1. Explain one of the causes of the American Revolution, and its impact on one foreign nation (250 word minimum).

2. Analyze how the U.S. Constitution overcame the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (250 word minimum).

3. Explain the impact of the Mexican War on American expansionism (250 word minimum).

Short Answer Essay 

The second part of your exam is a short answer essay portion including 3 questions over contents from the entire course. Each question is assessing a different topic or skill. I will have word count expectations for you on each question. It is my expectation that your answers will meet or exceed those word counts on each question. Generally, your answers should be in complete sentences in formal, academic language.

When you answer each question, I am looking to see that you understand the content. This means that you are using important dates, names, history vocabulary, etc. I am also looking to see that you are using evidence to support your answers. The goal here is that you are making arguments in your answers rather than simply summarizing the content. This rubric will likely be the one I use to guide my assessment of your submissions. 

• Document Type: I’d prefer that you submit a document versus typing your exam directly into Blackboard. You can submit a Word document, PDF, or even a link to a Google Document (just be sure your sharing settings are correct).
• Formatting: Your exam should be 12 point standard font (like Times New Roman or Arial) with 1″ margins on all sides. Be sure to have your name in the title of the document somehow (i.e. maybe you could save it as lastname_Exam I_History 1301 or something along those lines).
• Proofreading: I expect you to proofread your answers before submitting. Using the spell checker function of your word processing software or a freebie tool like Grammarly is strongly recommended.
• Citations: You should cite any and all sources you use on this exam. You’ll use parenthetical notations for the in-text citations and Turabian for the bibliography at the end of your paper. More information on how to cite is in the resources section.

Exam Expectations

1. Due to the nature of the exam, it is open book. You are welcome to use any materials we have utilized during class as well as online resources. However, you are required to cite any and all sources used to complete your exam using the resources listed below. 
2. I expect your exam to be properly formatted and free from grammatical and spelling errors. 
3. Your work should abide by the plagiarism standards. Any work that has been plagiarized will automatically receive a grade of zero (if it was the first offense). Please see the plagiarism policy in the Course Information section of this course for more information.

Resources

Below is a listing of some really good advice pages on how to answer short answer essay questions. I strongly advise that you review them prior to writing your part two answers. Also included are some reference materials on how to cite your sources – one is from Turabian\Chicago and another is my own. The Turabian\Chicago site is helpful for the bibliography citations and mine will help you with the in-text parenthetical notations.

1. Answering the Essay Short Answer Exam Question.pdf
2. The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.pdf
3. Turabian Quick Guide
4. Parenthetical Notation Guide.pdf