How to answer AP Human Geography FRQs: exam skills quiz quiz

25 percent

40 percent

60 percent

50 percent

Four

Seven

Three

Two

5 points

7 points

6 points

9 points

State the main features or characteristics of something

Give the reasons or causes behind something

State similarities and differences between two things

Write a thesis and defend it

Give a reason, cause, or process showing a relationship

Compare two regions

List features without reasons

Quote the stimulus exactly

Only differences

Only similarities

The causes of a single phenomenon

Similarities and differences between two things

All or nothing for the whole question

One point per lettered part, scored independently

Based on essay length

Only for a correct thesis

About 25 minutes

About 10 minutes

About 45 minutes

About 60 minutes

Accurate use of task verbs

An answer to each lettered part

A defensible thesis statement

Specific geographic vocabulary

Fertility is low in many countries.

The total fertility rate is the average children per woman.

Educated women marry later and access family planning, so they choose to have fewer children.

Women's education is increasing worldwide.

Describe a different country

Ignore the pyramid and answer from memory

Restate the task verb

Reference what the pyramid shows, such as a wide base meaning high fertility

Answering every part

Misreading the task verb and performing the wrong task

Using geographic vocabulary

Writing too neatly