Practice a College Board-style short-answer question on Period 6: The Gilded Age. Write your response, then reveal the model answer to see exactly what earns each point.
"The laborer is little more than a machine, and his work is often reduced to the lowest possible level of skill. The division of labor has made it possible for a single worker to produce only a small part of a finished product, and he has no knowledge of the whole. The result is that the worker becomes dependent upon wages for survival, while the owners of capital accumulate wealth."
— Adapted from Karl Marx, Capital, 1867
A
Briefly describe ONE criticism of industrial capitalism expressed in the passage.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
Marx criticizes industrial capitalism for reducing workers to "little more than a machine" — stripping them of skill, knowledge of the whole product, and economic independence. By making workers dependent on wages while owners accumulate wealth, the system creates a growing gulf between labor and capital, dehumanizing labor in the process.
Why it scores: Identifies a specific criticism drawn directly from the passage (workers reduced to machine-like roles / dependence on wages) with concrete language. "Marx didn't like capitalism" would be too vague to earn the point.
B
Explain ONE cultural or social effect of European perceptions of Native Americans on Native peoples during 1865–1898.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
Industrialization concentrated enormous wealth among industrial elites like Rockefeller and Carnegie through trusts and monopolies, while wages for ordinary workers stayed low and unemployment was chronic. Rockefeller's Standard Oil controlled 90% of U.S. refining by 1880; Carnegie's vertical integration made U.S. Steel the world's largest business. Meanwhile, factory workers earned subsistence wages, and the Panic of 1893 produced 20% unemployment — making the U.S. simultaneously the world's richest economy and one with brutal inequality.
Why it scores: Names a specific economic effect (wealth concentration through trusts vs. low wages) with clear causal reasoning and concrete examples (Rockefeller, Carnegie, Panic of 1893).
C
Explain ONE economic effect of early Spanish colonization on Native societies in the period 1865–1898.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
Industrialization produced brutal working conditions — 12-hour days, dangerous machinery, child labor, and subsistence wages — that drove workers to organize into unions and stage major strikes. The Haymarket Affair (1886), Homestead Strike (1892), and Pullman Strike (1894) all responded to these conditions; though each strike was crushed (often by federal troops or private armies), they revealed the depth of worker suffering and built the foundation for the Progressive Era labor reforms that followed.
Why it scores: Names a specific social effect (harsh working conditions driving labor organization) with clear causal reasoning and three concrete examples (Haymarket, Homestead, Pullman).
How to score points on SAQs
Be specific. "The rich got richer" doesn't score. "Rockefeller's Standard Oil controlled 90% of U.S. oil refining by 1880" does.
Name names and places. Graders look for concrete proper nouns — empires, rulers, religions, regions.
Stay in the time period. Unit 6 is 1865–1898. Don't use Genghis Khan's grandchildren conquering Baghdad in 1258 if the prompt asks about Unit 2.
Answer the actual question. If it asks "identify," give an example. If it asks "explain," give an example PLUS a sentence connecting it to the prompt.
Keep it tight. 1–3 sentences per part is plenty. Long answers don't score higher; they just waste exam time.