Excelling on the AP Government &
Politics Exams
About This Book and TESTware®
This book, along with REAs exclusive TESTware® software, will prepare you for the Advanced Placement Examinations in Government and Politics by giving you, first and foremost, an accurate and complete representation of the actual exams for both United States Government and Politics and Comparative Government and Politics. But REA doesnt stop there: we give you thorough yet concise subject reviews, a series of targeted drills, and an up-to-date glossary that comprises the full range of terminology with which you should be familiar.
If you are taking the United States Government and Politics exam, youll want to concentrate on Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is devoted to the Comparative Government and Politics exam. In both cases, youll find a lively course review keyed to exactly the material youll need to know to score well on the test, complemented by our handy glossary to help you get the most out of your study time. Three complete practice exams are provided for U.S. Government and Politics, while two full-length practice exams are provided for Comparative Government and Politics.
Practice Test 1 for AP U.S. Government and Politics and Practice Test 4 for AP Comparative Government and Politics are included in two formats: in printed form in this book and in TESTware® format on the enclosed CD. We recommend that you begin your preparation by first taking the computerized version of your test. The software provides timed conditions and instantaneous, accurate scoring, which make it all the easier to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.
Each REA practice exam features an answer key and detailed explanations for every question. The explanations not only provide the correct response but also tell you why the remaining answers shouldnt be chosen.
By going over the appropriate review section(s), taking the corresponding exam(s), and studying our detailed explanations, you will discover your strengths and weaknesses and prepare yourself to score well on the AP Government and Politics exams.
About the Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement Program is designed to provide high school students with the opportunity to pursue college-level studies while still attending high school. The program consists of two components: an AP course and an AP exam. In addition, the AP Government and Politics curriculum is divided into two courses: United States Government & Politics and Comparative Government & Politics.
If you wish to pursue an Advanced Placement Government and Politics course, you may enroll in the United States course, the Comparative course, or both. You will be expected to leave the course(s) with college-level writing skills and knowledge of government and politics. Upon completion of the course(s), you may then take the corresponding AP exam(s). Test results are then used to grant course credit and/or determine placement level in the subject when you enter college. AP exams are administered every May. The exam schedule has been designed to allow you the opportunity to take both exams, if you are enrolled in both courses. If the United States exam is given during the morning administration, the Comparative exam will be given during the afternoon administration.
The AP United States Government & Politics Exam
The United States exam is 145 minutes in length and is divided into two sections:
I. Multiple-Choice (50% of your grade): This 45-minute section is composed of 60 questions designed to measure your understanding of facts, concepts, and theories pertinent to United States government and politics. Your ability to analyze and understand data, and the patterns and consequences involved with political processes and behaviors, will also be tested. In addition you must have knowledge of the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas relevant to United States government and politics.
II. Free-Response (50% of your grade): This 100-minute section consists of four mandatory questions, each of which accounts for one-fourth of your total free-response score. You should allot roughly 25 minutesor one-quarter of the total time in the free-response segmentfor each essay. Each question normally asks you to interrelate ideas from different content areas from among the topics listed below. In addition, you may also be asked to evaluate and define fundamental concepts in the study of United States politics, and possibly to analyze case studies that bear on political relationships and events in the United States. You will be required to demonstrate mastery of political interpretation, and analytic and organizational skills through writing. In addition, you may be presented with graphs, charts, and tables from whose data you would be asked to draw logical conclusions.
Heres a breakdown of coverage on the United States exam:
Topics
1.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" % of Exam
I.
Constitutional Underpinnings of United States Government
5-15%
II.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
10-20%
III.
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
10-20%
IV.
Institutions of National Government:
The Congress, the Presidency, the Bureaucracy, and the Federal Courts
35-45%
T-SIZE: 11.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"V.
Public Policy
5-15%
VI.
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
5-15%
The AP Comparative Government & Politics Exam
The Comparative exam is 145 minutes long and is divided into two -sections:
tyle="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"I. Multiple-Choice (50% of your grade): This 45-minute section is composed of 55 questions designed to measure your understanding of facts, concepts, and theories pertinent to comparative government and politics. Your ability to analyze and understand data, and the patterns and consequences involved with political processes and behaviors will also be tested. Six countries, referred to as core countries, are covered: the United Kingdom, the Russian -Federation, the Peoples Republic of China, Mexico, Nigeria, and Iran. For certain questions, basic knowledge of the United States will be assumed.
II. Free-Response (50% of your grade): This 100-minute section consists of eight mandatory questions. Comparative free-response questions require you to provide brief definitions or descriptions of five concepts or terms, and their significance; to identify and explain relationships using major concepts from comparative politics, and to discuss the causes and implications of politics and policy; and to use core concepts in an analysis of one or more of the countries studied during the course. In answering the definitions and descriptions questions, the student will note that the responses are confined to a single paragraph. The key to this type of essay is to illustrate the concept completely, yet with brevity. Also, if the concept can be further illustrated by an event in one of the case study countries, then it should be referred to, preferably as a closing sentence in the response.
Heres a breakdown of coverage on the Comparative exam:
I. Introduction to Comparative Politics 5%
II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power 20%
III. Political Institutions 35%
IV. Citizens, Society, and the State 15%
V. Political and Economic Change 15%
VI. Public Policy 10%
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK AND TESTware®
What do I study first?
To begin your studies, read over the introduction and the suggestions for test taking. Take the appropriate Practice Test for either AP U.S. Government and Politics or AP Comparative Government and Politics on CD-ROM. This will allow you to determine your strengths and weaknesses. Next, study the course review material focusing on your specific problem areas. The course review includes the information you need to know when taking the exam. To best utilize your study time, follow our Independent Study Schedule, which you will find in the front of this book.
SSD accommodations for students with disabilities
Many students qualify for extra time to take the AP exams and our -TESTware® can be adapted to accommodate your time extension. This allows you to practice under the same extended time accommodations that you will receive on the actual test day. To customize your -TESTware® to suit the most common extensions, visit our website at www.rea.com/ssd.
About the Review Sections
As mentioned earlier, this book includes two reviews: one for United States Government and Politics, the other for Comparative Government and Politics.
The United States Government and Politics Review covers all of the key information youll need to score well on the United States exam. These topics include:
American Political Literacy
Constitutional Framework
The Federal Government
Public Policy
Political Institutions and Special Interests
Public Opinion and Voter Behavior
Civil Rights and the Supreme Court
We also provide a glossary for the United States Government and Politics exam. Included are the key historical figures, court cases, programs, laws, etc., that often appear on this AP exam.
The Comparative Review provides a thorough discussion of the material most often tested on the Comparative exam. Special emphasis is placed on the governments and politics of:
The United Kingdom
The European Union
The Russian Federation
The Peoples Republic of China
Mexico
Nigeria
Iran
A glossary for the Comparative Government and Politics exam enables you to brush up on terms that you are likely to encounter on this test.
Exam Scoring
After the AP administrations, college professors and secondary school teachers are brought together to grade the exams during June. These readers are chosen from around the United States for their familiarity with the AP program.
Scoring the Multiple-Choice Section
The multiple-choice sections of the Comparative Government & Politics and U.S. Government & Politics exams are scored by granting one point for each correct answer and deducting one-fourth of a point for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions receive neither credit nor deduction. Therefore, it is advisable to answer as many questions as possible. Only leave blanks if you have no idea whatsoever about a question or if you run out of time. Blank answers are not counted either for or against a student. Thus, wild guessing is not advisable, but moreover, taking reasonable chances is advisable. Losing a quarter point on a question you have partial knowledge about is worth the risk of gaining a full point for being correct. Generally, if you can eliminate one answer as definitely not right,” it is advisable to attempt to answer the question. To build up a high score, a student must attempt the vast majority of the questions presented. Prepare well, attend study sessions outside of class that your teacher may offer, use this guide as practice and review, and then trust yourself when testing.
Scoring the Free-Response Section
The free-response answers are read and scored using a specific set of objective criteria, but the actual points available for each question may vary from administration to administration. Therefore, the sample essays written for the practice tests in this book have all been written to model what a top essay might consist of regardless of the particular numeric rubric employed on that question.
To score the free-response answers on your practice tests, it is suggested that you have a teacher read your essay and provide a letter grade consistent with that employed in the classroom. It is safe to assume that a C” grade on an essay equates with passing. Obviously to score an overall high grade on an AP exam (see the chart that follows), you would want to improve your essay grade. For tips on how to improve your essay writing, see the Essay Writing Tips at the end of this chapter.
AP Exam Scores
The AP scale for these exams extends from 5 down to 1:
5: Extremely well qualified
4: Well qualified
3: Qualified
2: Possibly qualified
1: No recommendation
A score of 4 or 5 will generally ensure that students receive three hours of college credit in an introductory course in American Government and/or Comparative Government at their eventual college or university. Scores of 3 are accepted for credit by some institutions, but not all. Students should question admissions offices about their policies regarding AP credit upon applying to colleges and universities.
Studying for Your AP Examination
It is never too early to start studying. The earlier you begin, the more time you will have to sharpen your skills. Do not procrastinate! Cramming is not an effective way to study, since it does not allow you the time needed to learn the test material.
It is very important for you to choose the time and place for studying that works best for you. Some students may set aside a certain number of hours every morning to study, while others may choose to study at night before going to sleep. Other students may study during the day, while waiting on a line, or even while eating lunch. Only you can determine when and where your study time will be most effective. However you go about it, be consistent and use your time wisely. Work out a study routine and stick to it!
When you take our practice exams, try to make your testing conditions as much like the actual test as possible. Turn your television and radio off, and sit down at a quiet table free from distraction. Make sure to time yourself.
As you complete the practice test(s), score your test(s) and thoroughly review the explanations to the questions you answered incorrectly, but do not review too much during any one sitting. Concentrate on one problem area at a time by reviewing the question and explanation, and by studying our review(s) until you are confident that you completely understand the material.
Since you will be allowed to write in your test booklet during the actual exam, you may want to write in the margins and spaces of this book when practicing. However, do not make miscellaneous notes on your answer sheet. Mark your answers clearly and make sure the answer you have chosen corresponds to the question you are answering.
Keep track of your scores! By doing so, you will be able to gauge your progress and discover general weaknesses in particular sections. You should carefully study the reviews that cover the topics causing you difficulty, as this will build your skills in those areas.
To get the most out of your studying time, we recommend that you follow the Study Schedule which corresponds to the exam you are taking. It details how you can best budget your time. If you are taking both exams, do not try to study for each at the same time. Try alternating days by studying for the United States exam one day and the Comparative exam the next.
Test-Taking Tips
Although you may be unfamiliar with tests such as the Advanced Placement exams, there are many ways to acquaint yourself with this type of examination and help alleviate your test-taking anxieties. Listed below are ways to help yourself become accustomed to the AP exam; these may also be applied to other standardized tests.
Bring two No. 2 pencils with erasers and two working pens, blue or black ink, with you to the testing room.
Dont bring any books related to the test, or other study aids.”
Become comfortable with the format of the AP Examination in Government and Politics that you are taking. When you are practicing to take the exam(s), simulate the conditions under which you will be taking the actual test(s). You should practice under the same time constraints as well. Stay calm and pace yourself. After simulating the test only a couple of times, you will boost your chances of doing well, and you will be able to sit down for the actual test much more confidently.
Know the directions and format for each section of the exam. Familiarizing yourself with the directions and format of the different test sections will not only save you time, but will also ensure that you are familiar enough with the AP exam to avoid nervousness (and the mistakes caused by being nervous).
Work on the easier questions first. If you find yourself working too long on one question, make a mark next to it in your test booklet and continue. After you have answered all of the questions that you can, go back to the ones you have skipped.
Use the process of elimination when you are unsure of an answer. If you can eliminate three of the answer choices, you have given yourself a fifty-fifty chance of getting the item correct since there will only be two choices left from which to make a guess. If you cannot eliminate at least three of the answer choices, you may choose not to guess, as you will be penalized one-quarter of a point for every incorrect answer. Questions not answered will not be counted.
Be sure that you are marking your answer in the circle that corresponds to the number of the question in the test booklet. Since the multiple-choice section is graded by machine, marking the wrong answer will throw off your score.
Essay Writing Tips
Analysis of Essay Strategies to Achieve a Top AP Exam Score
As shown in the sample essays, it is a very good idea to follow the a, b, c” format given in a free-response question. The College Board typically uses this format on most questions. Answer the a” portion in its entirety before advancing to the b” portion, and so on. This will help ensure that your response is complete and organized.
Attempt to balance your response. For example, at a recent AP Reading a question dealt with a comparison of the electoral systems of Great Britain and the Russian Federation. Many students answered the British portion of the question with great insight and detail, but on the Russian portion, responses were much thinner and vague in detailed support. A comparison calls for a balanced presentation in terms of depth of knowledge.
Detailed support is a must. Know the names of key figures in the state you are referencing. Know relevant political parties, electoral and executive systems, media realities, cultural traits, and the details that make a state unique. God is in the details,” it has been often said, and that axiom holds true here. Rather than writing, Nigeria has many ethnicities,” go deeper. Nigeria has some 300 nations, led by the big three, the Hausa-Fulani in the Muslim north, the Yoruba mainly in the southwest near Lagos, and the Ibo concentrated in the southeast.” It is always better to be specific than vague. Often, the opening sentence of each paragraph will be a generalization, such as Under Vladimir Putin, the Russian executive has become stronger.” The generalization must be supported with specifics to prove that it is valid. For example, the next sentences in the paragraph might read, Putins pro-Kremlin United Russia Party has gained much strength and holds the largest amount of seats in the Duma, ensuring Putins legislation will pass easily. Also, Putin has greatly censored the media to the point where only state-run outlets now exist on television. Thus, Russian viewers are likely to hear praise and not criticism of the current administration.”
Notice that in the sentences above, not only is specific vocabulary used, such as the Duma or United Russia, but explanations are included linking the terms with their importance. Youd then want to explain the effects of censoring the media or controlling the oligarchs.
Bring two pens with you when taking the AP test. Only ink is allowed in your response booklet and if one of your pens fail, youll have a backup ready. (You will use a pencil on the objective portion of the test; make sure yours has a good eraser.) Do not use first personI, me, mywhen writing. It is understood that the essay is your informed opinion,” so dont waste words explaining this. Dont recopy the question into your booklet. Time is precious on the writing portion of the Government & Politics AP exam. In both the U.S. and Comparative portions, you will face four questions that must be answered in a 100-minute period, and to excel, you must be on task.
Make certain you stay focused on the question asked. Answers that heavily editorialize a particular political view do not score well, because they are not relevant to the essay question asked. Also, avoid a shrapnel” approach where you use all the vocabulary terms and names you know about Mexico when the question asks you to analyze how the Mexican government has handled its U.S. immigration question, for example. In such a question, explaining corporatism, yle="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"la mordida, or, say, the dedazo isnt going to earn a student any merit, because they have nothing to do with whats being asked. Clear your head and stay focused on the given topic. Following the a, b, c,” format will help with this task.
Legibility helps. Make your essay readable. If it looks like hieroglyphics, your AP evaluator may miss important points that you have made. However, spelling and grammatical errors are not deducted from a students score. And in the interest of time, you certainly may simply cross out mistakes or draw an arrow indicating what portion of the essay should next be read. Logically, since youre attempting to gain college credit, spelling errors and grammatical mistakes should be minimized.
A final strategic point: Of the four essay questions given, a student should handle the ones he or she knows best first. There is no specific rule that limits a student to a strict 25 minutes per essay. You will simply have a total of 100 minutes to complete all four essays. Use more time on an essay question you know well and slightly less time on an essay on which you have less knowledge.
Read the sample essays in this guide carefully. They model the qualities that have been described above.