---
title: "AP US History LEQ Practice"
description: "385 Long Essay Questions written in the AP format, each scored part by part."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/frqs/leq"
type: "frq-type-practice"
subject: "AP US History"
---

# AP US History LEQ Practice

## What the LEQ asks

The Long Essay Question is the second essay in Section II of the AP US History exam. You get one broad prompt and no documents, and you build a historical argument with evidence from your own knowledge.

- **40 min**: to plan and write
- **6 points**: across rows A to D
- **15%**: of your exam score

| Part | What it asks | Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A: Thesis | A defensible claim that sets up a line of reasoning | 1 |
| B: Contextualization | Broader developments that frame the prompt | 1 |
| C: Evidence | Two specific examples, used to support the argument | 2 |
| D: Analysis and reasoning | Comparison, causation, or continuity and change, plus a complex understanding | 2 |

## How LEQ practice works

1. **Read the full prompt.** The prompt with its time period, laid out the way the exam shows it.
2. **Write on a 40-minute timer.** The time to plan for on exam day. Pause it or turn it off, and your response saves as you go.
3. **Submit for a score out of 6.** Your response is scored against the scoring guidelines written for that question. Your first score is included.

## All 385 questions

### Unit 1: Native Societies & Early Encounters, 1491-1607 (12)
- [Natural environment's influence on Native American development](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ad7d832f79739c52f0&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [European and Native American societies: social and economic differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ca7d832f79739c5312&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American regional economic and social systems](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3f27d832f79739c5347&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [European and Native American religious and land worldviews](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4187d832f79739c5372&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American societies: regional economic and social development differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4457d832f79739c539e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American economic and social organizations, regional variations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b46a7d832f79739c53cd&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [European religious justifications for subjugation of indigenous peoples](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4e37d832f79739c5448&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American economic and social systems regional differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5087d832f79739c5474&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American political and social structures, regional variations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b59b7d832f79739c5501&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Columbian Exchange demographic impacts: Americas versus Europe](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5e37d832f79739c554a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Spanish encomienda, African slavery, colonial hierarchies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b60f7d832f79739c557a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American environmental adaptation: Great Basin versus Mississippi Valley](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b63b7d832f79739c559f&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 2: Colonial Development, 1607-1754 (18)
- [New England and Chesapeake colonial development differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3a97d832f79739c52eb&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Spanish and English colonial models in North America](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3c67d832f79739c530c&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [French and English colonial approaches to Native American relations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3e57d832f79739c5332&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Religious and social development in early American colonies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4047d832f79739c535d&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Native American interactions and colonial development, 1607-1754](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b42c7d832f79739c5384&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Chesapeake and New England settlement motivations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b44b7d832f79739c53a4&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Spanish, French, British colonial development differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4697d832f79739c53c8&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Dutch and English colonial economic and imperial goals](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4917d832f79739c53f2&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [New England and Chesapeake colonial political institutions and practices

Atlantic trade network's influence on colonial social development](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4b57d832f79739c541a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Religious institutions and practices in colonial regions](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4d77d832f79739c5438&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Colonial economic systems, social structures, demographic change](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5077d832f79739c546d&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic and demographic development: Middle versus New England colonies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b52d7d832f79739c549b&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [French and Dutch colonial goals and methods](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5557d832f79739c54bc&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Chesapeake and Middle colonies: social, demographic differences](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b57e7d832f79739c54e3&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Colonial labor systems and religious motivations, 1607-1754](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5cd7d832f79739c5538&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [New England and Chesapeake colonial Native American relations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5ed7d832f79739c5555&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Women, families, regional economies in colonial America](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b6117d832f79739c557f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Enslaved African and Native American resistance methods](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b63c7d832f79739c55a0&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 3: Independence and Nation-Building, 1754-1800 (14)
- [Colonial attitudes toward Great Britain, 1754-1776](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3a87d832f79739c52e5&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Seven Years' War impacts on British-colonial relations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ce7d832f79739c531e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Enlightenment ideals and American independence movement](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ef7d832f79739c5340&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Popular movements, activism, and revolution's differential social impacts](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4217d832f79739c537b&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [British-American Indian relations post-Seven Years' War](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b44f7d832f79739c53aa&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Seven Years' War and colonial American identity formation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4747d832f79739c53d4&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Colonial resistance to British imperial policies, regional variation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4967d832f79739c53f7&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Colonial resistance to British imperial policies, 1763-1776](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4bd7d832f79739c541f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [British imperial consolidation and colonial resistance movements](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4e67d832f79739c544c&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Colonial resistance methods and republican political development](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5157d832f79739c547e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic factors in American independence movement](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b53e7d832f79739c54a6&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [British land policies and colonial-Native American relations, 1763-1783

Federalist and Anti-Federalist visions of political sovereignty](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5857d832f79739c54ee&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Religious ideas and movements in American independence development](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5df7d832f79739c5542&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [British imperial taxation, trade, colonial economic development](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b6317d832f79739c5595&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 4: American Expansion, 1800-1848 (14)
- [Market revolution's economic and social transformation, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3aa7d832f79739c52ed&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Participatory democracy expansion and reform movements, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3c97d832f79739c5311&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [United States foreign policy expansion and isolationism, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3e97d832f79739c533c&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Free and enslaved African American experiences, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4107d832f79739c5363&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [American national culture and social reform movements, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4357d832f79739c538d&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Territorial expansion and sectional conflict, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b45a7d832f79739c53b3&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Political party development and regional economic divergence, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4877d832f79739c53e7&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Transportation networks and regional identity formation, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4d87d832f79739c543a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Presidential power expansion and evolution, 1800-1848

Market Revolution's differential social impacts: women, immigrants](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4fe7d832f79739c5465&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal government and Native American relations, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b52b7d832f79739c5495&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Antislavery movement strategies and societal transformation, 1800-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b54e7d832f79739c54b5&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal economic policy debates and market revolution's class-differentiated social impacts](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5a47d832f79739c550f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [International migration and social transformation in early America](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5cd7d832f79739c5537&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [U.S. territorial expansion and federal power debates, 1803-1848](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5f77d832f79739c5564&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 5: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1848-1877 (13)
- [Slavery expansion debates and Civil War outbreak](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3a87d832f79739c52e6&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Westward expansion, slavery debates, sectional conflict](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3cb7d832f79739c5318&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Abolitionism and sectional tensions preceding Civil War](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3f67d832f79739c534e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [International immigration and cultural-political tensions, 1844-1860](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4687d832f79739c53c1&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Mexican-American War, sectional tensions, pre-Civil War instability](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4867d832f79739c53e6&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic divergence between North and South regions](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4b07d832f79739c5410&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Abolitionist versus proslavery arguments, 1844-1860](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4f17d832f79739c5454&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Western territorial expansion and antebellum political realignment

Home front gender experiences: North versus South](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5167d832f79739c5481&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Slavery expansion and party realignment, 1848-1860

African Americans' roles in Union Civil War victory](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b55c7d832f79739c54c4&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Manifest Destiny's impact on Western indigenous and Mexican American populations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5837d832f79739c54eb&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Territorial expansion, slavery, and sectional conflict](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5a37d832f79739c550e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Free Soil and abolitionist slavery arguments, 1848-1860](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5ce7d832f79739c5539&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Slavery expansion debates and African American rights policies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5f67d832f79739c5563&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 6: Industrialization and the Gilded Age, 1865-1898 (15)
- [Industrial capitalism's transformation of American society, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3b67d832f79739c52fb&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic opportunities and migration to American cities, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3d87d832f79739c5328&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic transformation and agrarian populist movements, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4007d832f79739c5359&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Technological innovation and labor organizing in Gilded Age America](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4207d832f79739c5377&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Westward expansion, social conflict, cultural tensions](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4457d832f79739c539c&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal policies and Native American life transformations, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4677d832f79739c53be&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Corporate consolidation and workplace transformation, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b48d7d832f79739c53ef&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [US immigration policy and reform movements, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4c37d832f79739c5425&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Transportation networks and economic transformation, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4e47d832f79739c5449&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Political machines, urban corruption, reform demands](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5097d832f79739c5475&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Western expansion and Native American displacement](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b52a7d832f79739c5493&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Industrial capitalism's impact on Western environments and Indigenous peoples](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5827d832f79739c54e8&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Industrial capitalism and U.S. foreign policy expansion](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5a77d832f79739c5513&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Economic policy debates and regional industrialization, 1865-1898](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5ca7d832f79739c552e&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Industrial capitalism's impact on United States politics](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5ee7d832f79739c5557&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 7: Progressivism to WWII, 1890-1945 (15)
- [American overseas territorial expansion, 1890-1914](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3af7d832f79739c52f5&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Progressive Era federal economic intervention expansion](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ce7d832f79739c5321&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Internal and international migration, American society transformation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3f37d832f79739c534b&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Progressive Era reforms and Great Migration causes](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b43f7d832f79739c5393&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal government economic intervention, 1920-1945

U.S. entry causes: World War One and Two](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b46a7d832f79739c53ca&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Women's changing role in American society, 1890-1945](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b48c7d832f79739c53ee&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [U.S. overseas expansion arguments and causes of Great Depression](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4b27d832f79739c5414&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Urbanization, industrialization, and American social transformation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4db7d832f79739c543f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [United States foreign policy transformation, 1920-1945

African American and immigrant experiences, 1890-1930](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4fe7d832f79739c5467&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Immigration attitudes and Progressive movement causes, 1890-1945](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5207d832f79739c548a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Labor movement strategy shifts: industrialization and wartime mobilization](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5787d832f79739c54e0&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [American imperialism, nativism, and national identity transformation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5a17d832f79739c5509&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [American imperialism and global power expansion](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5cb7d832f79739c5530&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal government and private business relationship evolution, 1890-1945](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5fe7d832f79739c5568&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [United States global conflicts and domestic society transformation](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b61f7d832f79739c5589&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 8: Cold War and Social Change, 1945-1980 (15)
- [Cold War containment policy and international relations

African American civil rights movement strategy evolution](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3a97d832f79739c52e7&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Cold War influence on American domestic society, 1945-1980](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3cc7d832f79739c531b&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal government intervention in social-economic inequality, 1945-1980](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3ef7d832f79739c5342&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [US Cold War anticommunism: European versus Asian responses](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4187d832f79739c536f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Postwar economic, technological, demographic, and geopolitical transformations](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4597d832f79739c53b1&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Technological, economic developments, American mass culture shifts

Environmental movement goals and strategies evolution](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4807d832f79739c53db&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Cold War anti-communism and domestic political change](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4a77d832f79739c5408&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Vietnam War's impact on American youth culture

Women's changing roles in American society](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4d17d832f79739c542f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Military-industrial complex transformation of America, 1945-1980

Civil rights movement goals: 1950s versus late 1960s](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4f97d832f79739c545b&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Decolonization's impact on United States Cold War strategy

Feminist and LGBTQ+ movements' divergent goals and strategies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b54f7d832f79739c54b9&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Suburbanization's impact on American society, 1945-1980

U.S. military and diplomatic strategies: Korea versus Vietnam](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5787d832f79739c54dd&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Post-World War II economic growth and American social transformation

Environmental and feminist movement goals and strategies](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b59f7d832f79739c5505&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Sun Belt growth and Great Society federal expansion](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5ca7d832f79739c552f&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Internal migration's impact on U.S. society and politics

African American civil rights movement's influence on equality movements](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5f17d832f79739c555a&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Postwar economic transition and labor relations, 1945-1960

Youth counterculture versus conservative resurgence values](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b61e7d832f79739c5585&type=long-essay-question-leq)

### Unit 9: Globalization and Contemporary America, 1980-Present (11)
- [Conservative movement's impact on federal government power, 1980-2010](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3b47d832f79739c52f9&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Technological innovations and US economic transformation, 1980-2020](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3d67d832f79739c5325&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [American national identity debates: economic versus cultural globalization](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b3f97d832f79739c5354&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [United States Middle East foreign policy shifts, 1980-2020](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4297d832f79739c5380&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [United States global role transformation, 1980-2010](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b44c7d832f79739c53a8&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Demographic shifts and U.S. society, politics 1980-2020](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4a37d832f79739c5402&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Environmental and energy policy debates, 1980-2020](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b4ef7d832f79739c5451&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Immigration debate shifts in United States](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5157d832f79739c547d&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Federal social safety net policies, 1980-2020

Free-trade agreements: economic versus political effects](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b5647d832f79739c54c7&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Civil liberties versus national security debates, 1980-2020](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b58f7d832f79739c54f3&type=long-essay-question-leq)
- [Conservative deregulation of finance and corporations, 1980-2008

Digital technology: economic versus social impacts](/apush/frq-practice?id=6ab2b6057d832f79739c5570&type=long-essay-question-leq)

## Sample question

**Spanish versus English colonial approaches and outcomes**

Task Instructions:
  - Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
  - Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
  - Support an argument in response to the prompt using at least two pieces of specific and relevant evidence.
  - Use historical reasoning (e.g., comparison, causation, continuity or change over time) to frame or structure an argument that addresses the prompt.
  - Demonstrate a complex understanding of a historical development related to the prompt through sophisticated argumentation and/or effective use of evidence.

LEQ Question Options: <strong>1.</strong> Evaluate the most significant difference between the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the English colonization of North America from 1492 to 1754.

## Questions

**How many responses can I get scored?**

You can read every question without a plan. Your first scored response is included. A plan unlocks unlimited scoring.

**Do I still choose between three prompts?**

Not on the exam. Beginning with the May 2027 exam, the LEQ is one required broad prompt. Most questions here give you one prompt in that format, and some earlier ones still list three to choose from.

**How is the LEQ different from the DBQ?**

The LEQ has no documents, so every piece of evidence comes from what you know. The DBQ gives you seven documents and 60 minutes, including a reading period.

**What reasoning will the prompt ask for?**

Comparison, causation, or continuity and change over time. Row D checks that you use that reasoning to structure your argument.

**Can I write my answer by hand?**

Yes. Switch the editor to handwrite, write on paper, and add a photo of your page.

## Related

- [LEQ exam guide](/apush/ap-us-history-exam/apush-leq/study-guide/apush-leq)
- [AP US History DBQ practice](/apush/frqs/dbq)
- [AP US History FRQs](/apush/frqs)
- Any question by id: the `get_frq` tool on the [Fiveable MCP server](/mcp/docs)

## About This Document

Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`.

- [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns
- [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing
- [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`)
- [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`)