AP Test Preparation Some Hints

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AP Test Preparation Some Hints!
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The AP Exam! - 2 hours 15 minutes long 2 Parts
(Sections)- equally marked Part 1 Multiple
Choice 75 questions 1 hour spend less than
1 minute on each. - Negatively marked, so dont
guess! Wrong ¼ mark off, blank 0 mark off -
No true or false - 5 choices Your tests had 4
- base some questions on a graphic (photo, map,
graph, chart or diagram) - Which of the
following statements is true regarding - All of
these are true but one.
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Part 2 Free Response Questions (FRQ) sometimes
called Constructed Response Questions (CRQ) 1
hour and 15 minutes long 3 Questions. - Rare
that they center in on one unit. Usually they
want you to interrelate between two units.
Sometimes analyze and evaluate geographical
concepts - Sometimes a graphic will accompany
the question - There is no choice, but a
question may have choice inside it. - No mark
break down is given - You will see all three
questions right away - Some answers are common
knowledge - Do the easy ones first. If you
cannot answer the whole question answer the parts
you know
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The free-response section usually includes One
question that tests a specific concept in
geography and its application to real-world
situations EG. Define models or theories and
relate them to each other or to the real world
One question that tests your ability to pull
together and synthesize material from across the
course EG. A map and you relate the map to
Urban patterns, Development patterns and
Migration patterns
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One question that tests your depth of knowledge
of a topic and gives you an opportunity to
demonstrate your ability to apply and analyze
geographic concepts across geographic contexts
EG. A question on Migration and how it relates to
movement in the U.S. and its regions (in and out
migration). Using theories and rules about
migrations to answer the question.
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• This is important The AP readers do not want
• a thesis
• an introduction
• a conclusion
• do not give an opinion each question has a
  right or wrong answer
• Dont waste your time with these!
• The structure is given to you usually there is
  an A, B and maybe C part. Answer the parts in
  order and clearly mark the part.
• You are looking to score points by answering the
  key concepts, themes or terms the markers use a
  rubric

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• Further examples of CRQ questions
• Definition and Illustration
• Define the meaning of
• A nation
• A State
• A nation-state
• Illustrate your understanding of the above with
  actual examples.
• Geographic Model
• Explain Rostows model on Economic Development.

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• Topic in Depth
• What was the Green Revolution and how did it help
  both the rich and the poor farmer?
• Case Study
• Describe Chinas one Child Policy. Was it a
  success?
• Synthesis (bringing two units together)
• How did population growth effect food production
  in the Less Developed world?

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Example 1 (CRQ)
Lee proposed a model of migration, based on push
and pull factors, which describes conditions in
regions involved in migration. Ravenstein
postulated a series of laws which he believed
described the immigrants themselves.
The photograph here shows a potential Mexican
immigrant at the US border. 1. How does the
situation seen in the photograph illustrate Lees
model of migration in terms of a. the source
region b. the destination region c. any
intervening obstacles 2. To what degree does the
Mexican man illustrate Ravensteins laws of
migration?
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Example 2 (CRQ)
A. Identify and explain ONE way that tourism has
diminished regional landscape distinctiveness. B.
Identify and explain ONE way that tourism has
enhanced regional landscape distinctiveness.
Click here to open a word document that shows a
question and how it is marked using a rubric! The
question was about comparing population
distribution to Natural Hazards. Click here to
see a word document on how to prepare for the AP
Human Geography exam!
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Example 1 Multiple Choice

• Which of the following is true of the
  architectural shape shown above?
• It represents the dominant religion of all of
  Indonesia except for the island of Bali.
• It signifies a major religion that originated in
  India but is now found in Thailand and other
  parts of Asia.
• It symbolizes houses of worship for monotheistic
  religions that hold Jerusalem sacred.
• It represents religions especially common in
  sub-Saharan Africa.
• It symbolizes denominations of a Western religion
  that divided first in Europe.

Answer B
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Example 2 Multiple Choice

• The Sector model of city structure assumes that
  typical spatial behaviour involves people moving
  primarily
• Around the outer belt.
• In and out of downtown.
• Within downtown.
• Within neighbourhoods.
• Everywhere all the time.

Answer B
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The AP exam is marked out of 5!
AP Grade Qualification
5 Extremely well qualified 4
Well Qualified 3
Qualified 2
Possibly qualified 1
No recommendation
Our goal is to get you a 4 or a 5.
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Results for the Debut year (2004/2005) Total
enrollment for section 31 Grade 5 7 Grade 4
8 Grade 3 11 Grade 2 4 Grade 1 1 Average 3.52
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Results for the second year (2005/2006) Total
enrollment for section 41 Grade 5 10 Grade 4
19 Grade 3 9 Grade 2 3 Grade 1 0 Average 3.87
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Results for the second year (2007/2008) Total
enrollment for section 48 Grade 5 11 Grade 4
14 Grade 3 5 Grade 2 8 Grade 1 4 Average 3.48
Recalculated Total 30 Grade 5 11 Grade 4
14 Grade 3 3 Grade 2 2 Grade 1 0 Average
4.10
Note 1 did not write and 5 got 0 did not
write Part B. 12 walked out after 30 minutes
into Part B. The Students that stayed.

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As you may or may not know I belong to an AP
Geography List server and the following are a
collection of comments relating to the
preparation and writing of the final exam. Each
comment will have a different coloured
background. Please read them carefully and I
hope they help!
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Okay.....1 Don't Panic--when the student sees
the question their first response will probably
be "Ms. Lange did not teach us this...." That
may be true but she did teach you some of the
elements...read the question....break it
down...what can you answer..... 2 Always
remember to "THINK GEOGRAPHICALLY". This is a
geography test not a history test. Location,
Scale, and Time are important. 3
Practice--Go to the College Board Web Site and
look at the previous questions. Notice how they
can be approached from different subject
areas (they ususally cover more than one topic).
Have them outline answers (or answer them if you
have the time). Then look at the rubric and see
if they hit the right points. Grade their own or
peer grade their outlines.
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4 Assume the reader is tired....it is the end
of the day...they have been grading since
800....Help the reader find the answer. Label
the different sections or at least start a new
paragraph for each part of the question.
Underline appropriate terms. For example if the
question asks for the the definition of a
nation......then underline the word nation so the
reader can see...oh yes here is the definition.
5 One last hint---and this comes up at every
reading---ANSWER THE QUESTION--don't
ramble....yes it is better to try to answer the
question instead of leaving it blank....but don't
show off....if you have answered the question
don't keep writing in order to tell the reader
everything you have learned in APGH this year.
Which goes back to 1 Break the FRQ down.
Answer each part from the geographic perspective
(2) and help the reader know that this is
your answer (4).
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This is my 3rd year with AP Human Geography.
(And, I'm with Nancy--this is a MUST take! I've
learned so much from teaching it!) I have also
heard that having them practice labelling their
FRQ responses is a good piece of advice. They
should also practice answering the question that
is asked (if it asks for a definition, just give
the definition, etc.) they don't have too much
extra time when writing 3 essays in 75
minutes. One thing that I do when reviewing, is
go through the College Board website and show
them topics that have previously been asked in
FRQ's. (Some of them they have seen in similar
format on my unit tests.) We divide out
the questions that have been asked into the
different units of study (ex culture,
population, cities, etc.). This helps them see
what the questions are usually like and hopefully
some idea of what to expect.
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Another review technique--hopefully this will
help with potential FRQ's I get butcher paper
and divide the class out with 1/2 representing
PEDs (develoPED countries) and the other half
being PINGs (develoPING countries). Then over a
few days, I have them write out everything in
each unit that affects PEDs and everything in
each unit that affects PINGs. So, for example,
on the first day, we'll look at the first two
units (Geography Basics Population/Demographics)
and they fill in the butcher paper for their
respective development level. This is a good
review (at least it worked well last year!).
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Hi all As an AP scorer and someone who has been
teaching this course since its inception, I give
a TWO day exam at the end of each unit. 75
multiple choice questions on one day and two CRQs
on day 2. Usually, my CRQ questions give the
students a choice of TWO out of FOUR. Also, make
sure you drill into your students to make sure
they READ and ANSWER the question that is asked.
They should NOT READ INTO what they think the
question is asking. This is not only for the CRQs
but also for the Multiple Choice. Also,
as Wayland Bauer noted in his response to the
list, it is imperative to have students answer
the CRQs in the format they are asked. For
example, the question will have a PART A, B and
C, therefore this is the way students should
format their answers. No thesis, intro or
conclusion! Finally, with regard to the above
mentioned Multiple Choice questions, have
students look at different types of these
questions especially the ALL of the above are
true except questions and questions that might
use some form of spatial prompt like a map or
graph. Ken Keller Danbury HS, Danbury, CT
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At the end of this posting I will give you a quiz
that I use to get my students to focus on
answering the question that they are being asked.
This is something I started a long time ago --
I usually do the quiz the first week of class as
a "fun" grade. The dreaded first test!! General
Guidelines for the students 1. ANSWER THE
QUESTION!!!!! This is the major problem - I
once had an instructor tell us, that students
don't give wrong answers, they just answer
different questions. And while that may tell
where they are, it doesn't help evaluate what
they know. So I tell them to simply answer the
question. I also give them a list of "AP
Verbs" which I sent as another email. I give
the students sample essay questions and have
them focus on the operative words in the
question. What is their task? How many parts
does the question have? If you are stuck for
questions, many AP history questions can be used
for this exercise. The subject is not as
important an having the students to focus on and
understand the question. 2. Clarity! Clarity!
Clarity!
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• 3. The Quiz (answers next missive) I have yet
  to have a student get 100
• if they have not seen it before. It is both a
  test of reading as well
• as the nuances of English. I did provide the
  answers. It is the beginning of
• a very thought provoking discussion about how
  well we read -- and
• understand.
• 1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
• How many birthdays does the average man have?
• Some months have 31 days how many have 28?
  all of them
• 4. A woman gives a beggar 50 cents the
  woman is the beggar's
• sister, but the beggar is not the woman's
  brother. Why?
• 5. Why can't a man living in the USA be
  buried in Canada?
• How many outs are there in an inning?
• 7. Is it legal for a man in California to marry
  his widow's sister?
• 8. Two men play five games of checkers.
  Each man wins the same
• number of games. There are no ties. Explain
  this.
• Divide 30 by half and add 10. What is the
  answer?
• A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All
  sides have southern
• exposure. A big bear walks by. What color is
  the bear?

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• 11. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2,
  how many do you have?
• 12 I have two US coins totaling 55 cents. One
  is not a nickel. What
• are the coins?
• 13. If you have only one match and you walked
  into a room where there
• was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood
  burning stove, which one
• would you light first?
• 14. How far can a dog run into the woods?
• 15. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to
  take one every half
• hour. How long would the pills last?
• 16. A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How
  many are left?
• How many animals of each sex did Moses take on
  the ark?
• A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10" tall.
  What does she weigh?
• How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
• 20. What was the President's name in 1950?

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The Answers! 1. Do they have a 4th of July in
England? yes 2. How many birthdays
does the average man have? one 3. Some
months have 31 days how many have 28? all of
them 4. A woman gives a beggar 50 cents the
woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is
not the woman's brother. Why? It's her
sister 5. Why can't a man living in the USA
be buried in Canada? He's alive 6. How
many outs are there in an inning? 6 7.
Is it legal for a man in California to marry his
widow's sister? No Why? He's dead 8.
Two men play five games of checkers. Each man
wins the same number of games. There are no
ties. Explain this. They are not playing
each other. 9. Divide 30 by half and add 10.
What is the answer? 25 10. A man builds a
house rectangular in shape. All sides have
southern exposure. A big bear walks by. What
color is the bear? white Why? Has to be at
the north pole for all sides to face south.
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11. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2,
how many do you have? 2 12 I have two US coins
totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What
are the coins? a fifty cent piece and a
nickel 13. If you have only one match and you
walked into a room where there was an oil
burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning
stove, which one would you light first? the
match 14. How far can a dog run into the woods?
until he runs out 15. A doctor gives you three
pills telling you to take one every half hour.
How long would the pills last? one hour 16. A
farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many
are left? 9 17. How many animals of each sex
did Moses take on the ark? Moses didn't take
any animals on the Ark 18. A clerk in the butcher
shop is 5' 10" tall. What does she weigh?
meat 19. How many two cent stamps are there in a
dozen? 12 20. What was the President's name in
1950? George W. Bush
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Effective answers to essay questions depend in
part upon a clear understanding (and execution)
of the meanings of important directive words.
These are the words that indicate the way in
which the material is to be presented. For
example, if students only describe when they are
asked to compare, or if they merely list causes
when they have been asked to evaluate them,
their responses will be less than satisfactory.
An essay can only begin to be correct if it
answers directly the question that is asked.
Individual teachers can provide what AP
Examinations cannot help with the meanings and
applications of some key terms like these 1.
Analyze determine their component parts examine
their nature and relationship 2.
Assess/Evaluate judge the value or character of
something appraise evaluate the positive
points and the negative ones give an opinion
regarding the value of discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of 3. Compare examine for the
purpose of noting similarities and points of
similarity (if used alone can include
differences).
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4. Contrast examine in order to show
dissimilarities or points of difference 5.
Describe give an account of tell about give a
word picture of 6. Discuss talk over write
about consider or examine by argument or from
various points of view debate present the
different sides of 7. Explain make clear or
plain make clear the causes or reasons for
make known in detail tell the meaning of
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The test has been 75 multiple choice questions
and three essay questions. 1 hr. for the first
section and this year 1 Hr and 15 minutes for the
second. The extra fifteen is to encourage five
minutes of prep before writing each essay
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I also advocate using the same format as the AP
exam for tests throughout the year. At the end
of each unit, I give a 2 day test (my class is
45 minutes long). One day is two free response
questions and students answer in a college blue
book. This "simulates" the pink answer booklet
they must use in May. I encourage them to label
the question by parts and to answer directly what
is asked (no intro, summary paragraphs needed).
Because the class is 45 minutes, that allows
about 20 minutes per question, so they learn to
pace themselves. On the second test day, the
students answer 50 multiple choice questions (5
answers each) that are modeled after AP test
questions. The study guide prepared by James
Marran for the de Blij 6th edition has
an excellent discussion of question
types. Cheryl Guy Spring Valley High Columbia,
SC
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As a reader the last three years, my advice would
be to make sure they answer the question asked,
and answer it in the form asked.  If the question
has three parts answer it in three parts and
label each part (I, II, or A, B).  Many times we
see wonderful answers but unfortunately not to
the question asked!   Wayland Bauer St. Ambrose
University Davenport, Iowa
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Are students required to write in complete
sentences when answering the short answer section
of the AP Human Geog exam?  I have noticed that
some of the questions don seem to require a
great deal of elaborationIs this
correct? Questions that ask students to "name"
or "list" do not require complete sentences.  For
all other answers, I recommend that students use
complete sentences (unless they are just running
out of time) simply because they are likely to
provide more complete answers in that format. 
All too often, incomplete sentences result in
incomplete thoughts.  However, as has been
emphasized in other messages, a formal essay,
with introduction, transitions, conclusion, is
not necessary.  Likewise, students are neither
rewarded not penalized for sentence or paragraph
structure as long as the ideas are solid.
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As an AP scorer and someone who has been teaching
this course since its inception, I would concur
with EVERYTHING Cheryly Guy offerred out
there with regards to prepping your students for
the AP Geo exam. I also give a TWO day exam at
the end of each unit. 75 multiple choice
questions on one day and two CRQs on day 2.
Usually, my CRQ questions give the students a
choice of TWO out of FOUR. Also, make sure you
drill into your students to make sure they READ
and ANSWER the question that is asked. They
should NOT READ INTO what they think the question
is asking. This is not only for the CRQs but also
for the Multiple Choice. Also, as Wayland Bauer
noted in his response to the list, it is
imperitive to have students answer the CRQs in
the format they are asked. For example, the
question will have a PART A, B and C, therefore
this is the way students should format their
answers. No thesis, intro or conclusion! Finally,
with regard to the above mentioned Multiple
Choice questions, have students look at different
types of these questions especially the ALL of
the above are true except questions and questions
that might use some form of spatial prompt like a
map or graph.
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The following slides come straight out of the AP
Central site about this years exam (2005) The
Exam The AP Human Geography Exam tests your
knowledge of the patterns and processes that have
shaped human understanding, use, and alteration
of Earth's surface. You have a chance to earn
college credit in geography before you ever begin
your formal college studies! About the Exam The
two-and-one-quarter-hour exam includes a
60-minute, 75-question multiple-choice section
and a 75-minute three-question free-response
section. The multiple-choice section accounts for
half of the examination grade and the
free-response section for the other half.
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Section I Multiple-Choice The multiple-choice
section is designed to measure your knowledge of
human geography through a broad range of topics
and types of questions. You should expect
questions that test your ability to use and think
about maps and spatial data, your understanding
of how the world looks from a spatial
perspective, your ability to interpret patterns
and processes at different scales, your
understanding of regions, and finally, your
ability to characterize and analyze changing
interconnections among places. The topic outline
for AP Human Geography details the percentage of
the course -- and the exam -- devoted to each
content area. Since no two AP Human Geography
classes are exactly alike, you are not expected
to know the answer to every question. Although
haphazard or random guessing is unlikely to
improve your score, if you have knowledge of the
topic in a question and can eliminate one or more
answer choices, you might find it advantageous to
select an answer from the remaining choices.
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Section II Free-Response In the free-response
section, you will be asked to write cogent
answers to three constructed response questions.
The questions may require you to interrelate
different topical areas and to analyze and
evaluate geographical concepts. Questions may be
based on stimulus material such as verbal
description, maps, graphs, photographs, and
diagrams. You are expected to use your analytical
and organizational skills to formulate answers in
writing your essays. The free-response section
usually includes one question that tests a
specific concept in geography and its application
to real-world situations, one question that tests
your ability to pull together and synthesize
material from across the course, and one question
that tests your depth of knowledge of a topic and
gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your
ability to apply and analyze geographic concepts
across geographic contexts. Remember to answer
each question in the way it is structured. Points
are allocated for sub-parts of the question and
not for the overall answer. Your answer should be
in essay form. Outlines and unlabeled diagrams
and maps are not acceptable final answers. Learn
to think outside of the box, and you will have
the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding
of key concepts in geography.
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Scoring the Exam The multiple-choice and
free-response sections each account for one-half
of your final exam grade. The three questions in
the free-response section are weighted equally.