Free Response Strategies
The following strategies were created by faculty consultants of the college board. These are the people who are making and grading your AP exams. So it is wise to follow their guidelines.
- Answering essay questions generally requires a good deal of training and practice. Students too often begin to write immediately, creating a string of disconnected, poorly planned thoughts. You need to learn to attack questions methodically and to plan your answers before putting pencil to paper.
- Carefully analyze the question, thinking through what is being asked, and identify the elements that must be addressed in the response. Others require you to consider all the similarities between people or events, and then to think of all the ways they are different.
- After you have determined what is involved in answering the question, consider what evidence you can incorporate into your response. Review the evidence you learned during the year that relates to the question and then decide how it fits into the analysis. Does it demonstrate a similarity or difference? Does it argue for or against the generalization that is being addressed?
- Whenever you offer evidence to illustrate contrast or similarity, clearly state your intent. Then, with additional information or analysis, elaborate on the ways in which these pieces of evidence are similar or different. If there is evidence that refutes a statement, explain why it argues against the statement. Your answer should reflect an understanding of the subtleties of the questions.
- Begin writing only after you have thought through the evidence you plan to use, and have determined what your thesis statement will be. Once you have done this, you will be in a position to answer the question analytically instead of in a rambling narrative. You will also know whether you are going to argue on a side that supports or refutes the statement, and whether similarities outweigh the differences.
- Learn how to present your thesis statement: describe your overarching framework and then position your supporting evidence so that it is obviously directed to the question—not just a string of abstract generalizations. State your points as clearly as possible, not leaving it to the reader to infer what is meant or how something illustrates a point.
- If you have done the analytical work required prior to writing, you should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of the question. You should be able to state your thesis, introduce the elements that support the thesis, and demonstrate the logic that led you to link the elements in support of the thesis. By applying these ideas you will construct an excellent essay.
- While essay writing in general is a valuable exercise, you may wish to work specifically on free-response questions from previous AP Examinations. This will allow you to compare your own responses with those that have already been scored and evaluated by faculty consultants. Free-response questions are available through the Advanced Placement Program® in numerous formats.
In short...
1. Read all questions and plan/outline them before you start writing. Have a plan of attack. As Sun Tzu said
“The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.“ - Winners plan ahead!
2. Know the type of question that you are answering and how to properly answer them! Know the active verbs...
3. Use evidence/real life examples when possible. This shows true understanding of a concept. Avoid hypothetical/abstract generalizations. These show that you are grasping for straws.
4. Use a thesis statement at the beginning of your answer to direct your response. Sometimes this is a simple as restating the question.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Practice it correctly and do it over and over.
1. Read all questions and plan/outline them before you start writing. Have a plan of attack. As Sun Tzu said
“The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.“ - Winners plan ahead!
2. Know the type of question that you are answering and how to properly answer them! Know the active verbs...
3. Use evidence/real life examples when possible. This shows true understanding of a concept. Avoid hypothetical/abstract generalizations. These show that you are grasping for straws.
4. Use a thesis statement at the beginning of your answer to direct your response. Sometimes this is a simple as restating the question.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Practice it correctly and do it over and over.
Active Verbs List and How to Answer Them
- Explain: This one is tricky because if you take a look at the AP rubrics, sometimes they will require students to get both points by simply writing two explanations, and yet sometimes, they will give one point to a “basic” response, and another point if it is a “complex” response. I find that EXPLAIN prompt is extremely similar to what is required for an IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN prompt and I think I will start having my students write this way to cover both bases since my kids will hopefully go into a complex explanation to back up their ID point. When answering EXPLAIN questions, I want students to focus on explaining “who, what, where, when, why, how” are people/places effected. So to sum it up – Give brief reason, then write “to explain why/how/where/what/when this is happening is…”
- Explain using examples: Though on the 2014 rubric, a real world example was not required, I will still request my students use the EXPLAIN protocol and provide a real world example.
- Identify: Simply put, provide a brief reason. I have seen kids get these points with 2-4 words. “Increased production.” you write? Point you get. Ugh. No teacher likes this, but c’est la vie.
- Identify & Explain: I will have my students write their 2-4 word splat answer, then follow the protocol for EXPLAIN as seen above.
- Identify using a map: This one can be tricky. Basically, the one time that AP used this prompt in 2008, it asked students to IDENTIFY a location on the U.S. map where net out and in migration was occurring. The rubric accepted answers for proper names of locations and vernacular regions. To me, I wish that this is where AP can tighten up their usage of verb prompts and stick with either IDENTIFY or NAME, because they seem to be the same thing according to the rubric. Since IDENTIFY has also been used for “brief” explanations that come in the form of 2-6 words on a rubric, I think they should use NAME.
- Identify and Discuss: Provide a 2-6 written splat of answer and then go on to elaborate. How you ask? See my protocol for the DISCUSS prompt.
- Identify and Compare: Student receives points only when comparing two phenomenon and mentioning what is happening on each side. Students do NOT receive points when only stating one phenomenon that occurs on one topic.
- Discuss: To give information about a topic. This one requires more factual information instead of explanation. My reasoning comes from the 2004 question on Maquiladoras that ask students to DISCUSS four factors that EXPLAIN why Mexico is emerging on the global economic scene. This is a tricky one, especially since TWO verbs were used. However, students were given points for what seemingly could have been an IDENTIFY question since most of the bullet points were no longer than five words. Regardless, students were also asked to explain so I would have them follow my protocol for EXPLAIN after they write their factual splat. Facts, facts, facts. Make students answer, “What is the reason for this?” In 2005, I think that the rubric did NOT reflect the question, as it required students to answer a DISCUSS question about the changes in the U.S. economic structure, yet the rubric then provided points for IDENTIFY, EXPLAIN, and DESCRIBE. I know some of you are shaking your head out there, but this is what trips 9th graders up. Did I also mention that the economic FRQ’s LOVE the word DISCUSS? It is the most used verb prompt for that unit. How many? 12 times in the 7 economic questions that were asked.
- Define: The easiest type of low-order question that there is. The kids either know it or they don’t.
- Describe: Have students write the characteristics of what is being asked. Usually when prompted this question, the AP questions are asking for them to DESCRIBE a place or region. The 2009 question on squatter settlements asked kids to DESCRIBE twice; describe a location, and describe two factors that contribute to maquialdoras. In the latter case, I would have the students provide characteristics of the population, economy, and political structures of the place/region. However, looking at the rubric, the AP writers could have gotten away with DISCUSS, only adding to the ambiguity of the verbs. Nevertheless, the kids need to know how to dodge all flying monkey-wrenches directed towards their faces.
- Name: Provide proper names of a phenomenon. One word answers are acceptable.
- Name using the Map: Simply put, students must name the location or phenomenon on a provided map. Proper names are required. Examples come from the 2002 question about naming states, nations, and nation-states; and the 2009 question that asked students to name the religious groups in the United States.
- List: Though many English teachers and DBQ aficionados would cringe, a simple bullet point list is all that AP requires of the kids. It’s not used very often, and on the 2004 poultry question, 2-4 words will suffice. Can you believe that the rubric allows the single word, “everydayness” as an acceptable answer?
- Provide an Example (not real world): Interesting enough on the 2014 FRQ about subnational examples of core-periphery, students were not required to give real-world examples. Instead, it was OK to write “state-city” level. As a caveat however, I do find that making my students provide a real world example when answering “EXPLAIN” questions can get them out of hot-water if they are having a tough time explaining themselves.
- Apply and Explain: This prompt has only been used once in 2007 by having the students APPLY the principles of the von Thunen model to the even that is happening in the picture provided. This is the ultimate high-order thinking question that asks students to recall a geographical concept and use it with a statement/drawing/map/chart that is provided to the students.
- Apply and Predict: Once again, this was only used once, and wouldn’t you know it, on the same question as APPLY AND EXPLAIN. This is very similar to APPLY AND EXPLAIN except this asked students to hypothesize where a certain von Thunen activity would occur based upon the statement/drawing/map/chart that is provided.