Page 23 - Demo

xxiTips for Taking the AP %u00ae Exam The exam for the AP %u00ae U.S. Politics and Government course consists of fifty-five multiple-choice questions and four free-response questions. The AP%u00ae Exam is offered in a digital format, and it%u2019s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the platform ahead of time. A test preview feature on the College Board website allows you to try out a few questions and practice with the digital tools provided. In addition, their full-length practice tests are timed and scored. These opportunities to rehearse the test-taking experience will help prepare you for the AP%u00ae Exam. Multiple-Choice Questions You will have an hour and twenty minutes to complete this part of the exam. Budget your time wisely. The multiple-choice exam has four different kinds of questions: 1. Quantitative Analysis Sets of two to three questions interpreting tables, charts, graphs, maps, and infographics. 2. Text-Based Analysis Sets of three to four questions interpreting readings from primary and secondary sources. 3. Visual Source Analysis Sets of two questions interpreting cartoons, maps, and infographics. 4. Individual Multiple-Choice Questions Approximately thirty questions that, unlike the other three categories, have no stimulus. These %u201cfreestanding%u201d questions make up the majority of the multiple-choice questions. You will earn one point for each correct answer, and there is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question. The%u00a0 multiple-choice portion makes up half of your score on the exam. Free-Response Questions You will answer four written questions in an hour and forty minutes. Question 1: Concept Application (suggested time: 20 minutes) Read a scenario and explain how it relates to what you have learned about government and politics. Question 2: Quantitative Analysis (suggested time: 20 minutes) Analyze data, identify a trend or pattern in data, draw a conclusion from a table, graph, map, or infographic, and explain how the data relate to the course content. Question 3: SCOTUS Comparison (suggested time: 20 minutes) Read about a nonrequired Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case and compare it with one of the fourteen required Supreme Court cases. The facts and holding of the nonrequired case will be described in enough detail to give you the information you need to answer the question. The required Supreme Court case will be identified in the question. Question 4: Argument Essay (suggested time: 40 minutes) Write an essay with a thesis that develops an argument about a topic. %u2022 The question will contain a list of three foundational documents. %u2022 You must use at least one of the listed foundational documents as a piece of evidence to support your argument. %u2022 You must also use a second piece of evidence to support your argument, which may be another foundational document or something else you learned in the course. %u2022 You will also have to describe an alternative perspective and respond to that alternative perspective using refutation or rebuttal. The free-response section makes up half of your score on the exam. Each free-response question is worth 12.5 percent of your score, which means the questions are evenly weighted, even though the Argument Essay will take you longer to write. Again, budget your time carefully. %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.