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| | Reading maps: before Civil War there was no West Virginia. If you see West Virginia on a map, then it was after the Civil War started. | | Reading maps: before Civil War there was no West Virginia. If you see West Virginia on a map, then it was after the Civil War started. |
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| | + | Three ingredients to a test score: |
| | + | *time spent studying |
| | + | *how effective your method of studying is |
| | + | *how clever you are in taking the exam |
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| | + | On a 30 question exam, each of the above categories is worth a few more correct answers. Add them up and you can boost your score by 6 points or more on a 30-question exam, or 100 points or more on the SAT II. |
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| | + | I will give a prize to the student who improves the most by the end of class. What matters most is how well you can do at the end. |
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| | + | Consider the cartoon question on the midterm exam. Most students answered it too quickly. A cartoon is a mystery, like an unsolved crime. As soon as a cop arrives on a crime scene, he doesn’t jump to a conclusion about who committed the crime. He gathers all the evidence. He considers possibilities. He wants an explanation that fits all the facts. He looks for a motive. Approach cartoons the same way. |
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| | + | The model answers explain this question and the others. |
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| | + | More generally, look for a purpose to a question, particularly the cartoons. Develop a sense of historical purpose in these exams. Prefer an answer choice that adds meaning and purpose to a question. |
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| | + | Be sure to go over your exam and understand why you missed your answers. Was it due to lack of time spent studying? Was it due to lack of effectiveness in how you study, such not enough quizzing of yourself? Or the problem during the test itself, when you had the knowledge but approach the question poorly? |
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| | + | One more exam-taking tip: identify the time period of a history question before trying to answer it. |
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| | + | We have covered a great deal of material spanning hundreds of years. We need to try to organize all these facts in our mind somehow. Develop a frame of reference to do this. You can choose whatever frame of reference you like. For me, my frame of reference in remembering each president is to think about how conservative he was. Every few decades we have a conservative president: |
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| | + | 1788 – [[George Washington]] |
| | + | <br>1816 – [[James Monroe]] |
| | + | <br>1884 – [[Grover Cleveland]] (a conservative Democrat who was pro-gold, anti-union, and anti-government-spending) |
| | + | <br>1920 – [[Warren Harding]] |
| | + | <br>1980 – [[Ronald Reagan]] |
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| | + | Then I fill in the other presidents in between, with reasons why they were not so conservative. |
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| | + | For example, Thomas Jefferson was not conservative because he bought new territory, engaged in the Tripoli War, continued Hamilton’s programs and imposed the Embargo Act against trade with Europe. You may find this approach helpful in remembering all of American History since George Washington. |
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| | == Key Terms Through Reconstruction == | | == Key Terms Through Reconstruction == |