How did you guys feel about the test today?
I’m a bit afraid of the curve now… I know it is a generous curve but I feel like I’ve got in the low 90s range…
I’m so upset about the court cases on the FRQ. Out of all the court cases they could have chosen, they had to choose 2 of the most obscure ones that couldn’t be found in anyone’s study guides or textbook. I just guessed and moved on… but unfortunately, I checked the court cases on Wikipedia and unluckily chose the wrong answer. I knew one of the court cases when it was in the news, but I didn’t know it by its name. Years or some kind of descriptions would have been a helpful hint… but I guess that would be too generous. I also hated that last part of the question in regards to the graphs.
I’ll talk more about this when we’re allowed to when FRQs are released. Overall, I thought it was a very easy exam. I finished the MC with 10 minutes remaining, and I finished the FRQ with over an hour to spare.
@ObitoSigma I felt the exact same way!
Except I had less than an hour left after the FRQs
Did you guys get form O?
I got form O
I literally looked at the United States v Lopez and was like, I don’t even know what that is. Then, for a solid two minutes, I stared at Obergefell v. Hodges and wondered why it looked so familiar. Luckily, I eventually remembered that I had done an APUSH research project on it. #apushforthewin
I guessed right on the court cases and actually knew both of them, but forgot what the names. The last question on the graphs was annoying I agree. And the last last question was weird too. Some multiple choice were confusing but overall super easy in my opinion, esp after AP chem and psych on monday.
What’s the scale for a 5? I know it’s really low but is it like 95-120?
I was familiar with most of the fro except for the last part of the graph one and a few parts of the first one I was unsure about, abut for all question I put everything I possibly knew so I hope it works out. The Multiple choice I felt was weird it didn’t test not even half of the stuff I learned in class.
My teacher said I ill probably see one of those cases and I had a feeling about it so I googled it and I remembered what wikipedia said during the test and just write down the ruling and bs how it changed them even though I think I might have got it right, I don’t know how hard they will grade it.
@ObitoSigma I totally see where you’re coming from regarding the court cases, and many of my friends felt that the court cases were obscure, but I actually thought Obergefell v Hodges was a softball that most young people could hit out of the park. You’ve probably figured out what it is by now, and considering how recent, controversial, and nationally known the case was I felt that collegeboard was being really generous by listing it as an option.
For the most part I thought it was fine, there were a few questions here and there that I wasn’t sure of, and they put the court cases that I didn’t think were as important on there. I thought most of the FRQs were easy though, maybe one or two points that I didn’t get, and I remembered Obergefell v. Hodges because when I first saw what it was while studying civil rights and liberties cases I just associated it directly with that, it was pretty recent and controversial…I don’t ever remember hearing the name of it on the news, so it’s understandable why some people didn’t know it.
I think we can openly discuss it now as the frq has been posted(https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap-united-states-government-politics-frq-2017.pdf)
What did you guys say for “how the SC protects its political independence” and “advantages of federalism for the creation of public policy”?
Overall I thought the test was pretty easy. I did like over 200 practice questions though lolll (cramming the day before) Actually my teacher was pretty good and we had skimmed through at least 50 cases, so when I saw US v Lopez I was like “oh I remember the name but not what it was about”. Oh well. I just said the federal government gave states more power for Obergefell v Hodges.
@GrandGesture For the protecting political independence, I said the SC is allowed to pick its own cases by the Rule of Four. As for the advantages of federalism, I said dual federalism allows the state governments to have more power, which leads to more diverse public policy. And federalism allows public policy to be enacted more efficiently.
For how SC protects political independence, I put justices strategically end their terms to time it with a new justice who matches their ideals
For protecting the Supreme Court’s political independence I said that the Supreme Court decides what cases it hears via issuing writs of certiorari and the rule of four.
For the advantages of federalism, I put that the federal government can focus on broad issues rather than minute ones that only one state cares about, so the state can make policy on that. Also that it makes policy to be enacted more efficiently. This was the question that was hardest for me to answer.
And I definitely recognized US v. Lopez, but didn’t remember what it was. So I did Obergefell v. Hodges, which I’m sure we all know now is the gay marriage ruling from 2015. I put that it transferred the power from the states to the federal government since before the states could decide, but now the federal government protects that right. I guess I could’ve said something about selective incorporation too, but I didn’t, oh well haha.
@tco2017 ugh dumb me. you’re right. The federal government does get more power
Hey guys, I’m looking for a review book. Do you know which one is the best?
Definitely look into REA’s Crash Course. It was the only review book I used. Other than that, do read through your textbook - it may help with FRQs.
@darkcrescendo There’s an entire free website for Ethel Wood’s U.S. government review. It looks legal, but I am not entirely sure. I recommend Princeton Review. Reading that front to back was all I needed. You’ll probably want to use a quizlet for important court cases and vocabulary.
Most important review would be the released FRQ’s on the College Board website. It really makes you aware of what they are looking for and how easy it is to gain/lose points.
I said that the court gains political independence by determining the case. Even though interest groups or other branches may influence their decision, the justices have the ultimate power to determine the case.