This year usually covers the (The Era of Palace Coups, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great). Focus your attention on:
Read the paragraph and try to answer the question in your head.
The partitions of Poland and the Russo-Turkish wars. Internal Reforms: How Russia shifted toward Westernization.
Great for social studies and history. They often break down the "Think and Answer" (Думаем, сравниваем, размышляем) sections well.
Since history is about understanding cause and effect, try this "quick-check" method:
Understanding how the civil service changed.