The AP Seminar is an interdisciplinary course administered by the College Board that focuses on developing a student’s ability to research, collaborate, and communicate that will be used in any academic discipline.
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What Is The AP Seminar?
The course covers a variety of AP subjects and prepares one to earn college course credit by passing custom exams in disciplines chosen by the student.
The seminar course is offered at select locations in many school districts where professors and teachers bring their expertise to give a student a well-rounded education to earn the best grades on the AP topics a student wishes to focus on.
What AP Seminar Topics Are Offered?
The AP seminar course is a customized program that covers a variety of topics, including biology, calculus, chemistry, earth science, English composition, geology, history, and more.
Students can select to take a variety of courses to prepare for a test that will earn them college credit so that they can take introductory courses in their desired discipline or meet the requirements of general elective courses.
What We Are Going to Focus On Here
This collection of AP research topics will focus specifically on Biology, Earth Science, English Language & Composition, History, and Human Geography. The AP seminar research topics we list here will help you prepare for the most common areas that are covered in the exam year after year. And while the questions may change a little, the ones we include here will give you a good foundation of what you will find on the exam.
AP Seminar Themes On Biology
The AP Biology Exam tests a student’s understanding of four major biological concepts covered in course units. The following list is informative and gives you an overview of the types of things you will find on the exam. You can cover them fast and learn a great deal about them by writing short responses to use when you study:
- What does the Krebs cycle release in humans?
- Define active protein transport in humans?
- What makes water a versatile molecule?
- What role do subatomic particles play in humans?
- What are the six types of experiments used to gather information?
- What is meant by nonparametric data?
- How do human cells communicate with one another?
- What are ligand-gated ion channels?
- The resting membrane potential depends on what?
- What is the definition of a heterography?
- How does signal transduction facilitate cell communication?
- What is kidney dialysis and how does it facilitate the filtering of blood?
- A feature of amino acids that is NOT present in carbohydrates is the presence of what type of atom?
- Define the process of endocytosis and explain why it is important.
- What are the three main ways behaviors in organisms are developed?
- What are the different types of measurements biologists rely on to gather information?
- What three roles do organisms within an ecosystem fulfill?
- What are the major issues that human activity has created for the world?
- What are the main functions of the immune system, the nervous system, and the endocrine system?
- Define and explain the process of light-independent reaction.
- What are the prime pieces of evidence that support the theory of evolution?
- Explain how humans have impacted the environment through the greenhouse effect.
- What are the four stages of aerobic respiration?
- What key observations did Charles Darwin make that led to his theory of natural selection?
- What is meant by bulk flow in the human body?
- Define the Gibbs Free Energy mathematical notion.
- Define ecological success and explain how it can predict population growth.
- What does the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium state about the shuffling of genes?
- What are triglycerides and how are they created?
- How are scientists using cell reproduction to learn more about curing diseases?
- What causes inter-cellular junctions?
- What does the area of bioenergetics deal with?
- What are the four types of behaviors observed in primates?
AP Seminar Research Questions On Earth Science
Earth science or geoscience is the study of the Earth’s structure, properties, processes, biotic evolution. It is considered to be a branch of planetary science and contains a history that goes back to more than 400 billion years. The following research ideas represent the top areas that the AP seminar exam incorporates yearly:
- Which agent of erosion is responsible for moving the largest amount of material?
- What is the process of deposition by gravity?
- How has the ocean floor affected marine geology?
- Describe two ways in which the wind erodes the Earth’s surface.
- The greatest concentration of ozone exists in which atmospheric layer?
- What are the Earth’s highest and lowest points of land?
- How does the ozone layer affect the way humans perceive color?
- What are the two ideas used to determine the relative age of rock layers?
- How can volcanic activity in one area lead to earthquakes in other areas?
- In what ways does oxidation weaken a rock over time?
- Through which process does air flow from one location in the atmosphere to another?
- What are the two main elements that define climate zones?
- U-shaped valleys that are scattered with large boulders were most likely formed by what?
- Why do stars appear to move at a rate of 15 degrees per hour?
- As a stream’s volume increases, what happens to the amount of material the stream can carry?
- State three ways in which streams transport sediment.
- How do harsh weather areas affect the way indigenous rocks are formed?
- What is the theory of uniformitarianism and how can we apply it to water movement in the past?
- Geologic time is the entire time to have occurred since when?
- What are five factors that affect climate in different parts of the world?
- How do large bodies of water moderate climate around the world?
- What do scientists suggest is the best way to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
- Compared to polar regions, why are equatorial areas heated more by the Sun?
- What are the three global wind belts and how do they impact weather systems?
- What is the process by which the Sun’s energy travels through space?
- According to evidence, what do we know about the geologic processes of the past?
- What are the differences between a cyclone and an anticyclone?
- Which process is mostly responsible for the formation of clouds?
- Describe the water cycle process that forms clouds when moist air cools as it rises.
- What happens to the Earth’s air pressure as the amount of water vapor in the air?
- What are the differences between internal and external Earth processes?
- Which force is mainly responsible for the movement of an ice glacier?
- What is the process of deposition by moving water?
- What was the Great Dustbowl Disaster and how did it change the environment?
AP Capstone Research Topics On English
The AP English Language and Composition exam goes beyond what you likely covered in a standard English class. It tests your abilities to understand how authors use rhetoric and language to convey their purpose. Taking the course and subsequent exam is a great way to prepare for the intense reading you will do in college. Here are some questions you should be prepared to answer after reading any passage:
- What does the passage above suggest?
- According to lines 15 – 20, the author’s primary point is _____.
- What does the last paragraph attempt to convey?
- What is the author’s thesis or main argument?
- The organization of this passage can be best described as ______.
- What is the relationship between the sixth and seventh paragraphs?
- The effect of using long periodic sentences such as the one in lines 12 – 15 is to _____.
- Which of the following lines in the passage does NOT support the author’s belief?
- One can infer from the sixth paragraph (lines 45 – 59) that the author believes in _____.
- The gravity of the subject matter is best reflected in the author’s use of which phrase?
- The author develops the passage primarily through _____.
- In contrast with the rest of the passage, the tone of the final paragraph is _____.
- The function of the third paragraph is to _____.
- Throughout the passage, the author makes frequent use of _____.
- The author is best described as _____.
We could not repeat entire passages and there is no way of knowing what can appear in the exam. But you can see the types of questions that will be asked, so you can take any passage and develop your comprehension skills so that you know how to effectively navigate any passage that is used in the exam.
AP US History Research Paper Projects
The AP topics covered in this portion of the exam cover nine periods in U.S. history spanning from the later 15th century to this first quarter of the 21st century. The test consists of several multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, a document-based question, and a long essay. The best way to prepare for this exam is to become familiar with each of these periods. The following research topics will help you achieve that:
- What influence did the CIA have in shaping the U.S.’s policy of containment?
- What caused the Great Depression in the U.S.?
- What were the major issues leading up to the American Civil War?
- What events led to the U.S. entry into WWII?
- How did civil rights leaders in the U.S. seek to win public opinion?
- How did the Puritans influence American society?
- How did slavery impact the American economy in the 19th century?
- What effect did the Louisiana Purchase have on expansion?
- What influence did Martin Luther King Jr. have on equality?
- What were the major differences between the Northern and Southern states before the Civil War?
- What city was the first capital of the United States?
- What role did women play in colonial society?
- How did the discovery of the New World affect the lives of Native Americans?
- What was life like for the early American settlers?
- What was the economic impact of the Great Depression?
- What impact did the Suffrage Movement in the U.S. have?
- How did the U.S. justify the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
- How did the United States benefit from the Mexican-American War?
- How can the work environments during the Progressive Era best be described?
- What did the events of 9/11 have on nationalist sentiments?
- What were the causes of the American Revolution?
- What role did the Pilgrims play in spreading Christianity?
- What impact did the Bill of Rights have on the early U.S. citizens?
- How did the rise of capitalism impact the U.S. economy?
- What were the biggest reasons behind the Colonies’ desire for independence?
- What impact did Reaganomics have on the country’s economy?
- What impact did Henry Ford have in changing manufacturing in the U.S.?
- How did the French assist the Colonies win the Revolution?
- What role did slavery play in developing the Southern economy?
- Did the framers of the Constitution represent the best interests of the people?
- What impact did Manifest Destiny have on U.S. expansion to the West?
- What impact did Chinese immigrants have in building the American West?
- What were the causes of the Whisky Rebellion of 1794?
- What led to the Prohibition era in the U.S.?
- What impact did the Lincoln-Douglass debates have on slavery and government?
- How did manufacturing help the North defeat the South in the American Civil War?
- What impact did the Emancipation Proclamation have on U.S. society?
- How have attitudes about immigration changed over the last 2 decades?
- How did the Roosevelt Plan help end the Great Depression?
- What events led to the U.S. entry into WWI?
- Why did the United States fight the War in Vietnam?
- What led to the Cuban Missile Crisis?
AP Research Ideas On Human Geography
This branch of geography deals with the ways human activity affects or is influenced by the earth’s surface, communities, cultures, economies, and environment. The following interesting research questions will help you prepare to learn more about this area so that you can excel on the AP exam:
- What is the biggest reason for the massive influx of foreign manufacturing to China?
- What did Larry Ford and Ernest Griffin help pioneer?
- What is North Carolina’s Research Triangle known for?
- What does a rate of natural increase of 1.09 percent mean for when a population will double?
- A negative rate of natural increase can often be seen in which type of society?
- What is Stage Four of the Demographic Transition Model characterized by?
- What factor is the likely cause of an increase in transportation emissions?
- What is the process of adjusting legislative representation of a county after losing population called?
- Which countries have had the most success in using alternative forms of energy?
- What impact did the Arab Spring of 2011 have on international relations?
- Explain why a government might invest in remote-sensing technology.
- What are the differences between a galactic city model and a peripheral model?
- What best illustrates the difference between folk culture and pop culture?
- Why do countries prefer to develop and grow domestic manufacturing?
- A command economy is marked by what characteristics?
- What are the four biggest reasons for American suburbanization in the 1950s?
- Provide an example of a fuzzy cultural border.
- What impact did the Green Revolution have in saving the lives of people?
- What is the biggest difference between an Anglo-American city and a Latin-American city?
- Describe the importance of economic sustainability in urban areas?
- The Know-Nothing party is an example of what common political reaction to large-scale immigration?
- How has the clean energy industry impacted population growth?
- Which methods were used to enact segregation in neighborhoods in the 1960s?
- How has the expansion of schools affected population growth in certain areas?
- To calculate the rate of natural increase, the difference between what two factors should be divided by ten?
- In what region of the world does tourism play its most vital economic role?
- What is the garden city movement and how did it pioneer planned developments?
- Define an edge city and outline its most important characteristics.
- Explain the politics of agroindustry in the United States.
- When does a city become a megacity (i.e., minimum population)?
- How has environmental sustainability affected the way city planners meet the needs of their citizens?
- How do industrial zones impact population growth in surrounding areas?
- In what ways did separation without segregation contribute to the rise of ethnic neighborhoods?
- What are the major differences between suburbs and exurbs?
- How do race, nationality, and ethnicity affect the movement of people?
- Explain how agribusinesses have impacted the population of nearby cities.
- The birth of modern English is typically dated to which year?
- How did urbanization affect the role women played in the 1950s?
- What impact have natural borders had on cultural differences?
- What is central place theory and how does it relate to current urban models?
- What is one of the problems with conformal projection maps?
- What does the quaternary sector of the economy include?
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