The Short-Answer Questions (^) ‹ 31
Body of paragraph 2 (supports and illustrates the second assertion of the topic sentence): The
demand for larger amounts of high-profit crops also engendered a wave of technical innova-
tion that produced higher yields. The old three-field system, which left roughly one-third
of the land fallow, was replaced with new crops such as clover, turnips, and potatoes, which
replenished the soil while producing foodstuffs that could be used to feed livestock in winter.
As the century progressed, more highly technical innovations, such as the cotton gin (invented
in 1793 by the American Eli Whitney), which efficiently removed seed from raw cotton,
increased the speed with which agricultural products could be processed and sent to market.
Part B of the Short-Answer Question
Here again is part B of the question, followed by an example of a good response:
B) Briefly explain how the traditional population and productivity cycles of Western Europe
were broken in the eighteenth century.
Topic sentence (an assertion that answers the question): A combination of market-based agri-
culture and rural manufacturing broke the traditional cycles of population and productivity
by subverting the traditional limits to both.
Body of the paragraph (supports and illustrates the assertion of the topic sentence): Natural
limits to both population and economic productivity created a traditional cycle in which
population and productivity initially rose together, as an increase in the number of people
working in an agricultural economy increased the agricultural yield. Eventually, the agricul-
tural yield reached the maximum amount that could be produced given the land available
and the methods in use. For a while, population would continue to rise, but eventually, as the
number of people far outstripped the agricultural yield, food became scarce and expensive.
Scarcity and high prices eventually caused the population to decline. When the population
was safely below the possible productivity, the cycle began again. The advent of market-based
agriculture shifted the agricultural system from farming for local consumption to a reliance
on imported food sold at markets. The introduction of rural manufacture, where people were
paid in currency to work at textile production, put money in people’s pockets, allowing them
to buy food and making them less dependent on land and agricultural cycles, thereby breaking
the natural check on population growth.
Further Practice with Short-Answer Questions
In this book you’ll find a test-like short-answer question at the end of each content review
chapter in Step 4. Use these to practice the skills necessary to do well on the short-answer
section of the AP European History Exam. Compare your work to the answer and explana-
tion provided. Additional practice for the short-answer questions can be found in the Practice
Tests in Step 5. To gain more practice and become more proficient, access the sample short-
answer questions provided online at the College Board website (www.collegeboard.org).05_Bartolini_Ch05_029-032.indd 31 25/04/18 2:21 PM