Thematic Essay:
Regents Review
In developing your answer, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind:
• analyze means to determine the nature and relationship of the component elements
• describe means to illustrate something in words or tell about it
• discuss means to make observations about something using facts, reasoning, and argument; to present in some detail
• explain means to make plain or understandable; to give reasons for or causes of; to show the logical development or relationships of
• evaluate means to examine and judge the significance, worth, or condition of; to determine the value of
Listed below are some potential themes
and examples/suggestions:
Change - Turning Points
some possible topics from Ninth Grade and Tenth
Crusades
Collapse of European Imperialism
Fall of the Roman Empire
Fall of the Berlin Wall and Collapse of the Soviet Union
Neolithic Revolution
French Revolution
Protestant Reformation
Nelson Mandela's opposition to Apartheid and his election as president of South Africa
Renaissance
Imperialism
Industrialization
Enlightenment
Rise of Totalitarianism
Scientific Revolution
Russian Revolution
The year 1492
The year 1914
Human and Physical Change
Great Britain / Capitalism
Russia and the Soviet Union / Communism
Western Europe / Manorialism and Feudalism
Economic Systems and Change
Climate
Mountains, Deserts, Island/Island Location, and Plains
Coastline
Rain Forests
Irrigation Systems
River Valleys
Mineral and Natural Resources
Road and Canal Systems
Monsoons
Terrace Farming
Individuals and Leadership
Alexander the Great
Otto von Bismarck
Aristotle
Simon Bolivar
Catherine the Great
Napoleon Bonaparte
Confucius
Mohandas Gandhi
Leonardo da Vinci
Mikhail Gorbachev
Elizabeth I
Adolf Hitler
Johannes Gutenberg
Jomo Kenyatta
Hammurabi
John Locke
Queen Isabella
Toussaint Lâ€TMOuverture
Genghis Khan
Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther
Joseph Stalin
Muhammad
Boris Yeltsin
Justice,Human Rights, and Conflict
Armenian Massacre
Blacks in South Africa
Christians during the early Roman Empire
Conflict in Northern Ireland
Forced Famine in the Ukraine
More Examples of Thematic Essays
Directions
Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs addressing the
task below, and a conclusion.
Essay 1
Theme: Change [Political Events]
Twentieth-century political events have had positive and negative effects on
global history.
T ask:
Identify three 20th-century political events* and for each:
• Discuss the historical circumstances surrounding the event.
• Evaluate the extent to which this event has had a positive or a
negative effect on global history.
* Topic 1 - Rise of totalitarian governments in Europe
* Topic 2 - Nelson Mandela's opposition to apartheid in South Africa
* Topic 3 - You may use any major political event from your study of global history. Some
suggestions you might wish to consider include: Lenin's establishment of a Communist
government in Russia, the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and development of nuclear weapons
in India and Pakistan.
Do not use United States events in your answer, although the discussion of positive or negative
effects may involve the role of the United States.
Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:
• Develop all aspects of the task.
• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
• Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion
that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.
Essay 2
Theme: Justice and Human Rights
Throughout history, the human rights of certain groups of people have been
violated. Efforts have been made to address these violations.
T ask:
• Define the term "human rights"
• Identify three examples of human rights violations* that have occurred
in a specific time and place.
• Describe the causes of these human rights violations.
• For one of the violations* identified, discuss one specific effort that
was made or is being made to deal with the violation.
* Topic 1 - Blacks in South Africa
* Topic 2 - Jews in Nazi Germany
* Topic 3 - You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you
might wish to consider include: Christians in the early Roman Empire, native peoples in Spain's
American colonies, untouchables in India, and Muslims in Bosnia.
Do not use the United States in your answer.
Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:
• Develop all aspects of the task.
• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
• Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion
that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.
Essay 3
Theme: Conflict
Differences among groups have often led to conflict.
T ask:
Identify three ethnic, religious, political, and/or cultural conflicts* and for
each:
• Discuss the historical circumstances that led to the conflict.
• Analyze the effect of this conflict on two groups involved.
* Topic 1 - The Holocaust
* Topic 2 - Apartheid in South Africa
* Topic 3 -You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you
might wish to consider include: the persecution of Christians during the Roman Empire, the
Reign of Terror, the Armenian massacres, the forced famine in Ukraine, and the conflict in
Northern Ireland
Do not use any conflicts that occurred in the United States in your answer.
Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:
• Develop all aspects of the task
• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details. Use a logical and clear
plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a
simple restatement of the theme
Essay 4
Theme: Change (Individuals Who have Changed History
The beliefs and achievements of individuals have changed global history.
These beliefs and achievements have had positive and negative effects on
society .
T ask:
Identify three individuals* who have changed global history and for each:
• Explain one belief or achievement of that individual.
• Discuss the positive and/or negative effects of the individual's belief or
achievement.
* Topic 1 - Nelson Mandela
* Topic 2 - Mohandas Gandhi
* Topic 3 - You may use any individual from your study of global history. Some suggestions you
might wish to consider include: Hammurabi, Confucius, Aristotle, Alexander the Great,
Muhammad, Johannes Gutenberg, Queen Isabella, Leonardo da Vinci, John Locke, Catherine
the Great, and Simon Bolivar
Do not use individuals from the United States events in your answer.
Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:
• Develop all aspects of the task.
• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
• Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion
that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.
Essay 4
Theme: Change - Turning Points
Political, economic, and social conditions have often led to turning points
that have changed the course of history for nations and peoples.
T ask:
Identify three turning points* from your study of global history and for each:
• Describe the causes, key events, and historical circumstances that led
to the turning point.
• Explain how each turning point changed the course of history for
nations and peoples.
*Topic 1 - World War I
*Topic 2 - French Revolution
*Topic 3 - You may use any examples from your study of global history. Some suggestions you
might wish to consider include: the Neolithic Revolution, the fall of the Roman Empire, the
Crusades, the Renaissance, the Encounter, the Russian Revolution of 1917, Nelson Mandela
elected president of South Africa, and the fall of the Berlin Wall/collapse of Soviet Union.
Do not use any turning points in United States history in your answer.
Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to:
• Develop all aspects of the task.
• Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details.
• Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion
that are beyond a simple restatement of the theme.
© 2007 NYSED
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