotion of a balanced and peaceful life as preached by Daoists (B) The violence he witnessed due to Vedic beliefs and rituals (C) The social harmony he witnessed due to Confucian ideas and rituals (D) The promotion of monotheism due to the Jewish diaspora 2. Similar to Persia, the passages provide evidence that the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (A) used monasteries to promote one religious tradition over another (B) relied on local soldiers and religious leaders to maintain peace (C) emphasized diplomacy through legal systems in order to project power (D) emphasized public performance of religious rituals to promote trade 3. Which of the following is an effect of the passages above? (A) The spread of Buddhism through the efforts of missionaries and merchants (B) The spread of Hinduism through the creation of educational institutions (C) The spread of Mauryan legal traditions through diasporic communities (D) The spread of Christianity through soldiers settling in regions after military conquests [Period 2: c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE] Questions 4-6 refer to the image below. “On the Silk Road,” by Cresques Abraham, Atlas Catalan, c. 1380 4. Which of the following innovations encouraged interregional trade depicted in the image? (A) The creation of caravanserai (B) Introduction of the astrolabe (C) Introduction the compass (D) Use of exotic animals for transportation 5. The Silk Road as shown by the image ab

FAQs

Who are these sample AP World History questions intended for?

They are written for teacher use in the classroom only and are not intended to be sold or posted publicly.

What is the time and format for Part A, Section I, Part A?

Time is 55 minutes with 55 questions. Each question has four suggested answers or completions and students select the best answer.

What types of sources do the questions use?

The exam includes both edited passage documents (such as Ashoka’s rock edicts) and image-based prompts (such as a Silk Road map and an incandescent bulb).

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by River Wang