The AP Exam

Format for AP Government

Section 1: Multiple Choice (50%)

• 45 Minutes• 60 Questions• No guessing penalty• The questions do not test

“history” or “knowledge of events.”

• The questions focus on the structures of government, the interactions of/with government, and the impact of government

Section 2: Free Response (50%)

• 100 Minutes• 4 Questions (all equal in

terms of worth)• Most often they attempt to

link different concepts together.

The Units of Study

• Unit One: Constitutional Underpinnings– Theories of democratic government– Considerations that influenced the formulation

and adoption of the Constitution– Content and structures of the Constitution– Separation of powers– Federalism

(5-15% of Exam)

The Units of Study

• Unit Two: Political Beliefs and Behaviors – Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and

leaders– Factors that influence citizens to differ in terms of

political beliefs and behaviors– The nature, sources, and consequences of public

opinion– The ways in which citizens vote and participate in

political life

(10-20%)

The Units of Study

• Unit Three: Political Parties, Elections and Media– Political Parties (including functions, organizations,

historical developments and effects on the political process)

– Nomination and elections processes and campaign strategy

– Interest Groups (including PACs)– Media (Function, structure, and impact on politics)

(10-20%)

The Units of Study

• Unit Four: Institutions of National Government– Legislative– Executive– Judicial– Bureaucracy

(35-45%)

The Units of Study

• Unit Five: Public Policy – Policy making in a federal system– Formation of policy agendas– Role of institutions in policy enactment– Role of bureaucracy and courts in policy

implementation and interpretation– Linkages between policy processes and various

aspects of Government

(5-15%)

The Units of Study

• Unit Six: Civil Liberties/Civil Rights– Development of civil liberties and civil rights– Substantive rights and liberties– Impact of the 14th Amendment on rights/liberties

(5%-15%)

How to Write a Gov. FRQ

• Step One: Forget how to write FRQs from APUSH!

In this case those of you who didn’t have APUSH actually are starting at a small advantage (or at

least at the same spot). By the way, don’t actually forget it as it will help you with college

writing, just don’t bring it into this house.

How to Write a Gov. FRQ

• Have I READ and UNDERSTOOD the question?Did you read the question? Good! NOW READ IT AGAIN. You need to know what the question is asking you. If you are asked to discuss the CHANGE in federalism over time,

you don’t get full credit by simply defining federalism. The rest of your answer would involve using new policies and court cases to explain how they changed federalism. 75% of all mistakes made on FRQs are made because the

student doesn’t know what is being asked of them. ** I have no idea if this statistic is actually true or not. I just made it up. But based on observation over the past 6 years, it is pretty accurate so it is close enough for our purposes.

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

• Did I identify the question type?There are generally only two types of questions asked on

the AP Government Exam. The verbs which the question uses will tell you what kind of question is being asked.

1) Write about the MEANING of a concept. Key verbs: define, describe, identify, list, state, summarize

2) Compare, contrast, explain how one factor influences other factors, or explain how something actually works.

Key verbs: Compare, contrast, discuss, explain, and illustrate

How To Write A Gov. FRQKey Vocabulary for what type of question…• List Write an itemized series of concise statements (concepts,

events, laws) without explanation.• Identify Write a concise statement defining a concept, event, law

without explanation• Describe Give a detailed account. Make a picture with words. Include

characteristics, qualities, and parts.• Explain Make an idea/concept/process/relationship clear. Show the

logical relationship between components of the question. Provide reasons for an event or series of events. Provide supporting evidence/data. Requires EXPLICIT LINKAGE (cannot imply) between what is being explained and how or why it exists, happens, or whatever the question spells out.

• Compare Show the similarities (and sometimes the differences) between two or more things.

• Contrast Show the differences between two or more things

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

Which path do I take?Often times, FRQ’s will ask you to come up with several IDs and to

elaborate on them. They might ask for “two reasons”, “three examples”, or “four ways.” However, there are often 7 or 8

possible right answers. Therefore, before you write, make a list of all the possible answers you know could work. Then, choose the

ones that you feel the most comfortable writing about. AP readers DO NOT PENALIZE YOU FOR WRONG ANSWERS, ONLY MISSING ANSWERS. Therefore, if they ask for “two examples”

then you can give three examples (as long as none of the examples CONTRADICT another one). UNLESS they ask for MAIN,

FUNDAMENTAL, or PRIMARY in which case you must give only ONE.

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

What is linkage?Because this is the FRQ section the College Board likes to

ask how one aspect of government impacts another. Whenever you are linking anything (two parts of

government, cause and effect) you MUST BE EXPLICIT. You cannot imply anything on the FRQs. They must be stated. Think back to how you were taught to answer questions in a full sentence back in elementary school. Basically restate the question in the answer. Failure to

do so means you missed the point because you failed to CLOSE THE LOOP (CTL).

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

Do I need an introduction? Do I need to write full paragraphs?No, you don’t. Let me repeat this. You do not need to write

an introduction. You don’t have to answer in paragraphs. In order to avoid students from going on political rants

the College Board has made the questions so bland that no opinion, or stand on a position is required. They give you all that you need to answer in the question. So no introduction is needed. In addition, you do not need to

answer in full paragraph forms either. All that is required is enough to answer the question. No more and no less

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

That sounds cool. Show me how that looks.Can you ask nicely?

Can you please show me how that looks?That’s better. Ok assume the following part of a

question (this question taken from the 2005 AP Exam and is only one aspect of the question).

Question: Explain how two factors keep the United States Supreme Court from deviating too

far from public opinion.

How To Write A Gov. FRQQuestion: Explain how two factors keep the United States Supreme Court from deviating too far from public opinion.

1) One factor is the fact that Presidents nominate Supreme Court Justices to their seats. Because the President is an elected position his decisions can impact his approval ratings and chances for re-election. Due to this the President will nominate Justices whose opinions are not far out of the mainstream and won’t deviate too far from public opinion.2) Supreme Court rulings can be overruled by the passage of new laws or constitutional amendments. If an opinion issued by the Court deviates too far from public opinion, the elected Congress who are responsible to the people will takes actions to overturn the Court’s decision. Not wanting to be overruled by Congress, the Court will not deviate too far from public opinion.

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

Did I re-read my answer?You are going to be stuck in this room for 100

minutes. You’re not going anywhere and if you tried you’ll get a zero on the test. Take

the time to go back over your answer. Make sure you answered the question fully. If you didn’t you can add on to the answer (You can

even attach it using an arrow if you don’t have room on the paper).

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

What are some easy, general tips for doing well?• Give concrete examples. Specific examples of your answers

will solidify your answers.• Answer all parts of the question. Exam graders tend to

reward students more for answering all parts of the question rather than doing really well on just one part.

• Understand what you are being asked before you start writing

• Don’t panic and start making things up. It is better to just make a brainstorm list and you might get lucky and stumble across a right answer

How To Write A Gov. FRQWhat are some things I should always do?• Write as neatly as possible. If they can’t read it, they can’t grade it.

Neatly draw a line through a mistake and write the correct information above or after it.

• Read the question. Then read the question again. Only answer what is being asked.

• Reread your work if you have time. Pay close attention to see if you link the answer to the question.

• Use the EXACT VOCABULARY from the question in each component of your answer. Most rubrics ask for linkage back to the question. This is an easy way to move in that direction.

• When answering in bullet point format use the same letters/numbers in the question. If the question is A, then put A on your answer sheet and follow with the answer.

How To Write A Gov. FRQ

What are some things I should never do?• Don’t give personal opinions. The exam tests knowledge of

process not opinion. In addition you don’t want to upset somebody grading you who doesn’t believe what you do.

• Don’t give long, unnecessary introductions. Get to the point. Actually don’t even write an introduction.

• Don’t give information they didn’t ask for. They don’t give “brownie” or extra credit points

• Don’t spend more than 25 minutes on any one question (unless it’s the last one and you’re done with the others)

• Don’t fall asleep. Fight the fatigue. Slap yourself if needed to stay awake.