The Long-Essay Question (^) ‹ 45
Outlining Your Essay
Formulate a thesis statement such as the one below:
Thesis: The success or failure of seventeenth-century monarchs to consolidate political power
within their kingdoms rested on their ability to form an alliance with a rising commercial class.
Then you outline between three and five topic sentences that build a logical case for
your thesis. Note specific examples you will use to support and illustrate the points asserted
in the topic sentences:
Topic Sentence A: The French monarchy built the most absolutist government by cement-
ing an alliance with both the clergy and middle class, and by using the great administrative
expertise of both to build a powerful centralized bureaucracy.
Specific Examples: Richelieu’s division of France into 30 administrative districts, each
under the control of an intendent, an administrative bureaucrat, usually chosen from the
middle class.
Topic Sentence B: In England, the Parliament successfully resisted the absolutist designs of
the Stuart monarchy because the English Parliament of the seventeenth century was a pre-
existing alliance of nobles and well-to-do members of a thriving merchant and professional
class that saw itself as a voice of the “English people.”
Specific Examples: Social composition of the two camps in the English Civil War: tradi-
tional landed nobility and the high church sided with the king; the newer, commercial-
based nobles and the merchant class fought for Parliament.
Topic Sentence C: In those areas where the commercial class was less developed, a political
standoff between monarch and landed nobility was the norm.
Specific Examples: Brandenburg-Prussia, the independent German states, Austria, and
Poland all lacked a well-developed commercial class, and all were characterized by a politi-
cal compromise between monarchy and traditional elites.
Now you write your essay, beginning with the thesis and starting a new paragraph for
each topic sentence. As you write the body of each paragraph, make sure to identify the
example you are using and explain why it supports and illustrates your topic sentence. If
you have time, you can write a concluding paragraph, but this isn’t actually necessary.
Scoring of the Essays
Like the DBQs, the long-essay questions are scored on a point system, but, again, there are
no tricks to the scoring, and the best way to get the highest score is to simply write a history
essay of high quality. If your essay answers the question with a clear thesis, and develops
and supports your thesis with paragraphs made up of clear topic sentences and specific
examples, you will get the maximum number of points.Further Practice for the Long-Essay Question
To practice creating an outline and writing a response to a long-essay question, you can use
the practice exam provided in Step 5 of this book. Give yourself 40 minutes. Then compare
your work to the answer and explanation provided. To gain more practice responding to
this type of question, go to the College Board website (www.collegeboard.org).07_Bartolini_Ch07_043-046.indd 45 12/04/18 12:13 PM