FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
Free-Response questions usually are not traditional essay questions. Most free-response
questions do not require an introduction or conclusion. Most do not even require a thesis.
Many may be written in a bulleted or short-answer format. Although this may sound
easier than writing a traditional essay, it is important to know the material very well.
Free-Response questions are targeted questions. Responses must include specific,
accurate information presented in clear, concise prose. You cannot mask vague
information with elegant prose.
In answering free-response questions, carefully read the question, and do exactly what it
asks. It is important to note the word choices used in questions:
VOCABULARY

Define A definition requires you to provide a meaning for a word or concept.
Examples may help to demonstrate understanding of the definition. You may be
instructed to note the term’s significance as part of the definition, to state the
meaning of a word or phrase or to give a specific example. Definitions are
usually just one sentence. For example, if a question asks you to define “iron
triangle,” the response is “An iron triangle is a close, advantageous relationship
between an interest group, a congressional committee, and an administrative
agency.”

Describe. A description involves providing a depiction or portrayal of a
phenomenon or its most significant characteristics. Descriptions most often
address “what” questions. For example, if you are asked to describe reasons for
the decline in voter turnout, they must do more than simply list facts—they must
actually describe the reasons. You may explain that the expansion of suffrage led
to a decline in overall voter turnout because once voting was made available to
more individuals, the overall percentage of those voting declined.

Discuss. Discussions generally require that you explore relationships between
different concepts or phenomena. Identifying, describing, and explaining could be
required tasks involved in writing a satisfactory discussion.

List/Identify Listing or identifying is a task that requires no more than a simple
enumeration of some factors or characteristics. Identify to select a factor, person,
or idea and give it a name. For example, if a question asks you to identify one
advantage of incumbency, one possible response is “One advantage of
incumbency is the opportunity to do casework for constituents.” A list does not
require any causal explanations. For example, you might be asked to list or
identify three characteristics presidents consider when making appointments.
Such a list, which could be bulleted or numbered, might include party, race,
gender, etc.

Compare/Contrast This task requires you to make specific links between two or
more concepts.

Evaluate/Assess An evaluation or assessment involves considering how well
something meets a certain standard and as such generally requires a thesis. It is
important to identify the criteria used in the evaluation. If no criteria are explicitly
given in the question, you should take care to clearly identify the ones that you
choose to employ. Specific examples may be applied to the criteria to support
your thesis. Evaluation or assessment requires explicit connections between the
thesis or argument and the supporting evidence.

Analyze This task usually requires separating a phenomenon into its component
parts or characteristics as a way of understanding the whole. An analysis should
yield explicit conclusions that are explained or supported by specific evidence or
well-reasoned arguments.

Explain why/explain how to give a cause or reason. An explanation involves the
exploration of possible causal relationships. When providing explanations, you
should identify and discuss logical connections or causal patterns that exist
between or among various political phenomena. Explanations usually include the
word because. For example, if a question asks you why the ability to do
casework gives incumbents an advantage, one possible response is “By doing
casework, such as helping a constituent get her Social Security check, members of
Congress are able to leave a favorable impression on members of their district.
This increases their chances of reelection because they are able to get positive
results for their constituents, who will vote for them in the next election.”
SCORING
Free-response questions are scored using a rubric that assigns points for each part of the
answer. For example, if part (a) requires you to identify and explain two factors, that part
of the response will be worth 4 points—1 point for each identification and 1 point for
each explanation. If part (b) requires you to identify and explain one factor, that part of
the response will be worth 2 points—1 point for the identification and 1 point for the
explanation, for a total of 6 points possible on the question.
From: Benson and Waples, Preparing for the AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam