EUROPEAN HISTORY SECTION II Part A (Suggested writing time—45 minutes) Percent of Section II score—45 Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1-13. The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise. This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that: an appropriate, explicitly stated thesis that directly addresses all parts of the • Provides question and does NOT simply restate the question. Discusses a majority of the documents individually and specifically. • Demonstrates understanding of the basic meaning of a majority of the documents. • Supports the thesis with appropriate interpretations of a majority of the documents. • Analyzes the documents by explicitly grouping them in at least three appropriate ways. • Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the of view. • authors’ points You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents. 1. Although the Reformation is often viewed as a religious movement, it also significantly affected the political and social spheres of Europe. Assess the validity of this statement. Historical Background: The new ideas of the Renaissance helped to spur the changing views of the Europe. Many Europeans were directly Catholic Church’s authority over affected by the failing church order. In small, regional churches clergymen were gradually losing respect as a result of corruption and a lack of understanding of the Christian texts. Church officials had responsibility over too many offices as a result of simony, which furthered the belief of their ineptitude. In 1517, the selling of indulgences by Johann Tetzel enraged Martin Luther who would later greatly influence the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Martin Luther became a key figure in the Reformation through the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention allowed the distribution of Reformation papers and translated Bibles throughout Europe. This not only affected the literacy of Europeans, but also exposed them to information, which allowed for the success of the Protestant Reformation. Document 1
EUROPEAN HISTORY SECTION II Part A (Suggested writing time—45 minutes) Percent of Section II score—45 Directions: The following question is based on the accompanying Documents 1-13. The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise. This question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that: • Provides an appropriate, explicitly stated thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question and does NOT simply restate the question. • Discusses a majority of the documents individually and specifically. • Demonstrates understanding of the basic meaning of a majority of the documents. • Supports the thesis with appropriate interpretations of a majority of the documents. • Analyzes the documents by explicitly grouping them in at least three appropriate ways. • Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the authors’ points of view. You may refer to relevant historical information not mentioned in the documents. 1. Although the Reformation is often viewed as a religious movement, it also significantly affected the political and social spheres of Europe. Assess the validity of this statement. Historical Background: The new ideas of the Renaissance helped to spur the changing views of the Catholic Church’s authority over Europe. Many Europeans were directly affected by the failing church order. In small, regional churches clergymen were gradually losing respect as a result of corruption and a lack of understanding of the Christian texts. Church officials had responsibility over too many offices as a result of simony, which furthered the belief of their ineptitude. In 1517, the selling of indulgences by Johann Tetzel enraged Martin Luther who would later greatly influence the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Martin Luther became a key figure in the Reformation through the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century. Johannes Gutenberg’s invention allowed the distribution of Reformation papers and translated Bibles throughout Europe. This not only affected the literacy of Europeans, but also exposed them to information, which allowed for the success of the Protestant Reformation. Document 1
Protestant%20Reformation%20DBQ.docx