The 2009 AP - United States Government and Politics Released Exam - Multiple-Choice and Free-Response Questions with Scoring Guidelines

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Violet

The 2009 AP United States Government and Politics Released Exam package provides an overview and operational guidance for both sections of the exam. It includes multiple-choice questions with an answer key and diagnostic guide, and free-response questions supported by scoring guidelines, sample student responses, scoring commentary, and statistical information on student performance. The materials explain the AP process, how the exam is developed and scored, and how teachers should use the content while noting updates via AP Central.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages76

Reading Time3 h 12 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter I: The AP Process

What Is the Purpose of the AP United States Government and Politics Exam?

Who Develops the Exam?

How Is the Exam Developed?

Section I—Multiple Choice

Section II—Free Response

# The 2009 AP®United States Government andPolitics Released Exam ■ Multiple-Choice Questions,Answer Key,and Diagnostic Guide ■ Free-Response Questions with: ■ Scoring Guidelines ■ Sample Student Responses ■ Scoring Commentary ■ Statistical Information About Student Performance on the 2009 Exam Materials included in this Released Exam may not reflect the current AP Course Description and examin this subject,and teachers are advised to consider this as they use these materials to support theirinstruction of students.For up-to-date information about this AP course and exam,please download theofficial AP Course Description from the AP Central®Web site at apcentral.collegeboard.com. ## Chapter I:The AP°Process ■WhatIsthe Purpose of the AP United States Governmentand Politics Exam? ■ Who Develops the Exam? ■How Is the Exam Developed? ■ Section I—Multiple Choice ■ Section II—Free Response ■ Question Types ■ Multiple Choice ■ Free Response ■ Scoring the Exam ■ Who Scores the AP United States Government andPolitics Exam? ■ Ensuring Accuracy ■ How the Scoring Guidelines Are Created ■ Training Readers to Apply the Scoring Guidelines ■ Maintaining the Scoring Guidelines ■ Preparing Students for the Exam ■ Essential Features of Student Responses ■ Teaching Free-Response Writing This chapter will give you a brief overview of the develop-ment and scoring processes for the AP United StatesGovernment and Politics Exam.You can find more detailedinformation at AP Central@(apcentral.collegeboard.com). ## What Is the Purpose of the AP UnitedStates Government and Politics Exam? The AP United States Government and Politics Exam isdesigned to allow students to demonstrate the knowledge,understanding,and analytical skills equivalent to thosegained by students who have successfully completed acollege-level introductory course in American governmentand politics.The exam is designed to assess studentsunderstanding of critical concepts,theories,and factspertaining to U.S.government and politics.The exam alsoassesses students'ability to explain typical politicalprocesses,patterns of political behavior,and consequencesof political actions.It also requires them to analyze andinterpret basic data relevant to U.S.government and politics.A qualifying score on the AP United States Government andPolitics Exam thus allows students to begin their collegecareers without being required to take an introductoryU.S.government and politics course ## WhoDevelops theExam? The APGovernment and Politics Development Committee,working with content experts at Educational Testing Service(ETS),develops the exam.This committee is appointed bythe College Board and is composed of six faculty membersfrom secondary schools,colleges,and universities in theUnited States.The members provide different perspectives:high school teachers offer valuable advice regarding realisticexpectations when matters of content coverage,skillsrequired,and clarity of phrasing are addressed.Universityfaculty members ensure that the questions are at theappropriate level of difficulty for students planning tocontinue their studies at colleges and universities.Eachcommittee member typically serves for four years. The Chief Reader,the college professor responsible forsupervising the scoring of the free-response questions,alsoaids in the exam development process.The Chief Readerattends every committee meeting to ensure that the free-response questions selected for the exam can be scoredreliably.The expertise of the Chief Reader and thecommittee members who have scored exams in past years isnotable:they bring to bear their valuable experience frompast AP Readings and suggest changes to improve thequality and the performance of the questions. ## How Is the Exam Developed? The Development Committee sets the test specifications,determining what will be tested and how it will be tested.Italso determines the appropriate level of difficulty for theexam,based

FAQs

What is the purpose of the 2009 AP United States Government and Politics Exam?

The exam is designed to let students demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and analytical skills equivalent to those gained from a college-level introductory course. It assesses understanding of concepts and facts, the ability to explain political processes and behavior, and the ability to analyze basic relevant data.

Who develops the AP United States Government and Politics Exam?

The AP Government and Politics Development Committee develops the exam with content experts at Educational Testing Service (ETS). The Chief Reader, responsible for supervising scoring of free-response questions, also supports the development process and attends committee meetings.

How is the exam developed and how are the multiple-choice questions handled?

The Development Committee sets test specifications, including what is tested and the level of difficulty. Multiple-choice questions are written and reviewed by committee members and outside item writers, preliminarily reviewed for clarity by ETS experts, then reviewed and approved at committee meetings and selected in an appropriate mix for the exam.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Violet