Free-response practice
European History free-response questions
Free-response questions (FRQs) are the part of the AP® European History exam where you write your own answers. Here they're grouped the way the exam uses them. Write your answer, then score it yourself with the rubric and a model answer, or sign in for free AI scoring.
16 questions · 3 types
Short-answer question (SAQ)
You read one source and answer three short parts (A, B and C) about it, each in a few sentences. Each part asks you to describe or explain something about the source or the history around it.
On the exam: 3 required questions in 40 minutes (Section I, Part B), 20% of the score. Starting May 2027 every SAQ has a source: question 1 a secondary text, question 2 a primary text, question 3 a non-text source such as an image, map or chart. Plan on about 13 minutes for one.
Unit 1
Burckhardt on Renaissance individualism
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 6
Toynbee on the Industrial Revolution
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 9
The Marshall Plan and a divided Europe
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 3
The English Bill of Rights
3 points · about 13 minutes
Units 4 and 5
Wollstonecraft's challenge to the French constitution
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 9
Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate
3 points · about 13 minutes
Units 1 and 2
Cranach's Passional of Christ and Antichrist
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 5
Goya's The Third of May 1808
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 7
Colonial empires in 1900
3 points · about 13 minutes
Unit 8
"Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?"
3 points · about 13 minutes
Document-based question (DBQ)
You write an argument essay that answers a question using seven documents plus history you know. Points come from your thesis, context, use of the documents and outside evidence, sourcing and complex understanding.
On the exam: 1 required question (Section II, Question 1), 60 minutes recommended including a 15-minute reading period, 25% of the score. Seven documents; the topic falls between 1450 and 2001. Plan on about 60 minutes for one.
Unit 2
The Reformation and the power of rulers
7 points · about 60 minutes
Units 6 and 7
The changing goals of nationalism, 1815–1914
7 points · about 60 minutes
Unit 8
Changing attitudes toward the First World War
7 points · about 60 minutes
Long essay question (LEQ)
You write an argument essay from your own knowledge, with no documents. Starting May 2027 there is one required prompt with a short opening statement; it spans about half of the course's time periods and you can focus on the part you know best.
On the exam: 1 required question (Section II, Question 2), 40 minutes, 15% of the score. Plan on about 40 minutes for one.
Units 1, 3 and 5
Overseas expansion and Europe's economies
6 points · about 40 minutes
Units 4, 6 and 7
New ideas and religious authority
6 points · about 40 minutes
Units 6, 8 and 9
The growing role of the state
6 points · about 40 minutes