AP Government and Politics Exam Review Notes
AP Exam Information
This review covers information relevant to the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam.
The review will cover:
The Constitution
Unit One
Unit Two
Unit Three
Unit Four
Unit Five
Required Supreme Court Cases
Required Documents
All About the AP Exam
The AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam is 3 hours long.
The exam measures students' understanding of required content.
Students should be able to define, compare, explain, and interpret political concepts, policies, processes, perspectives, and behaviors of the U.S. political system.
Format of Assessment
Section 1: Multiple Choice
55 Questions
80 Minutes
50% of Exam Score
Quantitative Analysis: Five sets of stimulus-based questions, each with two to three questions.
Text-based Analysis: Two sets of questions: one based on a foundational document and the other on a primary or secondary source. Each set contains three to four questions.
Visual Source Analysis: Three sets of stimulus-based questions, each with two questions.
Individual multiple-choice questions: approximately 30 questions that require students to describe, explain, and compare political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors, including questions about required Supreme Court cases and foundational documents.
Section II: Free Response
4 Questions
100 Minutes (1 Hour 40 Minutes)
50% of Exam Score
Concept Application: Respond to a political scenario, explaining how it relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior.
Quantitative Analysis: Analyze quantitative data, identify a trend or pattern, draw a conclusion from the visual representation, and explain how it relates to a political principle, institution, process, policy, or behavior.
SCOTUS Comparison: Compare a nonrequired Supreme Court case with a required Supreme Court case, explaining how information from the required case is relevant to the nonrequired one.
Argument Essay: Develop an argument in the form of an essay, using evidence from one or more required foundational documents and course concepts.
Free Response Question (FRQ) Types
Concept Application FRQ
Requires reading a government scenario and answering three related questions.
Worth three points on the AP Exam, although some past examples may have been worth 4 points.
Annotation: Annotate the scenario to identify the government principle (amendments, federalism, gerrymandering, civil rights, powers of Congress/President, etc.).
Answering: Answer in complete sentences using the exact wording of the question.
Referencing: If the question says “reference the scenario,” specific facts from the scenario MUST be used in the answer.
For example, if the scenario talks about voting in the 17th District of North Carolina, the answer should specifically discuss voting in that district, not voting in general.
Demonstrate an understanding of the WHOLE picture/process, not simply the piece provided.
Example Concept Application FRQ
Scenario: Hearings for John Roberts's nomination as Chief Justice, including his statement about judges being like umpires.
Questions:
a. Referencing the scenario, describe the Constitutional step required prior to the Senate’s vote on John Roberts and explain how this process demonstrates checks and balances.
b. Explain how the Senate process described in the scenario could affect the president’s choice of John Roberts.
c. Describe what Roberts’ statement indicates about his views on the role of the court, and explain how this could affect his future decisions.
Quantitative Analysis FRQ
Requires looking at and evaluating numeric data, commonly presented in a graph (circle, bar) or a chart.
Typically a 4-point question with parts A-D.
Breakdown of Each Part:
A: Read and record data from the graph/chart. One-sentence answer, no analysis.
B: Identify a trend in the data. Very specific, 1-2 sentences, using words from the data.
C: Identify the political concept behind the data (gerrymandering, party-line voting, federalism, expansion of presidential power, etc.). Analysis within the scope of the data.
D: Apply the political concept from C in a specific way. May reference a required document. Analysis BEYOND the scope of the data.
Example Quantitative Analysis FRQ
Bar graph of Congressional Hearing Days in the House that investigated the executive branch, 1969–2014.
Questions:
A. Using the bar graph, identify the president who faced the fewest number of investigative hearing days in a single year when the House was controlled by the opposing party.
B. Describe the relationship between investigative hearing days and party control of the House and the presidency as shown in the bar graph.
C. Draw a conclusion about how the difference in congressional hearing days between 1970-1980 and 1990-2000 may have affected presidential power during those periods.
D. Explain whether the data in the bar graph for the years in which the president's party controlled the House reflect Madison's ideas in The Federalist 51.
SCOTUS Comparison FRQ
Often the lowest scoring FRQ because students do not adequately explain the required case and speak in generalizations.
Tests how well you know the REQUIRED CASE, not how well you can read the case they describe.
Breakdown of Each Part:
A: Identify the constitutional provision(s) that the two cases have in common. Be specific (e.g., freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal protection clause, due process clause).
B: Worth TWO points. Explain the holdings in BOTH cases using specific language. Holdings speak in terms of the Constitution!
C: The “next steps” question. Asks what a branch of government or an individual can do if they do not like the decision the court made. Explain a method of proposing an amendment.
Top Tip
Look at the questions to see what the required case is first. Think about the holding in that case to better understand the focus of the question before reading the provided case information.
Example SCOTUS Comparison FRQ
Summary of Arizona law on undocumented immigrants and the Supreme Court case Arizona v. United States (2012).
Questions:
A. Identify a common constitutional principle used to make a ruling in both McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Arizona v. United States led to a similar holding in both cases.
B. Explain how the facts of McCulloch v Maryland and the facts of Arizona v. United States led to a similar holding in both cases.
C. Explain an action that Congress could take to respond to the Arizona v. United States decision if it disagreed with the decision.
Actions if Disagreeing with a Supreme Court Decision:
Congress
Can pass legislation that clarifies or modifies the impact of the court's decision (to the extent that is possible)
Can propose a constitutional amendment to overturn the court's decision.
President
Can influence the implementation of the court's decision through the executive branch.
Can publicly criticize the decision to sway public opinion.
Can nominate judges who align with a different interpretation of the Constitution.
Individuals
Can engage in peaceful protests.
Can support advocacy groups that lobby for legislative changes.
Can file lawsuits challenging the application of the decision.
Argument Essay FRQ
The “big daddy” FRQ, suggesting 40 minutes to write this essay, whereas 20 minutes is suggested for the other three FRQs.
Dependent rubric: if the thesis point is not earned, the highest possible score is 1 out of 6.
Argumentative Essay Points:
Point One: Responds to the prompt with a defensible claim and a line of reasoning.
Point Two: Provides one piece of evidence that is relevant to the topic of the prompt.
Point Three: Uses one piece of specific and relevant evidence to support the claim or thesis.
Point Four: Uses two pieces of specific and relevant evidence to support the claim or thesis.
Must provide two pieces of specific and relevant evidence that support the claim or thesis. One of these pieces of evidence must come from a foundational document listed in the prompt. The other piece of evidence can come from a different foundational document or from knowledge of course concepts.
Point Five: Reasoning- Explains how or why the evidence supports the claim or thesis.
Point Six: Alternate Perspective- Responds to an opposing or alternate perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal.