AP World History 2017 Scoring Guidelines - Question 1 - Document-Based Question

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Violet

2017 AP World History Scoring Guidelines for Question 1 (a Document-Based Question) provide a detailed rubric for evaluating essays on differing religious and state responses to wealth accumulation across Eurasia from circa 600 B.C.E. to 1500 C.E. The guideline specifies point breakdowns for thesis/argument development, document analysis (content and sourcing), contextualization, evidence beyond documents, and synthesis expectations, including examples of acceptable thesis statements and how students should use multiple documents cohesively.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

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Question 1—Document-Based Question

Scoring Criteria: Thesis and Argument Development

Scoring Criteria: Document Analysis (Content)

Scoring Criteria: Document Analysis (Sourcing)

Scoring Criteria: Using Evidence Beyond the Documents

Contextualization

Evidence beyond the Documents

Synthesis

# AP World HistorySample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Inside: ☑ Document-Based Question ☑ Scoring Guideline ☑ Student Samples ☑ Scoring Commentary ◎2017 The College Board.College Board,Advanced Placement Program,AP,APCentral,and the acorn logoare registered trademarks of the College Board.Visit the College Board on the Web:www.collegeboard.org.AP Central is the official online home for the APProgram:apcentral.collegeboard.org AP®WORLD HISTORY2017 SCORING GUIDELINES ## Question 1—Document-Based Question Maximum Possible Points:7 “Evaluate the extent to which religious responses to wealth accumulation in Eurasia in the period circa600 B.C.E.to 1500 C.E.differed from state responses to wealth accumulation.” | Points | Scoring Criteria | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | A:Thesis and Argument Development 0-2 | Thesis:Presents a thesis that makes a
historically defensible claim and
responds to all parts of the question.
The thesis must consist of one or more
sentences located in one place,either
in the introduction or the conclusion.(1
point) | ·Acceptable thesis statements must EXPLICITLY
address a difference between at least one aspect
of religious responses and at least one aspect of
state responses to wealth accumulation in
Eurasia during the period circa 600 B.C.E.to 1500
C.E.
Commonly seen examples might include:
·Religious and state responses to wealth
accumulation differ in that religious responses
encouraged the rejection of wealth to obtain
salvation or create harmony,while state
responses were to regulate the accumulation of
wealth through administrative functions or
state sponsored hierarchies.
·States responded to wealth accumulation by
creating bureaucracies and laws that protected
trade.This differed from religious responses
which encouraged the wealthy to redistribute
wealth and strengthen the religious
organization. | | | Argument Development:Develops
and supports a cohesive argument that
recognizes and accounts for historical
complexity by explicitly illustrating
relationships among historical evidence
such as contradiction,corroboration,
and/or qualification.(1 point) | ·Students earn the point by noting that there are
a variety of state and religious responses to
wealth accumulation,while also corroborating
the thesis statement or overarching argument
consistently and cohesively throughout the
essay with multiple pieces of evidence. | ## AP®WORLD HISTORY2017 SCORING GUIDELINES Question 1—Document-based Question(continued) | B:Document Analysis 0-2 | Document Analysis(Content):
Utilizes the content of at least six of the
documents to support the stated thesis
or a relevant argument.(1 point) | See document summaries for details.
·Doc.1:The Chronicle of Zuo,ca.350 B.C.E.
·Doc.2:Chanakya,Arthashastra,ca.250 B.C.E.
·Doc.3:Cicero,Essay about Duties,ca.50 B.C.E.
·Doc.4:Gerontius,Life of Melania,ca.450 C.E.
·Doc.5:The Qur'an
·Doc.6:Bezeklik Buddhist painting,ca.800 C.E.
·Doc.7:Ganapatideva,edict,ca.1245 C.E.
Commonly seen examples might include:
·Content(Doc.1):The Chronicle of Zuo allowed
Chinese merchants to accumulate as much
wealth as possible so long as they didn't try to
topple the ruler.
·Sourcing(Doc.1):It makes sense that Doc.1
would allow merchants to gain a lot of wealth in
an attempt to preserve the political power of
the ruler.The climate of fear at this tumultuous
time likely caused the govermment to be more
accepting of rich traders.
·Content(Doc.4):The life of Melania the
Younger shows that Christianity encouraged
successful merchants to give away their wealth
to the needy and to monasteries,as was done
by this saint.
·Sourcing(Doc.4):Becaus

FAQs

What time period and core comparison does AP World History Question 1 require?

Students evaluate how religious responses to wealth accumulation in Eurasia differ from state responses to wealth accumulation from circa 600 B.C.E. to 1500 C.E.

How many documents must be used for full credit in the document analysis category?

Students must utilize the content of at least six of the documents to support the thesis or a relevant argument.

What is meant by document analysis sourcing in the rubric?

Sourcing requires explaining the significance of an author’s point of view, author’s purpose, historical context, and/or audience for at least four documents.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Violet

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