AP+Exam+Short+Response+Questions

= AP Government and Politics Exam Guide for Unit II (Election)=

The following SRQ (Short Response Questions) are the actual questions that were originally found in the Advanced Placement United States History Exams that have been held since 1999. Learn from the past and anticipate answering similar questions on the AP Exam this year...


 * 2000 Exam - Question 3:** The figure below displays voting patterns by state in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. Using the information in the figure and your knowledge of United States voting behavior, perform the following tasks.
 * Using the map [|located here], identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Democratic presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.
 * Using the map [|located here], identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Republican presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.


 * 2001 Exam - Question 2:** The graph [|located here] shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate. From this information and your knowledge of United States politics, perform the following tasks.
 * Identify two patterns displayed in the graph.
 * Identify two factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.
 * Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the United States political process.


 * 2002 Exam - Question 3:** Political institutions can present both obstacles and opportunities to racial minority groups in their efforts to gain political influence.
 * Identify one feature of two of the following and explain how each feature has presented obstacles to racial minority groups in their efforts to achieve political goals.
 * Federalism
 * The United States political party system
 * The United States electoral system


 * 2002 Exam - Question 4:** In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
 * Identify two factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections and explain how each factor has contributed to the overall decline.
 * Identify and explain two reasons why voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.


 * 2003 Exam - Question 2:** Citizens often choose to participate in the political process in ways other than voting.
 * Identify two forms of participation in the political process other than voting.
 * Explain two advantages of each form of participation you identified in the first bullet.


 * 2004 Exam - Question 3:** Minor parties (third parties) have been a common feature of United States politics.
 * Describe the point of view expressed about minor paries in the policial cartoon located here.
 * Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor-party candidates winning elections.
 * Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates' success. Describe two of these contributions.


 * 2008 Exam - Question 1:** Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
 * Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is import to states.
 * Define congressional redistricting.
 * Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
 * Describe two limits that the United States Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.


 * 2009 Exam - Question 2:** In the United States political system, there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout, elections represent an imperfect method of linking citizens to their government. Even when there is low voter turnout, however, other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government.
 * Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting.
 * Age
 * Education
 * Identify one current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout.
 * Identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government.