Constructed Response
Constructed-response
questions focus on various
kinds of documents. Each
document usually is
accompanied by a series of
questions. These questions call
for short answers that, for the
most part, can be found
directly in the document. Some
answers, however, require
knowledge of the subject or
time period addressed in the
document.
Read the title of the
document to discover the
subject addressed in the
questions.
Study and analyze the
document. Take notes on
what you see.
Read the questions
carefully and then study
the document again to
locate the answers.
Carefully write your
answers. Unless the
directions say otherwise,
your answers need not be
complete sentences.
Maya Pyramid in Palenque, Mexico
- Palenque was one of the city-states of what Mesoamerican
civilization?
Maya
- For what purpose do you think this pyramid was built?
religious purposes
- What reasons have been suggested for
the decline of this civilization in the late
A.D. 800s?
warfare among Maya city-states, which disrupted trade and
caused economic hardship; over-farming and population growth, which
caused ecological damage, resulting in food shortages, famine, and
disease
Constructed-response questions
use a wide range of documents
including short passages, cartoons,
charts, graphs, maps, time lines,
posters, and other visual materials.
This document is a photograph
showing ruins in Palenque, Mexico.
The flat-topped pyramid is typical
of the early civilizations of
Mesoamerica.Since the question uses the
plural reasons, your
answer must include more
than one explanation.S26
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