The questions on this paper are College Board released questions from previous AP Government and Politics exams. At various times throughout the school year, you will be instructed to answer these one of these questions. They will be graded according to the rubrics created by the College Board. The total number of points possible will be multiplied by 8. For example, if the answer was originally graded on a 6 point scale, the maximum number of points possible for that particular question will be 48.
Tips for answering AP Essay Questions
On the AP Government and Politics test, each open response questions has a weighted factor of 3.1579 compared to a 1:1 ratio for the multiple choice portion. Simply stated, you can do well on the essay portion and marginal on the multiple-choice portion and still receive a score of 3 or above. In order to score highly on the essays, here are a few tips as offered by various sources.
1) All answers will require an introductory paragraph; separate paragraphs that develop and support your thesis and a concluding paragraph.
2) Unity, including transition statements, phrases or words coherence and adequate, factual development and support of your thesis are critical to success in the essay portion of the AP exam.
3) Remember: Your audience is a College Board reader who teaches political science or government at a high school, college or university will read and score your answer holistically according to the scoring guide/rubric created specifically for the question.
4) Establish a purpose. Your purpose it to get a 5 or better on each question. To do that you need to write a unified, coherent and consistent essay that answers the question.
5) Choose the appropriate tone. Your tone is a reflection of your attitude toward the subject of the essay. You initial reaction may be to display a flippant, lighthearted or brusque tone in your writing but that can detract from the total score you receive. The safest option is to adopt a formal and persuasive tone since you are often asked to take a position and support it. Don’t be too casual- -"you know what I mean"- -or too stuffy- -"we can then surmise". Say what you mean and mean what you say—and know what you are saying!.
6) Always use proper grammar , spelling and punctuation.
7) Choose words that convey your meaning in an interesting way. Do not be too wordy.
8) Avoid clichés or slang phrases.
9) Remember, your thesis statement is a claim statement - -one that you are claiming to be true. All of your written ideas should support that which you claim to be true.
10) Although you may place your thesis statement anywhere in your essay, it is usually best to place it in your first paragraph. This sets the tone and gets you started writing.
11) Remember, you must be able to show the graders that you can work at a college level. Knowledge about the government is not enough. You must be able to communicate what you know and understand.
12) When taking the test, because you have 100 minutes to answer 4 questions - -25 MINUTES FOR EACH QUESTION- -, a formal rough draft is not possible but brainstorming is. Use a few minutes to do a prewrite activity for each of the four questions.
13) Read the question carefully. Determine just what it is you are being asked to do. Underline people, events, terms, etc that are important to answering the question including span of years.
14) Write a solid thesis statement and check to see if your thesis matches what you are being asked to answer. Throughout your essay, use transitions and write one paragraph for each major idea or concept. Use examples when appropriate.
15) Make sure you have time to write a solid conclusion. Read your response when you are finished writing.
1
. The Constitution was an attempt to address problems of decentralization that were experienced under the Articles of Confederation.(a) List three problems of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation. For each problem you listed, identify one solution that the Constitution provided to address the problem.
(b) Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized and centralized power continue to exist. Support this argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates the continuing tension.
- • Environmental policy
- • Gun control
- • Disability access
2. The Supreme Court is commonly thought to be "above politics." However, one can argue that the appointment of Supreme Court justices is political.
(a) Identify three characteristics of Supreme Court nominees and discuss how each characteristic has been politically relevant during the appointment process.
(b) Identify two methods that have been used by interest groups to influence the appointment process. Explain how each of these methods has been used to influence that process.
3. The three obstacles listed below have made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform.
- • Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
- • Soft money
- • Incumbency
- Select two of the obstacles. For each obstacle, provide both of the following.
- (a) A brief description of the obstacle
- (b) An explanation of how the obstacle has made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform
4. In the 1990’s presidential election campaigns have become more candidate centered and less focused on issues and party labels. This change has been attributed both to how the media cover presidential campaigns and to how candidates use the media. Identify and explain two ways in which the media have contributed to candidate-centered presidential campaigns. Identify and explain two ways in which presidential candidates’ use of the media has contributed to candidate-centered campaigns.
Your answer should NOT include a discussion of presidential primary elections.
5. Citizens often choose to participate in the political process in ways other than voting.
- (a) Identify two forms of participation in the political process other than voting.
- (b) Explain two advantages of each form of participation you identified in (a).
6. National interest groups often target national-level policymaking institutions to achieve their policy objectives.
- Select one of the following national interest groups.
- • American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
- • American Medical Association (AMA)
- • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- • National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) For the group you selected do each of the following.
a. Identify one major national-level policymaking institution that this group targets.
b. Describe one resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).
c. Describe another resource or characteristic of the group you have chosen AND explain how it influences the choice of the target you have identified in (a).
7. Is Congress effective in exercising legislative oversight of the federal bureaucracy? Support your answer by doing ONE of the following.
• Explain two specific methods Congress uses to exercise effective oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
OR
• Give two specific explanations for the failure of Congress to exercise effective oversight of the federal bureaucracy.
8. The concept of "divided government" in the United States means that one political party can control the executive branch while another controls the legislative branch. This poses problems for the President in making appointments to federal offices.
9. In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
- (a) Identify two factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections and explain how each factor has contributed to the overall decline.
- (b) Identify and explain two reasons why voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
10. Presidential approval ratings fluctuate over the course of each presidential administration.
11. Using the information in the figure above and your knowledge of United States politics, complete the tasks.
(a) Describe what the figure above demonstrates about the distribution of government benefits overtime.
(b) Identify two politically relevant factors that have affected the changing distribution of government benefits between children and the elderly.
(c) Explain how each of the two factors identified in (h) has affected the changing distribution of government benefits
12. Political institutions can present both obstacles and opportunities to racial minority groups in their efforts to gain political influence.
(a) Identify one feature of one of the following and explain how that feature has presented obstacles to racial minority groups in their efforts to achieve political goals.
- • Federalism
- • The United States political party system
- • The United States electoral system
(b) Identify one feature of one of the following and explain how that feature might present opportunities to racial minority groups in their efforts to achieve political goals.
- • Federalism
- • The United States political party system
- • The United States electoral system
13. Using the information in the pie charts above, identify two budgetary barriers that hinder the creation of new policy initiatives. Explain why each of the barriers you identified persists. Using your knowledge of United States politics, identify one nonbudgetary barrier AND explain how this barrier hinders the creation of new policy initiatives.
14. Both party leadership and committees in Congress play key roles in the legislative process.
(a) Define two of the following elements of the congressional committee system and explain how each influences the legislative process.
- • Specialization
- • Reciprocity/logrolling
- • Party representation on committees
(b) Identify two ways party leadership in Congress can influence the legislative process, and explain how each way influences the process.
15. The figure above displays voting patterns by state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. Using the information in the figure and your knowledge of United States voting behavior, perform the following tasks.
- (a) Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Democratic presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.
- (b) Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Republican presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support
16. Using the data in the graph above and your knowledge of United States politics, perform the following tasks.
(a) Identify two trends shown in the graph.
(b) Explain how each of the following contributes to the difference between the federal and the state and local lines in the graph.
- • Block grants
- • Federal mandates
17. Presidents are generally thought to have advantages over Congress in conducting foreign policy because of the formal and informal powers of the presidency.
- (a) Identify two formal constitutional powers of the President in making foreign policy.
- (b) Identify two formal constitutional powers of Congress in making foreign policy.
- (c) Identify two informal powers of the President that contribute to the President's advantage over Congress in conducting foreign policy.
- (d) Explain how each of the informal powers identified in (c) contributes to the President's advantage over Congress in conducting foreign policy.
18. Different interest groups will choose different techniques to achieve their objectives based on their resources, characteristics, and goals.
(a) Describe each of the following techniques and explain why an interest group would choose each technique.
- • Litigation
- • Campaign contributions
- • Grassroots lobbying/ mass mobilization
(b) Select one of the following groups and identify the primary technique it uses from the list in part (a).
- Explain why the group you selected would employ that technique over the other two techniques.
- • American Medical Association (AMA)
- • Sierra Club
- • National Rifle Association (NRA)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
19. Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response.
(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.
20. Minor parties (third parties) have been a common feature of United States politics.
(a) Describe the point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon above.
(b) Identify and explain how two rules on the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor party candidates winning elections.
(c) Minor arties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates’ success. Describe two of these contributions.