AP® Comparative Government and Politics - Section II - Time: 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Sep 20, 2026

AP Comparative Government and Politics Section II provides four free-response questions designed to assess students’ understanding of political socialization, ideology, authoritarian versus democratic regimes, and the links between party systems and state fragility. It also requires comparison of how civil liberties shape social movements across two course countries. The final prompt focuses on arguing whether an independent legislative branch promotes or discourages corruption, using separation of powers, transparency, and accountability with specific evidence and reasoning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Section II

Timing and directions

Question 1: Political socialization

Question 2: Party systems and Fragile States Index

Question 3: Civil liberties and social movements

Question 4: Independent legislature and corruption

2026 AP® Comparative Government and Politics Free-Response Questions © 2026 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered [trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: collegeboard.org](trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: collegeboard.org). AP Central is the official online home for [the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS SECTION II TIME – 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES Directions: Section II has 4 questions and lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Respond to all parts of all 4 questions. Use substantive examples where appropriate. You may pace yourself as you answer the questions in this section, or you may use these optional timing recommendations: It is suggested that you spend about 10 minutes on question 1, about 20 minutes each on questions 2 and 3, and about 40 minutes on question 4. You may use scratch paper for notes and planning, but credit will only be given for responses entered in this application. Text you enter as an annotation will not be included as part of your answer. You can go back and forth between questions in this section until time expires. The clock will turn red when 5 minutes remain—the proctor will not give you any time updates or warnings. Note: This exam was originally administered digitally. It is presented here in a format optimized for teacher and student use in the classroom. 1. Respond to parts A, B, C, and D. A. Describe political socialization. B. Describe the relationship between political socialization and political ideology. C. Explain how the state can influence political socialization. D. Explain why authoritarian regimes are often more involved in the process of political socialization than democratic regimes are. Fragile States Index: 2014–2024 Source: Fragile States Index Note: The Fragile States Index uses multiple indicators to rank countries on a scale of 0 to 120. A score of 0 indicates the least fragility / most stability, while a score of 120 indicates the most fragility / least stability. 2. Respond to parts A, B, C, D, and E. A. Using the data in the graph, identify the country that was the second most fragile in 2016. B. Using the data in the graph, describe the differences between the trends ofthe Fragile States Index scores in Russia and Iran from 2020 to 2024. C. Describe a characteristic of a political party system. D. Using the data in the graph and your knowledge of course concepts, draw a conclusion about political stability in Nigeria between 2014 and 2024. E. Explain what the data illustrate about the relationship between a country’s political party system and its Fragile States Index score. 3. Compare how government policies on civil liberties affect social movements in two different AP Comparative Government and Politics course countries. Respond to parts A, B, and C. A. Describe a characteristic of a social movement. B. Describe one way that governments protect or restrict civil liberties for each of two different course countries. C. Explain how government protections or restrictions of civil liberties affect social movements for each of the two course countries described in part B. 4. Develop an argument as to whether having an independent legislative branch promotes or discourages corruption in a country. Use one or more of the following course concepts in your response: • Separation of powers • Transparency • Accountability In your response you should do the following: • Respond to the prompt with a defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning using one or more of the provided course concepts. • Support your claim with at least two pieces of specific and relevant evidence from one or more course countries. The evidence should be relevant to one or more of the provided course concepts. • Use reason

FAQs

How long is Section II and how many questions does it include?

Section II lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and contains 4 questions.

What is required for Question 1?

Question 1 asks responses to parts A through D: political socialization, its link to political ideology, how the state influences socialization, and why authoritarian regimes are often more involved than democratic regimes.

Which course concepts must be used in Question 4?

Question 4 requires using one or more of separation of powers, transparency, and accountability, and supporting the thesis with specific, relevant evidence and reasoning, plus a response to an opposing perspective.

Sep 20, 2026

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