AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam from the Course and Exam Description, Effective Fall 2018

AP

®

U.S.

Government

and Politics

Practice Exam

FROM THE COURSE AND EXAM

DESCRIPTION

Effective

Fall 2018

About the College Board

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for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness

and college success—including the SAT

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and the Advanced Placement Program

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. The

organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of

students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.

AP

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Equity and Access Policy

The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding

principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the

opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access

to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally

underserved. Schools should make every eort to ensure their AP classes reect the diversity

of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have

access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can

prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and

access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.

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Contents

About AP 1

Oering AP Courses and Enrolling Students 1

How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed 2

How AP Exams Are Scored 2

Using and Interpreting AP Scores 3

Additional Resources 3

AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam 4

Exam Overview 4

Practice Exam 5

Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions 5

Section II: Free-Response Questions 26

Answer Key and Question Alignment to Course Framework 30

About AP

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program

®

(AP) enables students to pursue college-

level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 courses, each culminating in a

rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity

to earn college credit and/or advanced placement. Taking AP courses also demonstrates

to college admission ocers that students have sought out the most rigorous course work

available to them.

Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university

faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards.

Talented and dedicated AP teachers help AP students in classrooms around the world develop

and apply the content knowledge and skills they will need later in college.

Each AP course concludes with a college-level assessment developed and scored by college

and university faculty, as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are an essential part of

the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course work.

Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States and universities in more than

60countries recognize AP in the admission process and grant students credit, placement, or

both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. Visit www.collegeboard.org/apcreditpolicy

to view AP credit and placement policies at more than 1,000 colleges and universities.

Performing well on an AP Exam means more than just the successful completion of a

course; it is a gateway to success in college. Research consistently shows that students who

receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in

college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers.

1

Additional AP studies are

available at www.collegeboard.org/research.

Oering AP Courses and Enrolling Students

This AP course and exam description details the essential information required to understand

the objectives and expectations of an AP course. The AP Program unequivocally supports the

principle that each school implements its own curriculum that will enable students to develop

the content knowledge and skills described here.

Schools wishing to oer AP courses must participate in the AP Course Audit, a process

through with AP teachers’ syllabi are reviewed by college faculty. The AP Course Audit

was created to provide teachers and administrators with clear guidelines on curricular and

resource requirements for AP courses and to help colleges and universities validate courses

marked “AP” on students’ transcripts. This process ensures that AP teachers’ syllabi meet

or exceed the curricular and resource expectations that college and secondary school faculty

have established for college-level courses. For more information on the AP Course Audit, visit

www.collegeboard.org/apcourseaudit.

1

See the following research studies for more details:

Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP

HighSchool Experiences (New York: The College Board, 2008).

Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and

CollegeGraduation (Austin, Texas: National Center for Educational Accountability, 2006).

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About AP

1

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding

principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the

opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access

to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally

underserved. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to

academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare

them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access

that true equity and excellence can be achieved.

How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed

AP courses and exams are designed by committees of college faculty and expert AP teachers

who ensure that each AP subject reects and assesses college-level expectations. A list

of each subject’s current AP Development Committee members is available on apcentral.

collegeboard.org. AP Development Committees dene the scope and expectations of the

course, articulating through a course framework what students should know and be able to

do upon completion of the AP course. Their work is informed by data collected from a range

of colleges and universities to ensure that AP coursework reects current scholarship and

advances in the discipline.

The AP Development Committees are also responsible for drawing clear and well-articulated

connections between the AP course and AP Exam—work that includes designing and

approving exam specications and exam questions. The AP Exam development process is a

multiyear endeavor; all AP Exams undergo extensive review, revision, piloting, and analysis

to ensure that questions are high quality and fair and that there is an appropriate spread of

diculty across the questions.

Throughout AP course and exam development, the College Board gathers feedback from

various stakeholders in both secondary schools and higher education institutions. This

feedback is carefully considered to ensure that AP courses and exams are able to provide

students with a college-level learning experience and the opportunity to demonstrate their

qualications for advanced placement upon college entrance.

How AP Exams Are Scored

The exam scoring process, like the course and exam development process, relies on the

expertise of both AP teachers and college faculty. While multiple-choice questions are scored

by machine, the free-response questions and through-course performance assessments,

as applicable, are scored by thousands of college faculty and expert AP teachers. Most are

scored at the annual AP Reading, while a small portion are scored online. AP Exam Readers

are thoroughly trained, and their work is monitored throughout the Reading for fairness

and consistency. In each subject, a highly respected college faculty member serves as Chief

Reader, and with the help of AP readers in leadership positions, maintains the accuracy of the

scoring standards. Scores on the free-response questions and performance assessments are

weighted and combined with the results of the computer-scored multiple-choice questions,

and this raw score is converted into a composite AP score of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1.

About AP

2

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AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

The score-setting process is both precise and labor intensive, involving numerous

psychometric analyses of specic AP Exam results from a particular group of students

who took that exam. Additionally, to ensure alignment with college-level standards, part

of the score setting process involves comparing the performance of AP students with the

performance of students enrolled in comparable college courses throughout the United States.

In general, the AP composite score points are set so that the lowest raw score needed to earn

an AP score of 5 is equivalent to the average score among college students earning grades of

A in the college course. Similarly, AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to college grades of A-,

B+, and B. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to college grades of B-, C+, and C.

Using and Interpreting AP Scores

The extensive work done by college faculty and AP teachers in the development of the course

and the exam and throughout the scoring process ensures that AP Exam scores accurately

represent students’ achievement in the equivalent college course. While colleges and

universities are responsible for setting their own credit and placement policies, AP scores

signify how qualied students are to receive college credit or placement:

AP Score Recommendation

5 Extremely well qualied

4 Well qualied

3 Qualied

2 Possibly qualied

1 No recommendation

Additional Resources

Visit apcentral.collegeboard.org for more information about the AP Program.

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About AP

3

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

AP U.S. Government

and Politics Exam

Exam Overview

The AP U.S. Government and Politics Exam is three hours long, divided into two sections as

shown in the table below.

Section Number of Questions Timing

Percentage of

Total Exam Score

I: Multiple Choice 55 questions 1 hour and 20 minutes 50%

II: Free Response 4 questions 1 hour and 40 minutes 50%

Concept Application 20 minutes (suggested) 12.5%

Quantitative Analysis 20 minutes (suggested) 12.5%

SCOTUS Comparison 20 minutes (suggested) 12.5%

Argument Essay 40 minutes (suggested) 12.5%

Time Management

Students need to budget their time wisely so that they can complete all parts of the exam.

They will be able to move from Section I to Section II only after the one hour and 20 minutes

time for Section I is completed and their responses to the multiple-choice questions are

collected.

Time management is especially important with regard to Section II, which consists of four

essay questions. It is recommended that students spend 20 minutes on each of the rst three

questions, for a total of one hour, and then an additional 40 minutes to develop and write the

argumentative essay in response to question 4. Even though proctors will announce the time

remaining in this section, students are not forced to move from one question to another.

Students often benet from taking a practice exam under timed conditions prior to the actual

administration.

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4

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Practice Exam

After the practice exam you will nd a table that shows the learning objectives and

disciplinary practice assessed in each question. The table also provides the answers to the

multiple-choice questions.

Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions

Questions 1 and 2 refer to the graph.

Source: Pew Research Center, 2014. www.pewresearch.org

1. Which of the following statements is reected in the data in the chart?

(A) ose who are younger are more likely to be registered to vote than those who are

older.

(B) Among registered voters, there was a steep increase in social media usage to follow

political gures across all age groups and party aliations.

(C) Registered voters in the 65+ age group did not increase their use of social media to

follow political gures.

(D) Of those using social networking sites, those registered as Republican were more

likely to vote than those registered as Democrats.

2. Which of the following is a potential consequence of the trend illustrated in the bar chart?

(A) Social media has led to more candidates running as independents rather than as

members of political parties.

(B) Elected ocials and candidates running for oce are increasingly using social

media to reach out to voters and constituents.

(C) Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter have been overrun with

political content.

(D) Social networking sites have led to increased political polarization in the general public.

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5

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 3 and 4 refer to the graph below.

Source: FairVote. www.fairvote.org

3. Which of the following best describes a trend in the line graph above?

(A) Voter turnout in midterm elections increased substantially between 1982 and 2010.

(B) Voter turnout in presidential elections generally increased between 1940 and 1948.

(C) Voter turnout in midterm elections generally decreased between 1966 and 2014.

(D) Voter turnout in presidential elections consistently decreased between 1972

and 2008.

4. Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends

in the line graph above and your knowledge of voter behavior?

(A) More citizens vote in presidential elections because more citizens are eligible to

vote in presidential elections than in midterm elections.

(B) More citizens vote in presidential elections because there is more media coverage

of presidential elections than midterm elections.

(C) More citizens vote in midterm elections because midterm elections are more

important than presidential elections.

(D) More citizens vote in midterm elections because there is more money spent on

campaigns in midterm elections than in presidential elections.

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6

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 5 and 6 refer to the pie chart below.

Source: The United States Oce of Personnel Management, 2006

5. Which of the following accurately describes the information presented in the pie chart?

(A) e legislative, judicial, and executive branches employ more bureaucrats than

doesthe Department of Veterans Aairs.

(B) e number of federal employees working in Washington, D.C., outnumbers those

working in the states.

(C) Congress has allocated more money to the Department of Homeland Security than

to the Department of Defense.

(D) e United States Postal Service has the largest number of employees within the

federal bureaucracy.

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7

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

6. Which of the following best explains the dierence in the number of

bureaucrats employed by the Department of Education and the Department of

Homeland Security?

(A) e Department of Homeland Security was created before the Department

of Education.

(B) e Department of Education receives its funding from Congress, while the

Department of Homeland Security works directly for the president.

(C) e Department of Education primarily addresses state issues, whereas the

Department of Homeland Security primarily addresses national issues.

(D) e Department of Homeland Security hires more employees at the state level than

the Department of Education.

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8

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 7 and 8 refer to the graph below.

Source: Oce of Management and Budget, 2014.

7. Which of the following is an accurate statement about the information in the

line graph?

(A) Defense spending has consistently been a larger part of the federal budget than

entitlement spending.

(B) Entitlement spending has steadily become a larger portion of the federal budget.

(C) Between 1980 and 2000, defense spending increased faster than entitlement

spending.

(D) In 2000 entitlement spending passed defense spending as a share of the

federal budget.

8. Based on the information in the line graph, which of the following is the most likely

implication of entitlement and defense spending as a portion of the federal budget?

(A) Changes in entitlement spending put pressure on discretionary spending.

(B) Discretionary spending levels are set by law and cannot be changed.

(C) Congressional budget committees can ignore entitlement spending.

(D) Democrats and Republicans generally agree on increasing entitlement spending.

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9

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 9 and 10 refer to the table below.

UNITED STATES PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS

Presidential Candidate Electoral Vote Popular Vote

1 Republican Party 271 50.4% 50,456,002 47.9%

2 Democratic Party 266 49.4% 50,999,897 48.4%

3 Green Party 0 0 2,882,955 2.7%

4 Reform Party 0 0 448,895 0.4%

Source: uselectionatlas.org, 2017

9. Based on the results shown in table, which candidate won the election?

(A) e Democratic Party candidate

(B) e Green Party candidate

(C) e Reform Party candidate

(D) e Republican Party candidate

10. Based on the data shown in the table, which of the following statements is true about

the electoral college?

(A) It can work against the principle of popular sovereignty when a candidate wins

without winning the most votes nationwide.

(B) It creates a scenario in which electors frequently do not vote for the candidate they

pledge to support.

(C) It undermines the rights of states to determine their own method of electing

the president.

(D) It encourages independents and third-party candidates to run for oce.

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10

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 11–14 refer to the passage below.

I go further, and arm that bills of rights, in the sense and in the extent in which they are

contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed constitution, but would even be

dangerous. ey would contain various exceptions to powers which are not granted; and

on this very account, would aord a colourable pretext to claim more than were granted.

For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why for

instance, should it be said, that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no

power is given by which restrictions may be imposed? I will not contend that such a

provision would confer a regulating power; but it is evident that it would furnish, to men

disposed to usurp, a plausible pretence for claiming that power.

—Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist paper number 84

11. Which of the following statements best summarizes Hamilton’s argument?

(A) Even though civil liberties are protected by a bill of rights, there are some

reasonable exceptions.

(B) Listing rights will lead some to assume that government may regulate those rights.

(C) Freedom of the press is essential for a functioning democracy.

(D) A bill of rights is necessary to protect civil liberties such as freedom of the press.

12. Which of the following constitutional provisions limits the power of the national

government in Hamilton’s argument?

(A) Enumerated powers in Article I

(B) Faithful execution of the laws in Article II

(C) Judicial review in Article III

(D) Supremacy Clause in Article VI

13. Supporters of Hamilton’s view that a bill of rights could be dangerous to liberty could

point to which of the following cases?

(A) Schenck v. United States (1919)

(B) Engel v. Vitale (1962)

(C) New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

(D) Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)

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11

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

14. Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

(A) e United States Constitution explicitly prohibits the government from restricting

the press.

(B) e amendment process would create confusion about the meaning of the

United States Constitution.

(C) e Bill of Rights could potentially be used to limit civil liberties.

(D) e media ought to be held accountable for publishing untrue information about

public gures.

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12

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 15–17 refer to the passage below.

A society that puts equality—in the sense of equality of outcome—ahead of freedom

willend up with neither equality nor freedom. e use of force to achieve equality will

destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of

people who use it to promote their own interests. On the other hand, a society that puts

freedom rst will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater

equality. . . . A free society releases the energies and abilities of people to pursue their own

objectives. It prevents some people from arbitrarily suppressing others. It does not prevent

people from achieving positions of privilege, but so long as freedom is maintained, it

prevents those positions of privilege from becoming institutionalized.

—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980)

15. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author’s argument in

this passage?

(A) Equality is not an important outcome in society.

(B) ere should be more emphasis on governmental action to achieve equality.

(C) Undermining freedom will extinguish both freedom and equality.

(D) Individual freedom and equality are not compatible values.

16. Which of the following ideological perspectives is most consistent with the passage?

(A) Liberal

(B) Progressive

(C) Libertarian

(D) Socialist

17. Which of the following governmental policies would the author most likely support?

(A) Restricting individuals from carrying guns in public

(B) Requiring individuals traveling in cars to wear seat belts

(C) Establishing minimum age requirements to access adult social media sites

(D) Allowing individuals to purchase marijuana for recreational use

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13

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 18 and 19 refer to the map below.

18. e map shows the outline of a congressional district. Which of the following

statements best explains the motivation behind the way in which it is drawn?

(A) It has been drawn by a political party to group together moderate voters.

(B) It has been drawn cooperatively by both political parties to ensure a fair election.

(C) It has been drawn to group together diverse voters to foster highly competitive

elections.

(D) It has likely been drawn to pack together voters who are registered with the

same party.

19. Which of the following is a consequence of the way the district is drawn on the map?

(A) It will likely lead to a less competitive general election, which could lead to

increased partisanship.

(B) It will likely lead to a highly contentious and competitive election.

(C) It will lead to a seat that will be occupied by a member of a third party.

(D) It will lead to very high turnout in the election.

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14

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 20 and 21 refer to the cartoon below.

John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune

20. Which of the following best describes the message in the political cartoon?

(A) Contributions from special interests have undermined fair and competitive

political campaigns.

(B) Placing limits on special interest contributions would not diminish the role of

money in elections.

(C) Although money garners attention from the media and voters, it does not inuence

how people vote.

(D) Special interests have a large amount of cash but a small number of votes to use to

inuence elections.

21. Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to the topic of the

cartoon?

(A) Baker v. Carr (1962)

(B) Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)

(C) New York times Co. v. United States (1971)

(D) Shaw v. Reno (1993)

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15

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

Questions 22 and 23 refer to the infographic below.

Source: Brennan Center for Justice, New York University, 2006.

22. Based on the infographic, which of the following claims would an opponent of state

voter-ID laws most likely make?

(A) Voter-ID laws are likely to decrease turnout among African American voters

because they are less likely to have government-issued IDs.

(B) (Voter turnout will likely decrease by 10% if voters are required to present a

government-issued ID to vote.

(C) Voter-ID laws will likely decrease election fraud, which will increase voter

condence in institutions and thereby increase turnout.

(D) African American voters who do not have government-issued IDs are likely to

participate at the grassroots level and exert inuence through channels other than

turning out to vote.

23. Based on the infographic, which of the following strategies would a group seeking to

increase turnout likely pursue?

(A) Use radio ads to advocate stricter voter-ID laws

(B) Hold a voter registration drive in public high schools

(C) Lobby state legislatures to overturn voter-ID legislation

(D) Lobby Congress to eliminate the Voting Rights Act

24. Which of the following important functions of democracy would most likely be more

dicult without political parties?

(A) Eliminating corruption in the bureaucracy

(B) Educating the public about upcoming elections

(C) Ensuring that only eligible voters can vote

(D) Reducing gridlock in Congress

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16

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

25. Which of the following is a consequence of candidate-centered campaigns?

(A) e electoral success of third-party candidates sharply increases.

(B) Parties tighten their control over candidate fund-raising to ensure compliance with

regulations.

(C) Candidates have less accountability for their positions because the importance of

the party platform increases.

(D) Candidates’ ability to appeal to voters can outweigh the importance of experience

and policy positions.

26. Which of the following may the president do to limit the Supreme Court’s power?

(A) Fire and replace justices

(B) Refuse to enforce a ruling by the Court

(C) Adopt new constitutional amendments

(D) Veto parts of the Court’s decisions

27. e legislative process at the national level of government reects the intent of the

framers of the Constitution to create a legislature that would be

(A) less powerful than the executive

(B) slow and deliberate in the law-making process

(C) able to involve as many citizens as possible in the law making process

(D) able to ensure that all citizens are equally represented

28. Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Aairs

are concerned about the quality of services at hospitals run by the Department of

Veterans Aairs. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address

the problem?

(A) Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level ocials in the Department of

Veterans Aairs to testify

(B) Impounding funding for veterans hospitals until problems are resolved

(C) Placing a referendum on the ballot in each state to increase health-care funding

for veterans

(D) Appointing a new secretary of the Department of Veterans Aairs

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17

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

29. e application of the death penalty has been limited in recent decades and cannot be

applied to minors and people who are found to be mentally incompetent. Which of the

following is a reason for this?

(A) e Supreme Court redened what constitutes an unreasonable intrusion under

the Fourth Amendment.

(B) e Supreme Court changed its interpretation of what constitutes cruel and

unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

(C) e Fih Amendment’s due process clause motivated state legislatures to limit the

death penalty.

(D) e right to an attorney guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment led to limited

application of the death penalty.

30. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of iron triangles?

(A) e tendency of interest groups to hire former legislators, lobbyists, and judges

(B) e inability of third-party candidates to garner public attention through media

coverage

(C) e long-term relationships between agencies, congressional committees, and

interest groups in specic policy areas

(D) e practice of congressional leaders diverting PAC funds meant for certain

popular candidates to those in more competitive races

31. A member of the House of Representatives has introduced a bill to raise the minimum

wage, but it has been in committee for 36 days and is unlikely to make it to the oor.

Which of the following is the best course of action for the representative to take to get a

vote on the bill?

(A) Presenting a cloture motion

(B) Placing a hold on the bill

(C) Introducing a concurrent resolution

(D) Filing for a discharge petition

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18

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

32. Based on previous rulings, the Supreme Court is most likely to view a case concerning

which of the following as a right-to-privacy case?

(A) A university whose admissions standards prevent women from attending the

institution

(B) A person who is licensed to carry a handgun and brings one to a political rally

(C) A high school student who leaves class at a specied time during each school day

for daily prayer

(D) A woman who is prevented from an abortion

33. Which of the following statements describes a diculty presidents face in the policy

implementation process?

(A) Members of the bureaucracy oen lack the expertise to carry out the president’s

preferred policies.

(B) Members of the president’s Cabinet can be removed at any time by Congress.

(C) Because of civil service laws, it is not easy for the president to remove professional

bureaucrats when they disagree with the president’s agenda.

(D) Congress generally gives specic details about how the laws they pass will be

executed by members of the professional bureaucracy.

34. Based on previous court rulings, which of the following scenarios would most likely

violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

(A) A police ocer inspects the contents of a computer hard drive without a warrant.

(B) A mayor refuses to allow an unpopular group to hold a political rally.

(C) A public school system uses race-based segregation.

(D) e federal government passes a law prohibiting assault ries.

35. e Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 authorized the government to deny

income tax deductions for employer health plans that did not oer employees the

option of keeping their health insurance aer leaving the job. Which enumerated

powerallowed Congress to make the law?

(A) Regulating commerce among the states

(B) Declaring laws unconstitutional

(C) Borrowing money on the credit of the United States

(D) Issuing copyrights and patents

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19

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

36. Which of the following actions by public school students would most likely be

protected symbolic speech based on the precedent established by Tinker v. Des Moines

Independent Community School District (1969)?

(A) Leading prayers over the school’s public address system

(B) Publishing an editorial in the school newspaper

(C) Protesting a school board decision by disrupting a school assembly

(D) Wearing t-shirts objecting to a school board decision

37. Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered a violation of the

Fourth Amendment?

(A) A suspect is interrogated without being informed of the right to an attorney.

(B) A person is tried twice for the same crime.

(C) A suspect’s cell phone is analyzed by police before a warrant is issued.

(D) A person is prosecuted for a federal crime without a jury.

38. A new president has been elected and has a number of positions to ll within the

federal bureaucracy. Which of the following is an example of lling a position based on

political patronage?

(A) Choosing a secretary of state to appease members from the opposition party

(B) Nominating a high-level campaign fund-raiser to serve as an ambassador to

New Zealand

(C) Reappointing the secretary of defense even though he or she was appointed by the

previous president, who is a member of the opposite party

(D) Asking the chair of a prestigious university’s economics department to serve as

chair of the Council of Economic Advisers

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20

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

In a public opinion poll of a representative sample of a population, 1,200 people were

asked to agree, disagree, or express neutrality toward the following statements.

Statement A: e government should spend more money on welfare.

Result: 35·percent of the respondents agreed.

Statement B: e government should spend more money on helping the poor.

Result: 60·percent of respondents agreed.

39. Which of the following most likely accounts for the dierent results?

(A) e questions were not open-ended.

(B) ere were no welfare recipients in the sample.

(C) e sample size was not large enough to be reliable.

(D) e questions contained a dierence in wording.

40. A nonprot advocacy group seeks to block an expensive subsidy to what it believes is

an environmentally destructive project. Which of the following accurately depicts the

free-rider problem in this scenario?

(A) e public can expect to reap the benets of blocking the subsidy without making

any contribution to the nonprot group.

(B) e public will recognize that the cost of the project greatly outweighs the benet,

so they can expect their legislators to vote against the subsidy.

(C) e advocacy group will be able to carry out activities at an unusually low cost

because of discounts and tax breaks aorded to nonprot organizations.

(D) A company can purchase support from certain members of the public who will

persuade their legislators to vote in favor of the subsidy.

41. Senator Smith votes her conscience on bills that her constituents care little about, but

she votes according to the wishes of the majority of her constituents on other bills.

Which model of representation do her actions embody?

(A) e politico model

(B) e trustee model

(C) e majoritarian model

(D) e delegate model

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21

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

42. A recent poll indicates that 60 percent of all people in the United States support a at

tax system. Which of the following supports the credibility of the poll result?

(A) e poll reported a sampling error.

(B) e poll was conducted online and open to anyone who wished to participate.

(C) e poll was administered to several thousand people who were stopped while

shopping in malls across the country.

(D) Before the question was asked, respondents were told that a at tax system is fairer

than a progressive tax and will lead to economic growth.

43. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of Federalist and Anti-Federalist

views on government?

Federalist Anti-Federalist

(A) Favored a weak central government and

strong state governments

Favored a strong central government and

weak state governments

(B) Believed the creation of a bill of rights was

necessary

Believed the creation of a bill of rights was

not necessary

(C) Favored the legislative branch having more

power than the executive

Favored increasing the power of the

national judiciary over the states

(D) Believed a large republic ensured the best

protection of individual freedoms

Believed only a small republic could best

ensure protection of individual freedoms

44. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) United States v. Lopez (1995)

(A) Declared an act of Congress

unconstitutional

Recognized the importance of state

sovereignty and local control

(B) Decided that Congress had implied

powers

Ruled that state laws were supreme to

national laws

(C) Led to an increase in power for the

national government

Established limits to Congress’ power

under the commerce clause

(D) Decided that a state had the power to tax

a national bank

Declared the Gun-Free School Zones Act

unconstitutional

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22

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

45. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of constitutional provisions?

Enhance Federal Power Enhance State Power

(A) Necessary and proper clause Fourteenth Amendment

(B) Commerce clause Tenth Amendment

(C) Supremacy clause Seventeenth Amendment

(D) Fifth Amendment Article V

46. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the House of Representatives and

the Senate?

House of Representatives Senate

(A) Only the Speaker of the House can initiate

the legislative process by proposing bills

Only the majority leader can initiate the

legislative process by proposing bills

(B) Members can delay the policy-making

process by invoking cloture

Members can delay the policy-making

process through the use of a libuster

(C) Members are elected by constituents in a

local district based on population

Members are elected by constituents of an

entire state

(D) Members serve six-year terms Members serve two-year terms

47. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of conservative and liberal views

concerning social policy?

Conservative Liberal

(A) The federal government should have a

stronger role in shaping education

The federal government should provide

more funding for public schools

(B) Licensed gun-owners should be permitted

to openly carry rearms in public

The federal government should not conduct

background checks for gun purchases

(C) Racial and gender considerations should be

taken into account to promote diversity in

workplace hiring decisions

Job promotion should be based on skills

and experience, not race or gender

(D) Individuals should not rely on government

aid for their economic well-being

The government should be responsible for

helping to improve the economic position

of low-income people

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23

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

48. Which of the following policies is most likely to cause tension between the competing

values of individualism and equality of opportunity?

(A) Expanding the national defense system

(B) Reducing environmental regulations

(C) Decreasing funding for space exploration

(D) Implementing armative action programs

49. Which of the following is contained in the Fourteenth Amendment and was likely an

inspiration for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”?

(A) e guarantee that citizens have the right to a speedy and public trial regardless of

gender, race, or age

(B) e principle that all people should be equal under the law, as embodied in the

equal protection clause

(C) e guarantee that all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual

orientation, have the right to free speech

(D) e due process clause, which implies the right to vote, shall not be denied on the

basis of race

50. Which of the following measures would a president adhering to Keynesian economic

principles most likely employ during an economic recession?

(A) An executive order to increase the amount of money in circulation in the economy

(B) A budget with signicant increases in spending for unemployment benets and

public works projects

(C) Legislation to cut individual and corporate income tax rates and decrease

regulation of the economy

(D) A national budget with dramatic cuts in federal spending on entitlement programs

like Social Security

51. Which of the following scenarios would be considered an unconstitutional use of state

power?

(A) A state passes a law that increases the pay of state legislators.

(B) A state enacts a law prohibiting smoking in all public places.

(C) A state places a tax on furniture made overseas.

(D) A state raises the drinking age to 25 years of age.

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24

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section I

52. Appointments to the federal judiciary are oen contentious for which of the following

reasons?

(A) e House of Representatives can undermine presidential authority by overriding

judicial appointments.

(B) Life terms for federal judges mean that presidential appointments will continue to

have inuence long aer the president’s term is over.

(C) e president selects nominees based on political orientation, while the Senate

focuses on the academic credentials of nominees.

(D) Federal judges are given a platform to legislate from the bench, and the Senate is

hesitant about relinquishing power to the judiciary.

53. Bureaucratic rule-making is best dened as

(A) legally binding decisions made by Congress to constrain regulatory agencies

(B) guidelines issued by government agencies, which provide specic details about how

a policy will be implemented

(C) directions given by the president to the bureaucracy regarding how a specic policy

will be applied

(D) review and supervision of departments and agencies conducted by congressional

committees

54. During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus

and detained thousands of citizens who protested the war. Which of the following

statements best illustrates this scenario?

(A) When the public does not support the rights of others, those rights tend to no

longer be applied.

(B) ere is nothing in the Constitution that guarantees the right to a fair trial.

(C) ere is a tension between civil liberties and public order.

(D) Freedom of speech is an absolute right.

55. e president is most likely to use an executive order to make important policy when

(A) Congress is dominated by the president’s party

(B) a compromise cannot be reached with Congress

(C) the Supreme Court is divided along ideological lines

(D) a negotiation with foreign heads of state reaches an impasse

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25

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section II

Section II: Free-Response Questions

Directions: It is suggested that you take a few minutes to plan and outline each answer.

It is suggested that you spend approximately 20 minutes each on questions 1, 2 and 3 and

40 minutes on question 4. Unless directions indicate otherwise, respond to all parts of all four

questions. In your response use substantive examples where appropriate.

1. Consumers complained aer EpiPen maker Mylan “hiked the price of the emergency

auto-injector by $100 in recent months for no obvious reason. . . . e price has

increased 450 percent since 2004, when a dose cost $100 in today’s dollars, to its

current price of more than $600. . . . e medication itself isn’t expensive. Analysts

calculate that the dosage contained in a single pen is worth about $1.”

Washington Post, August 23, 2016

Aer reading the scenario, respond to A, B, and C below:

(A) Describe a power Congress could use to address the comments outlined in the

scenario.

(B) In the context of the scenario, explain how the use of congressional power

described in Part A can be aected by its interaction with the presidency.

(C) In the context of the scenario, explain how the interaction between Congress and

the presidency can be aected by linkage institutions.

Scoring the Concept Application Question

A good response should:

n

Describe a political institution, behavior, or process connected with the scenario

(0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 1.a)

n

Explain how the response in part (A) aects or is aected by a political process,

government entity, or citizen behavior as related to the scenario (0–1 point)

(Disciplinary Practice 1.d)

n

Explain how the scenario relates to a political institution, behavior, or process in the

course (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 1.d)

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26

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section II

Source: www.census.gov

2. Use the information graphic to answer the questions.

(A) Identify the most common level of education spending by states in the Southeast.

(B) Describe a similarity or dierence in public education spending by state or

region, as illustrated in the information graphic, and draw a conclusion about that

similarity or dierence.

(C) Explain how public education spending as shown in the information graphic

demonstrates the principle of federalism.

Scoring the Quantitative Analysis Question

A good response should:

n

Identify or describe the data in the quantitative visual (0–1 point)

(Disciplinary Practice 3.a)

n

Describe a pattern, trend, or similarity/dierence as prompted in the question (0–1 point)

(Disciplinary Practice 3.b) and draw a conclusion for that pattern, trend, or similarity/

dierence (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 3.c or 3.e)

n

Explain how specic data in the quantitative visual demonstrates a principle in the

prompt (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 3.d)

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27

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section II

3. Monthly town board meetings in Greece, New York, opened with a prayer given by

clergyselected from the congregations listed in a local directory, but nearly all the local

churches were Christian, so nearly all of the participating prayer givers were, too. A

lawsuit was led alleging that the town violated the Constitution by preferring Christians

over other religious groups and by sponsoring sectarian prayers. Petitioners sought to

limit the town to “inclusive and ecumenical” prayers that referred only to a “generic God.”

In the ensuing case, Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014), the Supreme Court held in a

5–4 decision that no constitutional violation existed. e majority opinion stated that

legislative prayer in this situation lent gravity to public business, reminded lawmakers to

transcend petty dierences to pursue a higher purpose, reected values that were a part

of the nation’s heritage, provided a spirit of cooperation, and celebrated the changing of

seasons. e audience was primarily lawmakers themselves, and though many bowed

their heads during the prayer, they did not solicit similar gestures by the public. It was

delivered as a ceremonial portion of the town’s meeting.

(A) Identify the constitutional clause that is common to both Greece v. Galloway (2014)

and Engel v. Vitale (1962).

(B) Based on the constitutional clause identied in part A, explain why the facts of

Engel v. Vitale led to a dierent holding than the holding in Greece v. Galloway.

(C) Describe an action that members of the public who disagree with the holding in

Greece v. Galloway could take to limit its impact.

Scoring the SCOTUS Comparison Question

A good response should:

n

Identify a similarity or dierence between the two Supreme Court cases, as specied in

the question (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 2.c)

n

Provide prompted factual information from the specied required Supreme Court case

(0-1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 2.a), and explain how or why that information from the

specied required Supreme Court case is relevant to the non-required Supreme Court

case described in the question (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 2.c)

n

Describe or explain an interaction between the holding in the non-required Supreme

Court case and a relevant political institution, behavior, or process (0–1 point)

(Disciplinary Practice 2.d)

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28

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Section II

4. Develop an argument that explains which of the three models of representative

democracy—participatory, pluralist, or elite—best achieves the founders’ intent for

American democracy in terms of ensuring a stable government run by the people.

In your essay, you must:

n

Articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt and establishes a line

of reasoning

n

Support your claim with at least TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information:

w At least ONE piece of evidence must be from one of the following foundational

documents:

– Brutus 1

– Federalist No. 10

– U.S. Constitution

w Use a second piece of evidence from another foundational document from the list

or from your study of the electoral process

n

Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim/thesis

n

Respond to an opposing or alternative perspective using refutation, concession, or

rebuttal

Scoring the Argument Essay

A good response should:

n

Articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the question and establishes a

line of reasoning (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 5.a)

n

Describe one piece of evidence that is accurately linked to the topic of the question

(1 out of 3 points); use one piece of specic and relevant evidence to support the

argument (2 out of 3 points); use two pieces of specic and relevant evidence to support

the argument (3 out of 3 points) (Disciplinary Practice 5.b)

n

Explain how or why the evidence supports the claim or thesis (0–1 point)

(Disciplinary Practice 5.c)

n

Respond to an opposing or alternate perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal

that is consistent with the argument (0–1 point) (Disciplinary Practice 5.d)

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29

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

Answer Key and Question Alignment to Course Framework

Answer Key and Question Alignment

to Course Framework

Multiple-Choice

Question Answer Disciplinary Practice

Enduring Understanding/

Learning Objective Unit

1 B 3.b PRD-3.B 5

2 B 3.c PRD-3.B 5

3 C 3.b MPA-3.C 5

4 B 3.c MPA-3.C 5

5 D 3.a PMI-2.B 2

6 C 3.d CON-2.A 1

7 B 3.a CON-3.A 2

8 A 3.d CON-3.A 2

9 D 3.a PRD-2.A 5

10 A 3.d PRD-2.B 5

11 B 4.a CON-2.B 1

12 A 4.b CON-2.B 1

13 A 2.b LOR-2.A 3

14 C 4.c LOR-2.A 3

15 C 4.a PMI-4.E 4

16 C 4.b PMI-4.E 4

17 D 4.c PMI-4.E 4

18 D 4.a CON-3.C 2

19 A 4.c CON-3.C 2

20 A 4.a PRD-2.E 5

21 B 2.b PRD-2.E 5

22 A 4.a MPA-3.C 5

23 C 4.c PMI-5.G 5

24 B 1.b PMI-5.B 5

25 D 1.b PRD-2.E 5

26 B 1.a CON-5.B 2

27 1.b LOR-1.A 1

28 A 1.e PMI-2.C 2

29 B 1.b LOR-2.D 3

30 C 1.a PMI-5.E 5

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30

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam

B

Answer Key and Question Alignment to Course Framework

Multiple-Choice

Question Answer Disciplinary Practice

Enduring Understanding/

Learning Objective Unit

31 D 1.e CON-3.B 2

32 D 2.d LOR-3.B 3

33 C 1.b PMI-2.A 2

34 C 2.d PMI-3.A 3

35 A 1.e CON-2.B 1

36 D 2.a LOR-2.C 3

37 C 1.e LOR-3.B 3

38 B 1.d PMI-2.A 2

39 D 3.e MPA-2.A 4

40 A 1.e PMI-5.F 5

41 A 1.d CON-3.C 2

42 A 3.e MPA-2.A 4

43 D 1.c CON-1.A 1

44 C 2.c CON-2.B 1

45 B 1.c CON-2.B 1

46 C 1.c CON-3.A 2

47 D 1.c PMI-4.E 4

48 D 1.e MPA-1.A 4

49 B 2.d PRD-1.A 3

50 B 1.e PMI-4.D 4

51 C 1.d CON-2.A 1

52 B 1.e CON-4.B 2

53 B 1.a CON-4.B 2

54 C 2.d LOR-2.D 3

55 B 1.d CON-4.A 2

Free-Responses

Questions Question Type Enduring Understandings/Learning Objectives Unit

1 Concept Application CON-3.A, CON-4.A, PMI-2.C, PMI-5.E, PRD-3.A 2, 5

2 Quantitative Analysis CON-2.A 1

3 SCOTUS Comparison CON-5.A, LOR-2.C, PRD-1.A, PMI-4.B, PMI-5.E 2, 3, 4, 5

4 Argument Essay LOR-1.A, LOR-1.B, CON-1.A, MPA-3.A, PMI-5.B,

PMI-5.D, PRD-2.B

1, 5

00892-003

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31

AP U.S. Government and Politics Practice Exam