AP Art History - Section II - Time—2 hours - 6 Questions

Sep 30, 2026

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AP Art History Section II free-response questions for the 2023 exam. The section includes six essay prompts within a two-hour testing window, with two long-essay questions and four short-essay questions. Students must answer each prompt in essay form in a separate free-response booklet, using direct analysis rather than outlines. Questions require historically defensible claims, specific visual and contextual evidence, and identification of artworks using multiple identifiers such as title, artist/culture, date, and materials.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Section II: Time—2 hours

Directions and expectations

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

2023 AP® Art History Free-Response Questions © 2023 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). [AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). ART HISTORY SECTION II Time—2 hours 6 Questions Directions: You have two hours to answer the six questions in this section. Questions 1 and 2 are long essay questions, and you are advised to spend one hour to answer these two questions. Questions 3 through 6 are short essay questions, and you are advised to spend 15 minutes on each. The proctor will announce when each time interval has elapsed, but you may proceed freely from one question to another. Read the questions carefully. You can receive full credit only by directly answering all aspects of the question. You may use any of the blank space provided with the questions in this orange booklet for scratch work or to organize your responses. However, no credit will be given for anything written in this booklet. You will only earn credit for what you write in the separate Free Response booklet. When providing your answers in the Free Response booklet, you must answer each question in essay form. An outline or bulleted list is not acceptable. Note: This exam uses the chronological designations B.C.E. (before the common era) and C.E. (common era) . These designations correspond to B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini), which are used in some art history resources. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. © 2023 College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). Question 1 refers to the following image. © Peter Willi / Bridgeman Images GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. © 2023 College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). 1. The work shown is the Reliquary of Sainte-Foy, a sculptural representation of a Christian holy figure, created in France circa the late tenth through early eleventh century. Select and completely identify another work that serves as a representation of a holy figure or deity from a different religion. You may select a work from the list below or any other relevant work of art. Describe the subject matter of both the Reliquary of Sainte-Foy and your selected work. Using specific visual evidence from each work, explain at least two similarities and/or differences in how the representation of the holy figure or deity expresses the beliefs of each religion. Explain one similarity or difference in how both works of art are used in the practices of the religions with which they are associated. Use specific contextual evidence from both the Reliquary of Sainte-Foy and your selected work to support your explanation. When identifying the work you select, you should try to include all of the following identifiers: title or designation, name of the architect and/or culture of origin, date of creation, and materials. You will earn credit for the identification if you provide at least two accurate identifiers, but you will not be penalized if any additional identifiers you provide are inaccurate. If you select a work from the list below, you must include at least two accurate identifiers beyond those that are given. Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja) Coyolxauhqui Stone Begin your response to this question at the top ofa new page in the separate Free Response booklet and fill in the appropriate circle at the top of each page to indicate the question number. GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE. © 2023 College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). Note: There are no images provided for Question 2. 2. Throughout history, artists have created works of art that represent important members of society in order to honor the

FAQs

How much time is allowed for Section II and how should students allocate it?

Section II is two hours. Questions 1 and 2 are long-essay questions, advised for one hour each, while Questions 3 through 6 are short-essay questions advised for 15 minutes each.

What format is required for answering the questions?

Each question must be answered in essay form. An outline or bulleted list is not acceptable.

What kinds of evidence and identifiers are expected when identifying artworks?

Students must provide direct, specific visual evidence and explain similarities and/or differences or connections. When identifying a selected work, students are expected to include identifiers such as title or designation, artist and/or culture of origin, date of creation, and materials.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Ezra