AP Free Response Question Tips

THE FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS• The questions are task based• The total time for the FRQ’S is 100 minutes• Students should bring a watch to monitor

their own time• Students should NOT spend more than 25

minutes per question• Students should answer the easiest question

first the most difficult last

• There will be no more credit than the maximum allowed-------students should not waste time doing more than what is required

• Keep writing---no points are deducted for wrong information unless there is a direct contradiction with a correct response, if so, no points are added

• Only points are ADDED for correct answers• LEAVE NO BLANKS BUT MAKE SURE

THERE ARE NO CONTRADICTIONS IN THE ANSWER

• break the question down into its constituent parts i.e. part A; part B and delineate each

The free response questions are worth 50% of the exam.

Each question is equal in value, worth 25% of 50% of the exam.

Each question is graded using a scale appropriate for the number of parts to the question; usually 6 to 8 points.

An average response should be about 1-11/2 pages long.

Some answers can be a sentence. Some questions are definitions with other parts asking

for examples or applications A list might be asked for Extraordinary answers can be essays which combine

parts of a question-based on past exam results I would not recommend this approach

DO NOT write a thesis statement unless it is required Outline the answer, if necessary, to keep thoughts

together and logical DO NOT EDITORIALIZE—NO ONE CARES IF THE

STUDENT AGREES WITH OR LIKES THE PRESIDENT OR ANYONE ELSE

STUDENTS SHOULD NOT TELL THE READER THAT THEY ARE A LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE AND HOW GOOD THAT IS-- NO ONE CARES

DO NOT TELL THE READER THAT YOU AGREE WITH A POSITION

DO NOT USE LOCAL OR STATE POLITICS AS AN EXAMPLE

Students should use contemporary examples if requested to answer the question. Students should read the newspaper or read the newspapers on the net---NY TIMES, WASHINGTON POST—sorry the local newspaper won’t do

Responses should be very specific. Don’t teach students to write historical information in

an answer as it is rarely useful. Historical is probably 20 years--CLINTON administration. DON’T GO FURTHER BACK THAN “W” AND USE HIM AS A COMPARISON TO OBAMA

YOU COULD DISCUSS THE WHOLE ISSUE OF BUSH-CHENEY AND THE EXPANSION OF EXECUTIVE POWER IN AN EMERGENCY, POST 9/11

SEARCH AND SEIZURE, PATRIOT ACT, IMMIGRATION LAW (AZ V US), FISA COURT, BLANKET EAVESDROPPING)

Exceptions An extraordinary event Effects of the New Deal Watergate Iran Contra Imperial presidency (Johnson, Nixon) Collapse of USSR (not caused by Reagan policies) Kennedy and the press Impact of Vietnam War Impact of civil rights movement Sources of Enduring political coalitions Sources of institutional political power Clinton impeachment Use common sense in deciding what to use

use substantive examples and analysis------ link examples to the point being made on graph and data questions make sure that the

trend discussed is provable in the graph ALL DATA QUESTIONS ARE LOOKING FOR LONG

TERM TRENDS TREND TREND TREND TREND

NEVER use numbers to explain a graph, ex. In data spanning 50 years; in the year 1984 the winner received 12% more votes than the loser.

Lists, bullets and phrases MIGHT be an appropriate style to use in an answer but only if appropriate.

If they ask for a list only then do you use one. Normal responses require complete sentences no outlines as answers unless they ask for one-they won’t

• no name dropping—students don’t know how to do it—it just aggravates the readers i.e. According to Wilson, blah, blah….If it is an authority in the field that would be OK. i.e. V.O. Key Jr. (Critical Election) or Morton Grodzin’s (Marble Cake theory of Federalism)…..

• NO highlighting or underlining important ideas or points—it’s distracting (and makes the writer look like an amateur, make the readers work for their money.

• write or print legibly; however, there is always someone who can read any kind of handwriting or language, use English.

• no jokes• no cartoons• no teacher and class evaluations—if you don’t know it

you don’t have to tell the reader they’ll get it by giving you no points

• Students can get a 0 score• Students should not write illogically such as making

a conclusion which contradicts everything you wrote—hello??????

• DON’T WRITE STUPID • Don’t data dump; i.e. students write lots of

information and DO NOT link it to the point……ask yourself why am I writing this? What is the consequence of this information?

If there are legal cases to discuss in a free response question;

• don’t give long explanations of background-----NO ONE CARES!

• what was the ruling in the case---the legal answer to the legal question. Marbury v Madison the Supremes cannot be given the power to issue writs of mandamus by the congress; it violates delegates potestas non potest delegari (the delegated powers cannot be delegated)

what effect did the case have? Marbury v Madison established judicial review of federal law

In Brown v Bd Ed no one cares about the 7 students; what matters is the principle of racial classification causing inherent inferiority thus segregation violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment

HELPFUL HINTS

The exam writers are political scientists; number crunchers, who try to explain political behavior and social phenomena from data collected in the field

Expect multiple questions dealing with data in both the M/C and free response tests

The four free response questions will come from the 6 course themes