AP Human Geography



How to answer a Constructed (Free) Response question? *Please try to follow this format for writing prompts in this class or answering constructed response questions on your unit exams as well as the AP exam in May.

• Constructed (Free) Response Questions are seen as draft essays, not as polished essays on the AP exam. This is the case because of the time constraint you will face in trying to write 3 of them in 75 minutes.

• You should try to avoid writing “dump” essays where you “dump” or empty your brain of everything you can think of on to the paper.

• Remember to try and integrate geographic themes in your response. For example, using a point from several different units of study in your answer.

• YOU SHOULD answer the question in the same format that it is written. For example, if the question has three parts which are labeled A, B and C, the student SHOULD answer in the same format.

• You can sometimes “explain” in a sentence or two. You should not belabor a point. Please be direct and use evidence to support your argument. However, try to use Geo “vocabulary” wherever it is relevant.

• Please do not rewrite the question in your response and make sure you answer what the question asks! Please, NO THESIS statements, introductions or conclusions.

• You are encouraged to write brief outlines to help you organize your responses. Those who have done this in the past have scored higher on the AP exam.

• You can use bullets in your answers, but make sure they are rich in information and support what has preceded the bullet. It is critical that you have supporting evidence in your response.

• There are no DBQ’s on the AP Geo exam.

Key WORDS/PHRASES to understand the meaning of with regard to answering CRQ’s:

Discuss: When you see the word discuss make sure you explain the underlying concepts related to the question along with giving a SPECIFIC EXAMPLE that supports/backs up the underlying concept you have brought up earlier. Typically, scorers/readers of your paper are instructed to ONLY accept your first example or how many you are asked for so try to put your most solid answers as your first responses!

Define: If you are asked for a definition, make sure you specifically define the term or concept.

Explain: If you are asked to explain something, make sure to read carefully as to what you will be explaining and how many or what specifically you are asked to address. Do not try to read between the lines of the question. ONLY ANSWER WHAT YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY BEING ASKED TO ANSWER! Make sure you elaborate and give examples!

Identify/Predict: What is it that you are looking at (related to a picture, graph or map). Try to be specific as possible.

Choose either/or: You don’t have to pick both!

Pay attention to how many examples the question is looking for if a specific number is noted!

Key Features: Discuss TWO or THREE ideas in detail.

How the Multiple Choice Questions on the AP Geo Exam are setup?

There are five types of multiple choice questions. There are 75 multiple choice questions on the AP Geo exam, each with five answer choices. You have 1 hour to answer them.

Types:

1. Definition questions.

2. Synonym questions.

3. All of the following EXCEPT questions.

4. Stimulus questions (some type of visual).

5. Statement questions.

Please make sure you read the entire question carefully. There should be some phrase or clue in the question to lead you in the right direction.

• You lose ¼ point for each question you get wrong. You only get credit for those questions you answer correctly (SAT scoring format).

• You can leave questions blank but I suggest NO more than 5 questions should be left blank.

• Do NOT spend lots of time mulling over a question as you go through the MC portion of the exam. Move on to another question if you are struggling and then come to it later on.

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