AP: How to Write a Compare/Contrast

Yet another one of the three essays you must know how to write for the AP World History Exam is the Compare/Contrast essay. In this format, you must take two ideologies (for instance, economic policies in Asia and Europe in the 1400s) and not only compare them, but also explain with examples how they are also different. Like always, you won't know the subject of the essays when you go into the Exam; at this point, you'll have to rely on your knowledge of the subjects alone. It won't be easy to remember all of the info you need, but if you have a clear head and a good idea about what you want to write, you'll be able to get a 7 or above no problem.

To begin, I'll come up with a C+C question (no example this time; my bad): Compare and contrast the governing policies of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty in China from the 1600s-1800s. It's not perfect, but it resembles a C+C essay I did in class during my own AP World stint. Before you even begin writing, make a Venn diagram off to the side of the paper. The testing people allot about 10 minutes to plan your essay, so use this time to think, not panic. Consider the following thoughts:

• What made the Ming and Qing dynasties similar?
• How were they different?
• What were their styles of government?
• Did the Qing and Ming interact in any way?
• What were events that compared/contrasted between these years?

Using these, you can fill in info on the Venn diagram that relates of dissents from each other. Try to keep like info together so your thoughts don't get cluttered into a mess. Next, you can write a thesis statement. Remember, you can change this at any time; just direct the reader to what you want to be your thesis and they'll be able to understand. Here's an example thesis, which comes after at least two contest sentences:

"The Ming and Qing dynasties both governed with an iron fist over the Chinese people, although the Ming became lazier as time continued on while the Qing became more militarized and strict in the late 19th century."

This is not a very good thesis, as I am completely pulling it out of my ass, but for this example it'll work (check out "How to Write a Thesis" if you want to learn better). As you can see, the similarity between the Ming and Qing was that they were strict with their citizenry, while the Ming became lazy and the Qing grew more powerful. The bolded portions are the paragraphs you'll have to write to prove your thesis as logic based; that's why you don't load it up with info or you're backing yourself into a wall.

As far as paragraphs go, you'll need to bring forward evidence to support your claim as well as statements dedicated to connecting your thoughts together. In the strict paragraph, I'd consider 10 pieces of evidence (5 for Ming and Qing equally) and 5 statements proving how they compare and support your claim. The contrast paragraphs would have more evidence for one topic (at least 7 for both) and explain how it makes the two different in government. In the final paragraph, you can have a concluding sentence that rewrites your thesis and shows how your essay just proved it.

As always, it's important to study up on all of the eras of history. In exams like this, the testers don't care if you don't know the subject well enough; that just makes your exam easier to grade. If you follow these instructions for the Compare/Contrast paper, I promise that you'll have a good enough essay for you to get a high score. However, if in doubt, ask a teacher for help.

-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep