How To Attack an AP Government Exam
SECTION I: MULTIPLE CHOICE
What Should I Expect in Section I?
For this first section of the U.S. Government and Politics exam, you are allotted 45 minutes to answer
60 objective questions. These are questions that any student in any introductory government and
politics class might know. It is not expected that everyone will know the answer to every question;
however, you should try to answer as many questions as you can. The AP U.S. Government and Politics
questions always have five answer choices. Points are given for every correct answer and partial points
(one-fourth) are deducted for every incorrect answer. No points are given or deducted for blank
answers.
How Should I Begin to Work with Section I?
Take a quick look at the entire multiple-choice section. This brief skimming of the test will put your
mind at ease because you will be more aware of the test and what is expected in Section I. Do not spend
too much time skimming. Remember, this is a timed exam.
How Should I Proceed Through This Section of the Exam?
Always maintain an awareness of the time. Wear a watch. (Some students like to put it directly in from
of them on the desk.) Remember, this will not be your first encounter with the multiple-choice section
of the test. You’ve probably been practicing timed exams in class; in addition, this book provides you
with four experiences.
Work at a pace that is comfortable. Every question is worth the same number of points, so don’t get
bogged down on one or two questions. Don’t panic if you do not know the answer to a question.
Remember, others taking the exam might not know it either. There has to be a bar that determines the
5s and 4s for this exam. Just do your best.
Reading the questions and answer choices carefully is a must. Read the entire question. Don’t try to
guess what the question is asking; read the question. Read all the answer choices. Don’t jump at the
first answer choice. Pay attention to key terms or negative statements, such as, which of the following
is NOT; all of the following EXCEPT.
Not all multiple-choice questions are the same. AP U.S. Government & Politics Exams will contain
the following types of questions:
I. Definition or Identification Questions
These questions ask you to recognize something and know what it is. Here is an
example.
1. Class action suits
(A) permit a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other
people similarly situated.
(B) are filed by students seeking to force a school district to offer
additionalsections of perpetually overenrolled courses.
(C) have to do with constitutional issues, thus broadening the
standing to sue.
(D) are routinely filed by teachers' groups to prepare the way or
strikes.
(E) may be filed only if all of those with standing to sue agree to
participate.
The correct answer is A. A small group of people who believe, for example, that a
product has harmed them can sue the manufacturer on behalf of all the people
who believe they were harmed. This is the definition of class action.
II. Cause-and-Effect Questions
This type of question asks which event caused another, or what is the result of
something. Here is an example:
2. The increasing speed of technological advance
(A) has significantly reduced the scope of American government.
(B) helps reduce and accelerate government policymaking.
(C) has helped reduce the cost of health care in the United States.
(D) has dramatically affected health policy, but has had no effect on
environmental and energy policy.
(E) has created many new practical and moral problems of the
political system.
The answer is E. You can use the process of elimination. The scope of government
has not gotten smaller; policymaking has not become faster; health care costs
have risen; if technology has affected health policy, it is unlikely that it has not
also affected environmental and energy policies. Answers A-D are obviously
wrong, leaving E.
III. "Roman Numeral" Questions
Here you are given a question, then several statements, phrases, or words
relating to the question. You must decide which of the statements, phrases, or
words are correct. It may be one or more than one.
3. Registered voters directly elect which of the following?
I. The president and vice president
II. Supreme Court justices
III. Senators
IV. The Electoral College
(A)
I only
(B)
IV only
(C)
I and II only
(D) III and IV only
(E)
II, III, and IV only
The answer is D. Registered voters vote for electors who then vote for the
president and vice president. This is not direct election. So any choice that
includes I is wrong (A, C). Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by
the president and approved by the Senate, so you can also eliminate choice
E. Voters vote directly for both senators and, as noted above, the Electoral
College.
IV. EXCEPT or NOT Questions
In this type of question, four of the answer choices are correct, and you must find
the answer that is wrong. Be sure to read the question carefully. Here is an
example of this type of question.
4. Which of the following is NOT specifically mentioned in the
Constitution, including its amendments?
(A) Protection against double jeopardy
(B) Right to bear arms
(C) Freedom of speech
(D) Right to privacy
(E) Right to trial by jury
The answer is D. Double jeopardy is addressed in the Fifth Amendment. The
right to bear arms is mentioned in the Second Amendment. Freedom of speech is
protected by the First Amendment. Article III provides for trial by jury. Only the
right to privacy is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
Supreme Court Decisions
You will be asked to identify, interpret, or compare one or more well-known
Supreme Court decisions. Here is an example:
5. New York Times v. Sullivan addressed
(A) equal opportunity in the workplace.
(B) libel.
(C) prior restraint.
(D) business monopolies.
(E) obscenity.
The answer is B. The Court held that statements about public figures are
libelous only if made with "reckless disregard for the truth." There is no
way to guess here. All the choices are topics the Supreme Court has ruled
on, and all might involve a newspaper. You need to remember significant
cases and the issues they address.
V. Graphic Questions
You can expect to see questions based on graphs, tables, and maps.
DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME AMONG FAMILIES
Lowest fifth
Second fifth
Third fifth
Fourth fifth
Highest fifth
(percentage share by economic level)
1970 1980 1990 2000
5.5
5.1
4.6
3.6
12.0 11.6 10.8 8.9
17.4 17.5 16.6 14.9
23.5 24.3 23.8 23.0
41.6 41.6 44.3 49.6
6. Which of the following conclusions about income distribution
is supported by the table?
(A) The share of income received by the lowest fifth increased, and
the share
received by the fourth fifth decreased.
(B) The share of income received by the second fifth increased, and
the share
received by the fourth fifth decreased.
(C) The share of income received by the highest fifth increased, and
the share
received by the lowest fifth decreased.
(D) The number of people earning high incomes increased.
(E) The middle class disappeared.
The numbers clearly show that C is the answer. Choice D might be
attractive, but note that the table gives percents. Although the percent of
families in the highest fifth increased, you know nothing about the actual
number of people. Always read the questions and answer choices carefully.
Read every answer choice carefully before you make your final
selection.
Use the process of elimination to help you choose the correct answer. Even if you
are sure of an answer, cross out the letters of incorrect choices in your test
booklet as you eliminate them. This cuts down on distraction and allows you to
narrow the remaining choices even further. If you are able to eliminate three
answer choices, it is better to make an educated guess at the correct answer than
to leave the answer blank. If you can only eliminate one or two answers, leave the
answer blank: you are more likely to lose a point by guessing between more than
two answers.
Every question is worth the same number of points, so don’t get bogged down on
one or two questions. Don’t panic if you do not know the answer to a question.
Remember, others taking the exam might not know it either. There has to be a
bar that determines the 5s and 4s for this exam. Just do your best.
Reading the questions and answer choices carefully is a must. Read the entire
question. Don’t try to guess what the question is asking; read the question. Read
all the answer choices. Don’t jump at the first answer choice. Pay attention to key
terms or negative statements, such as, which of the following is NOT; all of the
following EXCEPT.
Strategies for Answering the Multiple-Choice Questions
You probably have been answering multiple-choice questions most of your
academic life, and you’ve probably figured out ways to deal with them. However,
there may be some points you have not considered that will be helpful for this
particular exam.
General Guidelines
 Work in order. This is a good approach for several reasons:
 — It’s clear.
 — You will not lose your place on the scan sheet.
 —There may be a logic to working sequentially that will help you answer
previous questions. But this is your call. If you are more comfortable
moving around the exam, do so.
 Write on the exam booklet. Mark it up. Make it yours. Interact with the test.
 Pace yourself and watch your time. Don’t spend too much time on one
question so that you run out of time and don’t complete questions you might
know, but which appear later in the exam. Don’t rush. There are no bonus
points for finishing early.
 Don’t be misled by the length or appearance of a question or of answer
choices. There is no correlation between length or appearance and the
difficulty of the questions.
 Read the questions and answer choices carefully. Make note of key terms such
as NOT or EXCEPT.
 Consider all the choices in a given question. This will keep you from jumping
to false conclusions. It helps you slow down and really consider all
possibilities. You may find that your first choice is not the BEST or most
appropriate choice.
 Remember that all parts of an answer must be correct for the answer to be
correct.
Specific Techniques
1. Read the five choices.
2. If no choice immediately strikes you as correct, you can
— eliminate those that are obviously wrong
— eliminate those choices that are too narrow or too broad
— eliminate illogical choices
— eliminate answers that are synonymous (identical)
— eliminate answers that cancel each other out
3. If two answers are close, do one or the other of the following: — Find the one
that is general enough to cover all aspects of the question. — Find the one that is
limited enough to be the detail the question is looking for.
 Educated guess. You have a wealth of skills and knowledge. A question or
choice may trigger your memory. This may form the basis of your educated
guess. Have confidence to use the educated guess as a valid technique. Trust
your own resources.

Effective with the 2011 AP exam, points on the multiple choice
section of the test are no longer deducted for incorrect answers.
Therefore, it is to your advantage to guess on every question when
you are not sure of the correct answer.
Last But Not Least
1. Knock out the stupid answers- Many multiple choice questions on an AP exam have at
least one wild-card answer that looks nothing like any of the others and couldn't possibly be right.
Anyone even a little familiar with the exam content won't choose it. Cross that one out first.
2. Knock out the answer that's "almost" right- Examiners know that some people will
look at the question, have a
quick think and look for the answer that's in the ball-park. That's why they include an answer
choice that's only half-right.
Half-right is WRONG and it's a "trick" answer put in to fool you. Find that answer and cross it out
next.
Section II: Free-Response Questions
The free response section consisting of four questions, i.e., You may, however, have some choice
within a question. Because the free-response questions are open-ended, this is your opportunity
to demonstrate your understanding of U.S. government and politics. You will see directives like
define, identify, describe, and explain. Knowing facts or terms may earn you points if the
task is to define or to identify, but to describe or to explain requires using your knowledge to
construct an argument. You should use your knowledge to construct a thorough and intelligent
response.
Scan all questions quickly to form initial impressions of the topics about which you are being
asked to write. You do not have to answer the questions in the order in which they are presented.
Begin with the question you think you can respond to best. (If you are to run short on time, you
would rather run short on a question about which you think you know the least, than the one
about which you know the most.)
Read and reread the question to be sure you understand exactly what is being asked. Underline
directives such as define, identify, describe, and explain. These are the tasks that
must be accomplished for you to earn credit for a response. You can jot notes in the
margins of the exam booklet.
Take a couple of minutes to brainstorm about the topic. Write down the things that come to your
mind. Then look them over to see which ideas will go well together to serve as examples for your
response to the question and to determine the order in which you will present them. This, in
essence, is the outline for your response. You may use any organizational approach that makes
sense to you as long as you respond to the question and all of its parts. Strong organization is to
your advantage. Using the question structure as your guide is often a very good approach; think
carefully before doing something more creative, as it makes it more difficult for you (and for the
reader!) to see that you have answered the entire question.
Now you are ready to begin writing. What you write is the only evidence that the reader has about
what you know regarding the question that has been posed. You will not get any benefit of the
doubt about your knowledge. Flesh out the ideas you used to construct your outline, using precise
language and examples to bolster you points. Correctly used, appropriate examples give the
reader confidence that you have an understanding of the question that merits awarding the points
allocated to that part of the question.
Your answer will be judged based on whether or not you have accomplished your task-to define,
identify, describe, or explain-as laid out in the question. You earn points for accomplishing the
assigned tasks. There is no need to venture beyond the scope of the question. You will not earn
extra points, and, because each question is scored independently, you will not be able to make up
for a question you feel you did not answer well enough by overcompensating on another question.
Many free-response questions on an AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam will ask you to address
a single topic in a straightforward way. Here is an example of such a question:
1. The system of checks and balances ensures that no branch of government has
unfettered power. Describe-using examples-how each branch has exercised this
power over another branch.
In your response to this question, you need to furnish examples that help you describe how each
of the three governmental branches has used the system of checks and balances to wield power.
Some free-response questions are divided into several parts, or sub questions. You might be
presented with a list of items, such as specific court cases or interest groups, that you are asked to
address in your response. These partitioned questions often contain directives like identify,
describe, and explain. Here is an example:
2. Choose two of the following Supreme Court cases.
California Board of Regents v. Bakke
Roe v. Wade
Gideon v. Wainwright
Rust v. Sullivan Miranda v. Arizona
Korematsu v. United States
For each case you selected, do each of the following.
a. Describe the position of each side.
b. Describe the Supreme Court's ruling.
c. Explain whether the ruling increased or decreased the rights of individuals.
First, you need to recognize (at least two of) the cases and choose the two you want to use in the
remainder of your response. Do not be intimidated by a list of six cases. You could know
absolutely nothing about four of the cases and still earn all of the points for the question. Second,
you would need to describe the positions of the opposing sides in each of the two cases chosen
(four descriptions). Third, you must describe the Court's ruling, i.e., present a simple statement of
the Court's holding in the cases chosen. Finally, you must take a position on whether the rights of
individuals were increased or decreased in each of the chosen cases and support your position.
A simple statement of your conclusion about the increase or decrease of individual rights by the
Court in your chosen cases would not be sufficient to earn credit for the explain part of the
question. The reader must finish your response knowing how you think rights were expanded or
contracted or why you have taken the position you have for each of the chosen cases. It is often
the explain part of a question that separates the best prepared students from the rest.
It cannot be overemphasized: pay close attention to exactly what the question asks you
to do, and do it-nothing more, nothing less! For example, in the question posed above,
asking you to describe the positions of the parties in two cases, the Supreme Court's ruling, and to
explain the cases' impact on the expansion or contraction of individual rights, you might know the
full story of Clarence Gideon and how his case made it to the Supreme Court, but even a brilliant
explanation of this saga would earn you no points because that is not requested in the question.
To earn points, answer the question that is asked-not the one you wish had been asked.
You will not be asked about your personal political opinions, so do not include them in your
answer. You do not get extra credit for going beyond the scope of a question, and that just wastes
your valuable time. Similarly, students sometimes will write a response that is completely off
topic when they don't know the answer. You are better off re-reading your other answers and
adding to them if you can't write on one of the questions. But even writing a little on a topic
might earn a few points that a description of your prom night (and yes, some essays do exactly
that!) won't. The AP Exam is a political science exam. Make sure that your answer is a political
science answer.
Strategies for Free-Response Questions
Here is a list of strategies that you can use to increase your chance of excelling
on the free-response section of the exam.
Some frequently used directives are listed below, along with descriptions of what
you need to do in writing your answer.
• compare: address similarities and differences between two or more things
• describe: give a detailed account
• identify: give a brief definition or listing
• explain: communicate how or why
Read the Questions Carefully
This applies to both multiple-choice and free-response questions. For multiplechoice questions it is important for students to read the question carefully to look
for words such as "NOT" and "EXCEPT." For free-response questions it is
important that students respond to ALL PARTS of the question being asked.
Understanding what is being asked and responding with specific evidence is a
very useful skill. Long, involved descriptions full of random facts about a specific
concept or political phenomenon are neither encouraged nor rewarded in the
grading process; students must be taught to "read for the guidelines" in order to
make sure both their information and presentation clearly and completely answer
the actual question that is being asked.
Understand the Instructions and Action Verbs
Students may be asked to list, discuss, describe, explain, analyze, etc.; these are
not all identical tasks. Also, the question may call for more than one task, such as
both to identify and explain. Students should understand that some tasks are
more complex than others. For example, composing a list may not even require a
complete sentence, but students may need to write several paragraphs for a
satisfactory discussion, including well-developed examples as support, in order to
adequately explain some phenomenon. Here are some of the most common
action words used in past free-response questions:


List/Identify: Listing or identifying is a task that requires no more than a
simple enumeration of some factors or characteristics. A list does not require
any causal explanations. For example, a student might be asked to list or
identify three factors that increase political legitimacy. Such a list could be
bulleted or numbered, and might include such factors as a written constitution,
competitive elections, and transparent institutions.
Define: A definition requires a student to provide a meaning for a word or
concept. Examples may help to demonstrate understanding of the definition.






Students may be instructed to note the term's significance as part of the
definition.
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 students are asked to describe a
political cleavage in Mexico, they must demonstrate knowledge that the
cleavage has at least two sides by describing what the two sides are.
Discuss: Discussions generally require that students explore relationships
between different concepts or phenomena. Identifying, describing, and
explaining could be required tasks involved in writing a satisfactory discussion.
Explain: An explanation involves the exploration of possible causal
relationships. When providing explanations, students should identify and
discuss logical connections or causal patterns that exist between or among
various political phenomena.
Compare/Contrast: This task requires students to make specific links
between two or more concepts, occurrences, or countries. Thus, students
cannot simply have a one-paragraph description of how women participate in
Iranian politics and a one-paragraph description of how they participate in
Nigeria with no connections between the two paragraphs. To correctly compare
participation of women in Nigeria and Iran there must be cross paragraph
references and development of a comparative structure. The students must
provide the connective tissue. They should understand that it is important to
note similarities AND differences.
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, students should take care to clearly identify the
ones that they choose to employ. Specific examples may be applied to the
criteria to support the student's 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 and/or well-reasoned arguments.