About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Biology Course Overview

AP Biology  is an introductory college-level biology course. Students cultivate their  understanding of biology through inquiry-based investigations as they  explore the  following topics: evolution, cellular processes — energy and  communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and  interactions.

LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

This course requires that 25 percent of the  instructional time will be spent in hands-on laboratory work,  with  an emphasis on inquiry- based investigations that provide students with  opportunities to apply the  science practices.

PREREQUISITE

Students should have successfully completed high school courses in biology and chemistry.
AP Biology Course Content
The course is based on four  Big Ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way  of thinking about living organisms and  biological systems. The following are  Big Ideas:
•   The process of evolution explains the  diversity and unity of life.

•   Biological systems utilize  free  energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce, and to maintain dynamic homeostasis.
•   Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to  
information essential to life processes. 

•   Biological systems interact, and these systems and their  
interactions possess complex properties. 

Science Practices
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices enables teachers to use
the  principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and rigorous experience for AP Biology students. Such practices require that students:
•   Use representations and models to communicate scientific  
phenomena and solve scientific problems; 

•   Use  mathematics appropriately;

•   Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the  context of the AP course;
•   Plan  and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question;
•   Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence;

•   Work with  scientific explanations and theories; and

•   Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains.
Inquiry-Based Investigations
Twenty-five percent of instructional time is devoted to hands-on laboratory work  with  an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations. Investigations require students to ask questions, make observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress.

AP Biology Exam Structure

AP BIOLOGY EXAM: 3 HOURS

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on learning objectives, which combine science practices with  specific content. Students learn to
•   Solve problems mathematically — including symbolically

•   Design and describe experiments and analyze data and sources of error
•   Explain, reason, or justify answers with  emphasis on deeper, conceptual understanding
•   Interpret and develop conceptual models
Due  to the increased emphasis on  quantitative skills  and application of mathematical methods in the questions, students are allowed to use simple four-function calculators (with square root) on  the entire exam. Students also receive a formula list as part of their testing materials.

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 69 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

Multiple-Choice: 63 Questions

•   Discrete Questions

•   Questions in sets
Grid-In:  6 Questions

•   Discrete Questions

•   Questions integrate biology and mathematical skills

Section II: Free  Response | 8 Questions | 90 minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Long  Free  Response (2 questions, one of which is lab or data-based)
•   Short Free  Response (6 questions, each requiring a paragraph- length argument/response)

AP BIOLOGY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Two flasks with  identical medium containing nutrients and glucose are  inoculated with  yeast cells  that are
capable of both anaerobic and aerobic respiration. Culture 1 is then sealed to prevent fresh air from reaching the culture; culture 2 is loosely capped to permit air to reach the  culture. Both  flasks are  periodically shaken.
Which of the  following best predicts which culture will contain more yeast cells  after  one week, and  most accurately
justifies that  prediction?
A. Culture 1, because fresh air is toxic  to yeast cells  and will inhibit their growth
B. Culture 1, because fermentation is a more efficient metabolic process than cellular respiration
C. Culture 2, because fresh air provides essential nitrogen nutrients to the  culture
D. Culture 2, because oxidative cellular respiration is a more efficient metabolic process than fermentation.

Sample  Grid-In Question
The data below demonstrate the  frequency of tasters and non-tasters in an isolated population at Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. The allele for non-tasters is recessive.
How  many of the  tasters in the  population are heterozygous for tasting?

Correct Answer: D

Tasters	Non-Tasters	
8235	4328	

Sample Short Free-Response  Question
The role  of tRNA in the  process of translation was investigated by the  addition of tRNA with  attached radioactive leucine to an in vitro  translation system that included mRNA and ribosomes. The results are  shown by the  graph.

Radioactive Signal
(counts/minute)

300

Protein

200

100

0
0

5	10
Time (minutes)

tRNA

15	20

In a short  paragraph, describe how this  figure justifies the  claim that  the  role of tRNA is to carry amino acids that  are then transferred from the  tRNA to growing polypeptide chains.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apbiology

to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible, in college, to receive credit, placement into  advanced courses, or both. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop
AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Government Program

The AP Program offers two  government courses: AP United States (U.S.) Government and Politics and AP Comparative Government and Politics. Each  course is designed to be equivalent to a one- semester introductory college course. There is no prescribed sequence of study. A school may offer  one or both courses.

AP United States Government and Politics Course Overview

AP United States Government and Politics introduces students to key political ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the  political culture of the  United States. The course examines politically significant concepts and themes, through which students learn to apply disciplinary reasoning assess causes and consequences of political events, and interpret data to develop evidence-based arguments.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisite courses for AP United States Government and Politics. Students should be able to read a college level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP United States Government and Politics Course Content
Students study general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and analyze specific topics, including:
•   Constitutional Underpinnings;

•   Political Beliefs and Behaviors;

•   Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media;

•   Institutions of National Government;

•   Public Policy;  and

•   Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
An integral part of the  course includes analysis and interpretation of basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics, and the development of connections and application of relevant theories and concepts.
Course Goals and Objectives
Students successfully completing this  course will:

•   Describe and compare important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to U.S. government and politics.
•   Explain typical patterns of political processes and behavior
and their consequences (including the  components of political behavior, the  principles used to explain or justify various government structures and procedures, and the  political effects of these structures and procedures).
•   Interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics
(including data presented in charts, tables, and other formats).

•   Critically analyze relevant theories and concepts,  apply them appropriately, and develop their connections across the curriculum.

AP United States Government and Politics Exam Structure

AP UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS EXAM:
2 HOURS 25 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP United States Government and Politics Exam asks students to explain and apply key and supporting concepts. The exam measures students’ understanding of American political culture and the interactions of governing and linkage institutions. Questions are based on the  six major topics in the  course, and students must be able to define, compare, explain, and interpret political concepts, policies, processes, perspectives, and behaviors that characterize the U.S. political system.

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 60 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Demonstrate understanding of major course concepts, policies and institutions
•    Apply skills of comparison and interpretation in addition to  
factual recall 

Section II: Free  Response | 4 Questions | 100 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•    Define concepts and explain or interpret content across all  
course topics 

•   Analyze political relationships and evaluate policy changes using examples from the  course to support the  argument or response

AP UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question:
1.   The Constitution and its amendments expressly prohibit all of the  following except
(a)    slavery
(b)    double jeopardy
(c)    cruel and unusual punishment
(d)    unreasonable searches and seizures
(e)    sex  discrimination in employment 	Correct Answer: E

Sample Free-Response Question:
1.   While  interest groups and political parties each play  a significant role  in the  United States political system, they differ  in their fundamental goals.
(a)    Identify the  fundamental goal of interest groups in the  political process.
(b)    Identify the  fundamental goal of major political parties in the  political process.
(c)    Describe two  different ways by which interest groups support the  fundamental goal of political parties in the political process.
(d)    For one of the  forms of support you  described in (c), explain two  different ways in which that form of support helps interest groups to achieve their fundamental goal in the  political process.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apusgopo

to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.1 Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Studio  Art Program

The AP Program offers three studio art  courses and portfolios: Two-Dimensional Design, Three-Dimensional Design, and Drawing. The AP Studio Art portfolios are  designed for students who are  seriously interested in the  practical experience of art. Students submit portfolios for evaluation at the  end of the  school
year. The AP Studio Art Program consists of three portfolios — 2-D Design, 3-D Design and Drawing — corresponding to the  most common college foundation courses. Students may choose to submit any  or all of the  Drawing, Two-Dimensional Design, or Three-Dimensional design portfolios. AP Studio Art students create a portfolio of work  to demonstrate the  artistic skills  and
ideas they have developed, refined, and applied over the  course of the  year to produce visual compositions.

PREREQUISITE

Although there is no prerequisite for AP Studio Art, prior experiences in studio art courses that address conceptual, technical, and critical thinking skills can  support student success in the AP Studio Art Program.

AP Studio  Art Content
AP Studio Art students work  with  diverse media, styles, subjects, and content. Each  of the  three portfolios consists of three sections:
•   The Breadth section illustrates a range of ideas and approaches
to art making.
•   The Concentration section shows sustained, deep, and
multiperspective investigation of a student-selected topic.
•   The Quality section represents the  student’s most successful
works with  respect to form and content.
Works in this  section may be selected from the  other two  sections. Students’ work  is informed and guided by observation, research, experimentation, discussion, critical analysis, and reflection, relating individual practices to the  art world. Students are  asked
to document their artistic ideas and practices to demonstrate conceptual and technical development over time. The AP Studio Art Program supports students in becoming inventive artistic scholars who contribute to visual culture through art making.
Disciplinary Practices and Habits of Mind
Each AP Studio Art course and portfolio assessment focuses on students developing these practices and habits of mind through work  with  2-dimensional design, 3-dimensional design, and drawing media and approaches, including the  following:
•   Critical  analysis

•   Evidence-based decision-making

•   Innovative thinking

•   Articulation of design elements and principles

•   Systematic investigation of formal and conceptual
aspects of art making

•   Technical competence with  materials and processes to
communicate ideas

•   Incorporation of expressive qualities in art making

•   Demonstration of artistic intention

•   Creation of a body of work  unified by a visual or
conceptual theme

1.  Exams  are administered for all AP subjects with the exception of Studio Art, which requires a portfolio assessment.

AP Studio  Art Structure

Assessment Overview
In early May,  students submit actual works and digital images of works for 2-D Design and Drawing Portfolios. These works should demonstrate artistic growth and development. For the 3-D Design Portfolio, students submit digital images of the art  works they created as well  as an artist statement in which they describe ideas investigated and explain how the ideas evolved as they created their body of work.
All portfolios are assessed by at least two  highly experienced studio art  educators (AP Studio Art teachers or college faculty) who apply standard scoring criteria, with respect to the forms and content.

AP Studio  Art Sample Portfolio Images

Format of Assessment

Section I: Quality | 5 actual works for 2-D and Drawing, 12 digital images for 3-D | 33% of Portfolio Score

•   Demonstrate mastery of design in concept, composition, and
execution

Section II: Concentration | 12 digital images | 33% of Portfolio Score

•   Describe an in-depth explanation of a particular design concern

Section III: Breadth | 12 digital images for 2-D and Drawing, 16 digital images for 3-D | 33% of Portfolio Score

•   Demonstrate understanding of design issues

2-D  DESIGN  PORTFOLIO IMAGES	
3-D  DESIGN  PORTFOLIO IMAGES	
DRAWING PORTFOLIO IMAGES	

			

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/studioartdrawing Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/studioart2d Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/studioart3d Students: apstudent.collegeboard.org/studioartdrawing Students: apstudent.collegeboard.org/studioart2d

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Statistics Course Overview

The AP Statistics course is equivalent to a one-semester, introductory, non-calculus-based college course in statistics. The course introduces students to the  major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. There are four  themes in the AP Statistics course: exploring data, sampling and experimentation, anticipating patterns, and statistical inference. Students use technology, investigations, problem solving, and writing as they build conceptual understanding.

PrerequiSite

Students must have taken second-year algebra before enrolling in
AP Statistics.

use of Graphing Calculators and Computers
Professional mathematics organizations have strongly endorsed the use of calculators in mathematics instruction and testing. The use
of a graphing calculator in AP Statistics is considered an integral part of the  course. In addition, schools should make every effort to provide students and teachers easy access to computers to facilitate the  teaching and learning of statistics.

Goals of AP Statistics
Students who are  enrolled in AP Statistics are  expected to

•   Describe patterns and departures from patterns;

•   Plan  and conduct a study;

•   Explore random phenomena using probability and 
simulation; and 

•   Estimate population parameters and test hypotheses.

topic Outline for AP Statistics
I. Exploring Data

•   Constructing and interpreting graphical displays of
distributions of univariate data

•   Summarizing and comparing distributions of
univariate data

•   Exploring bivariate and categorical data

II. Sampling and Experimentation

•   Planning and conducting surveys and experiments using
appropriate methods of data collection

•   Generalizability of results and types of conclusions that can  be
drawn from observational studies, experiments, and surveys

III. Anticipating Patterns

•   Exploring random phenomena using probability
and simulation

•   Combining independent random variables

•   The normal distribution

•   Sampling distributions

IV. Statistical Inference

•   Estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses

•   Tests of significance

AP Statistics exam Structure

AP StAtiSticS ExAm: 3 hourS

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on the  topics and skills addressed in the
AP Statistics course. Formulas and tables needed to complete exam

Format of Assessment

Section i: Multiple Choice | 40 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Discrete Questions

questions are provided to students taking the exam. Students are	 	

allowed to use a graphing calculator with  statistical capabilities on the  entire exam.

Section ii: Free  Response | 6 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   5 Short-Answer Questions

•   1 Investigative Task

AP StAtiStiCS SAmPle exAm queStiOnS

Sample multiple-Choice question
DEScriPtiVE StAtiSticS

Variable	N	Mean	Median	trMean	StDev	Se Mean	
score	50	1045.7	1024.7	1041.9	221.9	31.4	

Variable	Minimum	Maximum	Q1	Q3	
score	628.9	1577.1	877.7	1219.5	

Some descriptive statistics for a set  of test scores are  shown above. For this  test, a certain student has a standardized score of z = -1.2. What score did this  student receive on the  test?
(A) 266.28 (B) 779.42 (C) 1008.02 (D) 1083.38

(E) 1311.98

Sample Free-response question: experimental Design

Correct Answer: B

As dogs age, diminished joint  and hip health may lead to joint  pain and thus reduce a dog’s activity level. Such a reduction in activity can  lead to other health concerns such as weight gain and lethargy due to lack of exercise. A study is to be conducted to see which of two  dietary supplements, glucosamine or chondroitin, is more effective in promoting joint  and hip health and reducing the  onset of canine osteoarthritis. Researchers will randomly select a total of 300 dogs from ten  different large veterinary practices around the  country. All of the  dogs are  more than 6 years old,  and their owners have given consent to participate in the  study. Changes in joint  and hip health will be evaluated after 6 months of treatment.

(a)    What would be the  advantage to adding a control group in the  design of this  study?

(b)    Assuming a control group is added to the  other two  groups in the  study, explain how you  would assign the
300 dogs to these three groups using a completely randomized design.

(c)    Rather than using a completely randomized design, one group of researchers proposes blocking on clinics, and another group of researchers proposes blocking on breed of dog. How would you  decide which one of these two  variables to use as a blocking variable?

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apstatistics

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible, in college, to receive credit, placement into  advanced courses, or both. Every  aspect of
AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop
AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP World Languages and Cultures Program

The AP World Languages and Cultures program features eight courses and exams and includes the  following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin,  and Spanish (both Language and Literature courses).
In today’s global community, competence in more than one language is an essential part of communication and cultural understanding. Study of another language not  only  provides individuals with  the  ability to express thoughts and ideas for their own purposes, but  also provides them with  access to perspectives and knowledge that is only  available through the  language and culture. The proficiencies acquired through the  study of languages and literatures endow language learners with  cognitive, analytical, and communication skills that carry over into  many other areas
of their academic studies. The three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational) defined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the  21st  Century and described in more detail in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners, are  foundational to AP World Languages and Cultures courses.

AP Spanish Language and Culture Course Overview

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language
control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The AP Spanish Language and Culture course strives not  to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the  expense of communication. To best facilitate the  study of language and culture, the  course is taught almost exclusively in Spanish.
The AP Spanish Language and Culture course engages students in an exploration of culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. The course develops students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g., tools, books, music , laws, conventions, institutions); practices (patterns of social interactions within a culture); and perspectives (values, attitudes, and assumptions).

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisites; however, students are  typically in their fourth year of high school–level Spanish language study. In the
case of native or heritage speakers, there may be a different course of study leading to this  course.

Course Themes
The AP Spanish Language and Culture course is structured around six themes:
•   Beauty and Aesthetics

•   Contemporary Life

•   Families and Communities

•   Global Challenges

•   Personal and Public Identities

•   Science and Technology

Themes facilitate the  integration of language, content, and culture and promote the  use of the  language in a variety of contexts.
The themes may be combined, as they are  interrelated.

World Languages and Cultures Learning Objectives
The AP Spanish Language and Culture course provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency at the Intermediate to Pre-Advanced range in each of the  three modes of communication described in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.
Students are  expected to:

•   Engage in spoken interpersonal communication;

•   Engage in written interpersonal communication;

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio,  
visual, and audiovisual resources; 

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and print resources;
•   Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational  
communications; and 

•   Plan  and produce written presentational communications.

AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Structure

AP SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE EXAM: 3 HOURS

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on the  six learning objectives and assess all themes. As much as possible, students read and listen to authentic texts from the  Spanish-speaking world throughout the  exam.

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice  | 65 Questions | ~ 95 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

Part A: (30 questions)

•   Interpretive Communication: Print Tests

Part  B: (35 questions)

•   Interpretive Communication: Print  and Audio Texts (combined)

•   Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts

Section II:  Free  Response | 8 Prompts | ~ 80 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Interpersonal Writing: Email  Reply  (1 prompt)

•   Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay (1 prompt)

•   Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (5 prompts)

•   Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (1 prompt)

Multiple-Choice Section

Part A:	Part B:
Print Texts 	Print and Audio Texts
Students respond to questions based on a variety of 	Students respond to a variety of authentic audio texts*, authentic print materials, including:	including:

•   Journalistic Texts 	•   Interviews
•   Literary Texts 	•   Podcasts
•   Announcements	•   Public Service Announcements
•   Advertisements 	•   Conversations
•   Letters	•   Brief Presentations
•   Maps	Audio Texts
•   Tables	Students respond to questions based on audio texts*
that are  paired with  print materials.
*Note: All audio texts are  played twice.

Free-Response Section

Interpersonal Writing: Email Reply (15 minutes)
Students read and respond to an email message.

Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay  (55 minutes: 15 minutes to examine texts and 40 minutes to write)
Students examine three authentic texts (article, table or graphic, audio text),  then have 40 minutes to organize and write a persuasive essay in response to a prompt. In their essays they must present and defend their own viewpoint using information from all three sources.

Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (2 minutes 40 seconds: 1 minute to preview and 20 seconds each for five prompts)
Students have one minute to preview a conversation, including an outline of each turn in the  conversation, and then respond to five prompts.

Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (6 minutes: 4 minutes to prepare  and 2 minutes to present)
Students respond to a prompt by giving a presentation in which they compare cultural features of their own community to those found in an area of the  Spanish-speaking world with  which they are  familiar.

EXAM COMPONENTS

Note: On the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam, all directions, questions, and texts are  presented in Spanish.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apspanishlanguage

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program® has enabled millions of students to take  college-level courses and earn college credit, advanced placement, or both, while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are typically eligible, in college, to receive credit, placement into  advanced courses, or both. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development
is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Physics Program

The AP Program offers four  physics courses.
AP Physics 1 is a full-year course that is the  equivalent of a first- semester introductory college course in algebra-based physics.
AP Physics 2 is a full-year course that is the  equivalent of a second- semester introductory college course in algebra-based physics.
The course covers fluids; thermodynamics; electrical force, field, and potential; electric circuits; magnetism and electromagnetic induction; geometric and physical optics; and quantum, atomic, and nuclear physics.
AP Physics C: Mechanics is a half-year course that is the  equivalent of a semester-long, introductory calculus-based college course.
It covers kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion; work,  energy, and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; circular motion and rotation; and oscillations and gravitation.
AP Physics C: Electricity  and Magnetism is a half-year course following Physics C: Mechanics that is the  equivalent of a semester- long, introductory calculus-based college course. It covers electrostatics; conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics; electric circuits; magnetic fields; and electromagnetism.

AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Course Overview

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore these topics: kinematics; dynamics; circular motion and gravitation; energy; momentum; simple harmonic motion; torque and rotational motion; electric charge and electric force; DC circuits; and mechanical waves and sound.

LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

This course requires that 25 percent of the  instructional time will
be spent in hands-on laboratory work,  with  an emphasis on inquiry- based investigations that provide students with  opportunities to demonstrate the  foundational physics principles and apply the science practices.
Inquiry-based laboratory experiences support the AP Physics 1 course and AP Course Audit  curricular requirements by providing opportunities for students to engage in the  seven science practices as they design plans for experiments, make predictions, collect and analyze data, apply mathematical routines, develop explanations, and communicate about their work.
Colleges may require students to present their laboratory materials from AP science courses before granting college credit for laboratory work,  so students should be encouraged to retain their laboratory notebooks, reports, and other materials.

PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisite courses. Students should have completed geometry and be concurrently taking Algebra II or an equivalent course. Although the  Physics 1 course includes basic use of trigonometric functions, this  understanding can  be gained either in the  concurrent math course or in the AP Physics 1 course itself.

AP Physics 1 Course Content

Students explore principles of Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work,  energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. The course is based on
six big ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way  of thinking about the  physical world. The following are the  big ideas:
•   Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge.
Systems may have internal structure.

•   Fields existing in space can  be used to explain interactions.

•   The interactions of an object with  other objects can  be described by forces.
•   Interactions between systems can  result in changes in those systems.
•   Changes that occur as a result of interactions are  constrained by conservation laws.
•   Waves can  transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the  permanent transfer of mass and
serve as a mathematical model for the  description of other phenomena.

Science Practices
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices enables teachers to use
the  principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and challenging experience for AP Physics students. Such practices require that students:
•   Use  representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems;
•   Use  mathematics appropriately;

•   Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the  context of the AP course;
•   Plan  and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question;
•   Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence;

•   Work with  scientific explanations and theories; and

•   Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains.

AP Physics 1 Exam Structure

AP PHYSICS 1 EXAM: 3 HOURS

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on learning objectives, which combine science practices with  specific content. Students are  assessed on their ability to:
•   Provide both qualitative and quantitative explanations, reasoning, or justification of physical phenomena, grounded in physics principles and theories;
•   Solve problems mathematically — including symbolically — but with  less emphasis on only  mathematical routines used for solutions;
•   Interpret and develop conceptual models; and
•   Transfer knowledge and analytical skills developed during laboratory experiences to design and describe experiments and analyze data and draw conclusions based on evidence.
Students will be allowed to use a four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator on the  entire AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2
Exams. Scientific or graphing calculators (including the  approved

graphing calculators listed at www.collegeboard.org/ap/calculators)
cannot have any  unapproved features or capabilities.

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice: 50 Questions | 1 Hour,  30 Minutes |
50% of Exam Score

•   Discrete questions
•   Questions in sets
•   Multiple-correct questions (two  options are  correct)

Section II:  Free  Response: 5 Questions | 1 Hour,  30 Minutes |
50% of Exam Score

•   Experimental Design (1 question)
•   Quantitative/Qualitative Translation (1 question)

•   Short Answer (3 questions, one requiring a paragraph-length argument)

AP PHYSICS 1 SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question

1.   The figure above shows three resistors connected in a circuit with  a battery. Which of the  following correctly ranks the  energy
E dissipated in the  three resistors during a given time interval?

(A) (B) (C) (D)

E300Ω > E200Ω > E100Ω E300Ω > E100Ω > E200Ω E200Ω > E300Ω > E100Ω E200Ω > E100Ω > E300Ω

Correct Answer: C

Sample Free-Response Question: Experimental Design
You are  given a set  of chimes that consists of eight hollow metal tubes open at both ends, like those shown at left. The chimes are  played by striking them with  a small hammer to produce musical sounds. Your task  is to use the  chimes to determine the  speed of sound in air at room temperature. You have available a set  of tuning forks  and other common laboratory equipment but are  not  allowed to use electronic equipment, such as a sound sensor. (A tuning fork vibrates when struck and produces sound at a particular frequency, which is printed on the  tuning fork.)

(A)   Describe your experimental procedure in enough detail so that another student could perform your experiment. Include what measurements you  will take  and how you  will take  them.

(B)   Describe how you  will use your measurements to determine the  speed of sound in enough detail so that another student could duplicate your process.

(C)   Describe one assumption you  made about the  design of your experiment, and explain how it might affect the  value obtained for the  speed of sound.

(D)   A student doing a different experiment to determine the  speed of sound in air obtained wavelength and period measurements and created the  following plot  of the  data. Use  the graph to calculate the  speed of sound and include an explanation of your method.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apphysics1

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Physics Program

The AP Program offers four  physics courses: AP Physics 1: Algebra- Based, AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based, AP Physics C: Mechanics, and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Guided by the  National Research Council and National Science Foundation, the AP Program collaborated with  college and university educators and AP teachers to develop two  yearlong AP Physics courses to replace AP Physics B.
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based and AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based are the equivalent of the  first and second semesters of introductory, algebra-based college courses. Because these courses are  intended to be yearlong courses, teachers have time to foster deeper conceptual understanding through student-centered, inquiry-based instruction. Students have time to master foundational physics principles while engaging in science practices to earn credit, placement, or both.
In addition, there are  two AP Physics C courses: Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. Each corresponds to one semester of an introductory, calculus-based college course. Physics C: Mechanics is taught prior to Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.

AP Physics C: Mechanics Course Overview

AP Physics C: Mechanics is equivalent to a one-semester, calculus- based, college-level physics course, especially appropriate for students planning to specialize or major in physical science or engineering. The course explores topics such as kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion; work,  energy and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; circular motion and rotation; and oscillations and gravitation. Introductory differential and integral calculus is used throughout the  course.

LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

AP Physics C: Mechanics should include a hands-on laboratory component comparable to a semester-long introductory college- level  physics laboratory. Students should spend a minimum of
20 percent of instructional time engaged in hands-on laboratory work.  Students ask questions, make observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress. Each  student should complete a lab notebook or portfolio of
lab reports.

PREREQUISITE

Students should have taken or be concurrently taking calculus.

AP Physics C: Mechanics Course Content
The AP Physics C: Mechanics course applies both differential and integral calculus and provides instruction in each of the  following six content areas:
•   Kinematics

•   Newton’s laws of motion

•   Work,  energy and power

•   Systems of particles and linear momentum

•   Circular motion and rotation

•   Oscillations and gravitation

Learning Objectives for Laboratory and Experimental  Situations
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices and experimental skills enables teachers to use the  principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and rigorous experience for AP Physics C: Mechanics students. Such practices or skills require students to
•   Design experiments

•   Observe and measure real  phenomena

•   Organize, display, and critically analyze data

•   Analyze sources of error and determine uncertainties  
in measurement 

•   Draw  inferences from observations and data

•   Communicate results, including suggested ways to improve experiments and proposed questions for further study
A minimum of 20 percent of instructional time is devoted to hands- on and inquiry-based laboratory investigations.

AP Physics C: Mechanics Exam Structure

AP PHYSICS C: MECHANICS EXAM: 90 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP Physics C: Mechanics Exam includes questions posed in a laboratory or experimental setting. Questions assess understanding of content as well as experimental skills. The exam may also include questions that overlap several major topical areas or questions on miscellaneous topics such as identification of vectors and scalars, vector mathematics, or graphs of functions.
Students will be allowed to use a calculator on  the entire AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exams — including both the multiple-choice and free-response sections. Scientific or graphing calculators (including the

approved graphing calculators listed at www.collegeboard.org/ ap/calculators) may be used, provided that they do  not have any unapproved features or capabilities.

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 35 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Discrete Questions

•   Questions in Sets

Section II: Free  Response | 3 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Laboratory Based (graphing calculator permitted)

•   Discrete Questions (graphing calculator permitted)

AP PHYSICS  C : MECHANICS SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question

(a)     M υ
m

(b)    (M + m) υ
m

(c)    (M – m) υ
m
(d)    m υ
M
(e)    m υ
(M – m)	 Correct Answer: B

Sample Free-Response Question

(a) On the  figure below, draw and label the  forces (not  components) acting on the  ball at their points of application as it rolls  along the  roof.

(b) Calculate the  force due to friction acting on the  ball as it rolls  along the  roof.  If you  need to draw anything other than what you  have shown in part (a) to assist in your solution, use the  space below. Do NOT add anything to the  figure in part (a).

(c) Calculate the  linear speed of the  center of mass of the  ball when it reaches the  bottom edge of the  roof.

(d) A wagon containing a box  is at rest on the  ground below the  roof  so that the  ball falls a vertical distance of 3.0 m and lands and sticks in the  center of the  box. The total mass of the  wagon and the  box  is 12 kg. Calculate the horizontal speed of the  wagon immediately after the  ball lands in it.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apphysicscmechanics

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Physics Program

The AP Program offers four  physics courses: AP Physics 1: Algebra- Based, AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based, AP Physics C: Mechanics, and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.
Guided by the  National Research Council and National Science Foundation, the AP Program collaborated with  college and university educators and AP teachers to develop two  yearlong AP physics courses to replace AP Physics B.
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based and AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based are the equivalent of the  first and second semesters of introductory, algebra-based college courses. Because these courses are  intended to be yearlong courses, teachers have time to foster deeper conceptual understanding through student-centered, inquiry-based instruction. Students have time to master foundational physics principles while engaging in science practices to earn credit, placement, or both.
In addition, there are  two AP Physics C courses: Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. Each corresponds to one semester of an introductory, calculus-based college course. Physics C: Mechanics is taught prior to Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Course Overview

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is a one-semester,
calculus-based, college-level physics course, especially appropriate for students planning to specialize or major in physical science
or engineering. The course explores topics such as electrostatics; conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics; electric circuits; magnetic fields; and electromagnetism. Introductory differential and integral calculus is used throughout the  course.

LAbOrAtOry rEquirEMEnt

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism should include a hands-on laboratory component comparable to a semester-long introductory college-level physics laboratory. Students should spend a minimum of 20 percent of instructional time engaged in hands-on laboratory work.  Students ask questions, make observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress. Each  student should complete a lab notebook or portfolio of
lab reports.

PrErEquisitE

Students should have taken or be concurrently taking calculus.

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Course Content
The AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism course applies both differential and integral calculus, and builds upon the AP Physics C: Mechanics course by providing instruction in each of the  following five content areas:
•   Electrostatics

•   Conductors, capacitors, and dielectrics

•   Electric circuits

•   Magnetic fields

•   Electromagnetism

Learning Objectives for Laboratory and Experimental  situations
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices and experimental skills enables teachers to use the  principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and rigorous experience for AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism students. Such practices or skills require students to
•   Design experiments

•   Observe and measure real  phenomena

•   Organize, display and critically analyze data

•   Analyze sources of error and determine uncertainties
in measurement

•   Draw  inferences from observations and data

•   Communicate results, including suggested ways to improve
experiments and proposed questions for further study
A minimum of 20 percent of instructional time is devoted to hands- on and inquiry-based laboratory investigations.

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam structure

AP Physics c: ElEctricity And MAgnEtisM ExAM: 90 MinutEs

Assessment Overview
The AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exam includes questions posed in a laboratory or experimental setting. Questions assess understanding of content as well as experimental skills. The exam may also include questions that overlap several major topical areas or questions on miscellaneous topics such as identification of vectors and scalars, vector mathematics, or graphs of functions.
Students will be allowed to use a calculator on  the entire AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Exams — including both the multiple-choice and free-response sections. Scientific or graphing calculators (including the
approved graphing calculators listed at www.collegeboard.org/ ap/calculators) may be used, provided that they do  not have any unapproved features or capabilities.

Format of Assessment

section i: Multiple Choice | 35 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Discrete Questions

•   Questions in Sets

section ii: Free  Response | 3 Questions | 45 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Laboratory Based (graphing calculator permitted)

•   Discrete Questions (graphing calculator permitted)

AP PhysiCs C : ELECtriCity And MAgnEtisM sAMPLE ExAM quEstiOns sample Multiple-Choice question

A uniform electric field E of magnitude 6,000 V/m exists in a region of space as shown above. What is the  electric potential difference, VX  – VY , between points X and Y ?

(a) -12,000 V (b) 0 V
(c) 1,800 V (d) 2,400 V
(e) 3,000 V	Correct Answer: D

sample Free-response question

In the  circuit illustrated above, switch S is initially open and the  battery has been connected for a long time. (a) What is the  steady-state current through the  ammeter?
(b) Calculate the  charge on the  10 μF capacitor.

(c) Calculate the  energy stored in the  5.0 μF capacitor. The switch is now closed, and the  circuit comes to a new steady state.

(d) Calculate the  steady-state current through the  battery. (e) Calculate the  final charge on the  5.0 μF capacitor.
(f) Calculate the  energy dissipated as heat in the  40 W resistor in one minute once the  circuit has reached steady state.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apphysicsceandm

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Economics  Program

The AP Program offers two  courses in economics:
AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics. Each  course corresponds to one semester of a typical introductory college
course in economics. AP Macroeconomics focuses on the  principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. AP Microeconomics focuses on the  principles of economics that apply to the  functions
of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the  economic system.

AP Microeconomics Course Overview

AP Microeconomics is an introductory college-level course that focuses on the  principles of economics that apply to the  functions of individual economic decision-makers. The course also develops students’ familiarity with  the  operation of product and factor markets, distributions of income, market failure, and the  role  of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the
economy. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.

PREREQUISITE

There are  no prerequisites for AP Microeconomics. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and should possess basic mathematics and graphing skills.

AP Microeconomics  Course Content
The AP Microeconomics course provides students with  an understanding of the  principles of economics as they apply to individual decision-making units, including individual households and firms. The course examines the  theory of consumer behavior, the  theory of the  firm,  and the  behavior of profit-maximizing firms under various market structures. Students evaluate the  efficiency of the  outcomes with  respect to price, output, consumer surplus, and producer surplus. They  examine the  behaviors of households
and businesses in factor markets, and learn how the  determination of factor prices, wages, interest, and rent influence the  distribution of income in a market economy. There are  ample opportunities to consider instances in which private markets may fail to allocate resources efficiently and examine various public policy alternatives aimed at improving the  efficiency of private markets.
Topic Outline for AP Microeconomics
I. Basic  Economic Concepts

II. The Nature and Functions of Product Markets a. Supply and demand
b. Theory of consumer choice c. Production and costs
d. Firm behavior and market structure

III. Factor Markets

a. Derived Factor Demand

b. Marginal revenue product

c. Hiring  decisions in the  markets for labor and capital d. Market distribution of income
IV. Market Failure and the  Role of Government a. Externalities
b. Public goods

c. Public policy to promote competition d. Income distribution

AP Microeconomics Exam Structure

AP MICROECONOMICS EXAM: 2 HOURS 10 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP Microeconomics Exam questions measure students’ knowledge of microeconomics principles and their ability to reason within the discipline.

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 60 Questions | 70 Minutes | 66% of Exam  Score

•   Questions require the use of economics content knowledge  
and reasoning across the range of course topics. 

•   Some questions require analysis of different  
hypothetical situations. 

Section II: Free  Response | 3 Questions | 60 Minutes | 33% of Exam  Score

•   1 Long  free-response question (50% of section score)

•   2 Short free-response questions (each worth 25% of  
section score) 

•   Questions ask students to analyze unique scenarios using  
different course concepts. 

•   Some questions in the free-response section require  
graphical analysis. 

AP MICROECONOMICS SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Assume that the  original supply and demand curves of a commodity are  S and D, respectively. Also assume that the government imposes an excise tax (per  unit  tax) of t dollars on the  commodity, which shifts the  supply curve to Sl.

The total amount of tax collected by the  government is equal to

(a) P1GQ10 (b) P1GIP2 (c) P0P1JK (d) P0P1GH
(e) P0P2IH 	Correct Answer: B

Sample Free-Response Question
Assume that Company XYZ is a profit-maximizing firm that hires its labor in a perfectly competitive labor market and sells its product in a perfectly competitive output market.

(a) Define the  marginal revenue product of labor (MRPL).

(b) Using correctly labeled side-by-side graphs, show each of the  following: (i) The equilibrium wage in the  labor market
(ii) The labor supply curve the  firm faces

(iii) The number of workers the  firm will hire

(c) Company XYZ develops a new technology that increases its labor productivity. Currently this  technology is not  available to any  other firm.  For Company XYZ, explain how the  increased productivity will affect each of the  following:

(i) Wage rates

(ii) Number of workers hired

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apmicroecon
Students: apstudent.collegeboard.org/apmicroecon

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Economics  Program

The AP Program offers two  courses in economics: AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics. Each  course corresponds to one semester of a typical introductory college course in economics. AP Macroeconomics focuses on the  principles that
apply to an economic system as a whole. AP Microeconomics focuses on the  principles of economics that apply to the  functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the  economic system.

AP Macroeconomics Course Overview

AP Macroeconomics is an introductory college-level course that focuses on the  principles that apply to an economic system as
a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the  study of national income and price-level determination; it also develops students’ familiarity with  economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.

PREREQUISITE

There are  no prerequisites for AP Macroeconomics. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and should possess basic mathematics and graphing skills.

AP Macroeconomics  Course Content
The AP Macroeconomics course provides students with  a thorough understanding of the  principles of economics and how economists use those principles to examine aggregate economic behavior. Students learn how the  measures of economic performance, such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and unemployment are constructed and how to apply them to evaluate the  macroeconomic conditions of an economy. The course recognizes the  global nature of economics and provides ample opportunities to examine the impact of international trade and finance on national economies. Various economic schools of thought are  introduced as students consider solutions to economic problems.
Topic Outline for AP Macroeconomics
I. Basic  Economic Concepts

II. Measurement of Economic Performance a.  National income accounts
b. Inflation measurement and adjustment c.  Unemployment
III. National Income and Price  Determination a.  Aggregate demand
b. Aggregate supply

c.  Macroeconomics equilibrium

IV. Financial Sector

a.  Money, banking, and financial markets b. Loanable funds market
c.  Central bank and control of the  money supply

V. Stabilization Policies

a.  Fiscal  and monetary policies b. The Phillips curve
VI. Economic Growth

a.  Definition of economic growth

b. Determinants of economic growth c.  Growth policy
VII. Open Economy: International Trade and Finance a.  Balance of payments accounts
b. Foreign exchange market

c.  Imports, exports, and financial capital flows

d. Relationships between international and domestic financial and goods markets

AP Macroeconomics Exam Structure

AP MACROECONOMICS EXAM: 2 HOURS 10 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP Macroeconomics Exam questions measure students’ knowledge of macroeconomics principles and their ability to reason within the  discipline.

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 60 Questions | 70 Minutes | 66% of Exam Score

•   Questions require the  use of economics content knowledge
and reasoning across the  range of course topics.

•   Some questions require analysis of different hypothetical
situations.

Section II: Free  Response | 3 Questions | 60 Minutes | 33% of Exam Score

•   1 long free-response question (50% of section score)

•   2 short free-response questions (each worth 25%
of section score)

•   Questions ask students to analyze unique scenarios using
different course concepts.

•   Some questions in the  free-response section require

graphical analysis.

AP MACROECONOMICS SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS Sample Multiple-Choice Question

In the  graph above, AD denotes the  aggregate demand curve, SRAS the  short-run aggregate supply curve, and LRAS the  long-run aggregate supply curve. If no policy action were taken, which of the  following changes would move the economy to its long-run equilibrium?

(a) An increase in aggregate demand
(b) An increase in exports (c) An increase in wages (d) A decrease in wages

(e) A decrease in the  expected price level

Sample Free-Response Question
Country Y is experiencing severe and unanticipated inflation.

(a) Explain the  effect of this  inflation on each of the  following:

(i) A family with  savings in a fixed-interest-rate time deposit account

(ii) A business repaying a long-term, fixed-interest-rate loan

(b) Identify one fiscal  policy action that could be implemented to reduce inflation.

(c) Identify an open-market operation that could be implemented to reduce inflation.

Correct Answer: C

(d) Suppose that Country Y continues to experience high inflation in the  long run. Indicate the  effect of this inflation on the  nominal interest rate in Country Y.

(e) If Country Y’s inflation is high relative to that of other countries, explain the  effect of this  inflation on the international value of Country Y’s currency.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apmacroecon
Students: apstudent.collegeboard.org/apmacroecon

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP World Languages and Cultures Program

The AP World Languages and Cultures program features eight courses and exams and includes the  following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin,  and Spanish (both Language and Literature courses).
In today’s global community, competence in more than one language is an essential part of communication and cultural understanding. Study of another language not  only  provides individuals with  the  ability to express thoughts and ideas for their own purposes, but  also provides them with  access to perspectives and knowledge that is only  available through the  language and culture. The proficiencies acquired through the  study of languages and literatures endow language learners with  cognitive, analytical, and communication skills that carry over into  many other areas
of their academic studies. The three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational), defined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the  21st  Century and described in more detail in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners, are  foundational to the AP World Languages and Cultures courses.

AP German Language and Culture Course Overview

The AP German Language and Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language
control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The AP German Language and Culture course strives not  to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the  expense of communication. To best facilitate the  study of language and culture, the  course is taught almost exclusively in German.
The AP German Language and Culture course engages students in an exploration of culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. The course develops students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g., tools, books, music , laws, conventions,

Course themes
The AP German Language and Culture course is structured around six themes:
•   Beauty and Aesthetics

•   Contemporary Life

•   Families and Communities

•   Global Challenges

•   Personal and Public Identities

•   Science and Technology

Themes facilitate the  integration of language, content, and culture and promote the  use of the  language in a variety of contexts.
The themes may be combined, as they are  interrelated.

World Languages and Cultures Learning Objectives
The AP German Language and Culture course provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency at the Intermediate to Pre-Advanced range in each of the  three modes of communication described in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.
Students are  expected to:

•   Engage in spoken interpersonal communication;

•   Engage in written interpersonal communication;

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio,
visual, and audiovisual resources;

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and
print resources;

•   Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational
communications; and

•   Plan  and produce written presentational communications.

AP German Language and Culture exam structure

AP GermAn LAnGuAGe And CuLture exAm: 3 Hours

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on the  six learning objectives and assess all themes. As much as possible, students read and listen to authentic texts from the  German-speaking world throughout the  exam.

Format of Assessment

section I:  Multiple Choice  | 65 Questions | ~ 95 Minutes |
50% of Exam  Score

Part A: (30 questions)

•   Interpretive Communication: Print Texts

Part  B: (35 questions)

•   Interpretive Communication: Print  and Audio Texts (combined)

•   Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts

section II:  Free  Response | 8 Prompts | ~ 80 Minutes |
50% of Exam Score

•   Interpersonal Writing: Email  Reply  (1 prompt)

•   Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay (1 prompt)

•   Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (5 prompts)

•   Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (1 prompt)

exAm questiOn tyPes

Note: On the AP German Language and Culture Exam, all directions, questions, and texts are  presented in German.

multiple-Choice section

Part A: Print texts
Students respond to questions based on a variety of
authentic print materials, including:

•   Journalistic Texts

•   Literary Texts

•   Announcements

•   Advertisements

•   Letters

•   Maps

•   Tables

Part B:

Print and Audio texts
Students respond to a variety of authentic audio texts*, including:
•   Interviews

•   Podcasts

•   Public Service Announcements

•   Conversations

•   Brief Presentations

Audio texts
Students respond to questions based on audio texts*
that are  paired with  print materials.
*Note: All audio texts are  played twice.

Free-response section

Interpersonal Writing: email reply (15 minutes)
Students read and respond to an email message.

Presentational Writing: Persuasive essay (55 minutes: 15 minutes to examine texts and 40 minutes to write)
Students examine three authentic texts (article, table or graphic, audio text),  then have 40 minutes to organize and write a persuasive essay in response to a prompt. In their essays they must present and defend their own viewpoint using information from all three sources.

Interpersonal speaking: simulated  Conversation (2 minutes 40 seconds: 1 minute to preview and 20 seconds each for five prompts)
Students have one minute to preview a conversation, including an outline of each turn in the  conversation, and then respond to five prompts.

Presentational speaking: Cultural Comparison (6 minutes: 4 minutes to prepare  and 2 minutes to present)
Students respond to a prompt by giving a presentation in which they compare cultural features of their own community to those found in an area of the  German-speaking world with  which they are  familiar.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apgerman

About the Advanced Placement Program®  (AP®)
The Advanced Placement Program®  enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with  the  opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both — while still in high school. AP®  Exams are  given each year in May.  Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP Exam are  typically eligible to receive college credit and/or placement into  advanced courses in college. Every  aspect of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP World Languages and Cultures Program

The AP World Languages and Cultures program features eight courses and exams and includes the  following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin,  and Spanish (both Language and Literature courses).
In today’s global community, competence in more than one language is an essential part of communication and cultural understanding. Study of another language not  only  provides individuals with  the  ability to express thoughts and ideas for their own purposes, but  also provides them with  access to perspectives and knowledge that is only  available through the  language and culture. The proficiencies acquired through the  study of languages and literatures endow language learners with  cognitive, analytical, and communication skills that carry over into  many other areas
of their academic studies. The three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational), defined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the  21st  Century and described in more detail in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners, are  foundational to the AP World Languages and Cultures courses.

AP French Language and Culture Course Overview

The AP French Language and Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language
control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The AP French Language and Culture course strives not  to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the  expense of communication. To best facilitate the  study of language and culture, the  course is taught almost exclusively in French.
The AP French Language and Culture course engages students in an exploration of culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. The course develops students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g., tools, books, music, laws, conventions,

Course themes
The AP French Language and Culture course is structured around six themes:
•   Beauty and Aesthetics

•   Contemporary Life

•   Families and Communities

•   Global Challenges

•   Personal and Public Identities

•   Science and Technology

Themes facilitate the  integration of language, content, and culture and promote the  use of the  language in a variety of contexts.
The themes may be combined, as they are  interrelated.

World Languages and Cultures Learning Objectives
The AP French Language and Culture course provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency at the  Intermediate to Pre-Advanced range in each of the  three modes of communication described in the  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.
Students are  expected to:

•   Engage in spoken interpersonal communication;

•   Engage in written interpersonal communication;

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic audio,
visual, and audiovisual resources;

•   Synthesize information from a variety of authentic written and
print resources;

•   Plan, produce, and present spoken presentational
communications; and

•   Plan  and produce written presentational communications.

AP French Language and Culture exam structure

AP FREnCh LAnguAgE And CuLtuRE ExAm: 3 houRS

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on the  six learning objectives and assess all themes. As much as possible, students read and listen to authentic texts from the  francophone world throughout the  exam.

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice | 65 Questions | ~ 95 Minutes |
50% of Exam Score

Part A: 30 questions

•   Interpretive Communication: Print Texts

Part  B: 35 Questions

•   Interpretive Communication: Print  and Audio Texts (combined)

•   Interpretive Communication: Audio Texts

Section II:  Free  Response | 8 Prompts | ~ 80 Minutes |
50% of Exam Score

•   Interpersonal Writing: Email  Reply  (1 prompt)

•   Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay (1 prompt)

•   Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (5 prompts)

•   Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (1 prompt)

exAm questiOn tyPes

Note: On the AP French Language and Culture Exam, all directions, questions, and texts are  presented in French.

multiple-Choice section

Part A: Print texts
Students respond to questions based on a variety of
authentic print materials, including:

•   Journalistic Texts

•   Literary Texts

•   Announcements

•   Advertisements

•   Letters

•   Maps

•   Tables

Part B:

Print and Audio texts
Students respond to a variety of authentic audio texts*, including:
•   Interviews

•   Podcasts

•   Public Service Announcements

•   Conversations

•   Brief Presentations

Audio texts
Students respond to questions based on audio texts*
that are  paired with  print materials.
*Note: All audio texts are  played twice.

Free-response section

Interpersonal Writing: Email Reply (15 minutes)
Students read and respond to an email message.

Presentational Writing: Persuasive Essay  (55 minutes: 15 minutes to examine texts and 40 minutes to write)
Students examine three authentic texts (article, table or graphic, audio text),  then have 40 minutes to organize and write a persuasive essay in response to a prompt. In their essays they must present and defend their own viewpoint using information from all three sources.

Interpersonal Speaking: Simulated Conversation (2 minutes 40 seconds: 1 minute to preview and 20 seconds each for five prompts)
Students have one minute to preview a conversation, including an outline of each turn in the  conversation, and then respond to five prompts.

Presentational Speaking: Cultural Comparison (6 minutes: 4 minutes to prepare  and 2 minutes to present)
Students respond to a prompt by giving a presentation in which they compare cultural features of their own community to those found in an area of the  French-speaking world with  which they are  familiar.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apfrench

courses focus on helping students develop historical thinking
skills while they learn the  required course content. Course themes foster deep analysis by making connections and comparisons across different topics. Each AP History course corresponds to two semesters of a typical introductory college history course.

AP European History Course Overview

AP European History focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about European history from approximately 1450 to the present and apply historical thinking skills as they learn about the
past. Five themes of equal importance—Interaction of Europe and the World, Poverty and Prosperity, Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions, States and Other Institutions of Power, and Individual
and Society—provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the  course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisite courses, although students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP European History Course Content
The AP European History course is structured around themes and concepts in four  different chronological periods from approximately
1450 to the  present:

Period 1: c. 1450 to c. 1648

Period 2: c. 1648 to c. 1815

change over time

•   Connect patterns of continuity and change over time to larger historical processes or themes
•   Analyze and evaluate competing models of periodization of
American history

II. Comparison and Contextualization

•   Compare related historical developments and processes across place, time, and/or different societies, or within one society
•   Explain and evaluate multiple and differing perspectives on a given historical phenomenon
•   Explain and evaluate ways in which specific historical phenomena, events, or processes connect to broader regional, national, or global processes occurring at the same time

III.   Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical  Evidence

•   Analyze commonly accepted historical arguments and explain how an argument has been constructed from historical evidence
•   Construct convincing interpretations through analysis of disparate, relevant historical evidence
•   Evaluate and synthesize conflicting historical evidence to construct persuasive historical arguments
•   Analyze features of historical evidence such as audience, purpose, point of view,  format, argument, limitations, and context germane to the  evidence considered

•    Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate  
what they know best. 
•   Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.

•   Students select one question among two.
•   Explain and analyze significant issues in European history.
•    Develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical  
evidence. 

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Marx  himself was passionately interested in the  history of the  French Revolution… in all of Marx’s historical writings, the  Revolution served as a touchstone; it fostered the  development of capitalism by breaking the  feudal stranglehold on production, and it brought the  bourgeoisie as a class to power. These two,  inseparable elements— the  establishment of a suitable legal framework for capitalist development and the  class struggle won by the bourgeoisie—have characterized Marxist historical accounts of the  Revolution ever since… In the  Marxist account, the  Revolution was bourgeois in nature because its origins and outcomes were bourgeois.
Lynn Hunt,  historian, Politics, Culture, and  Class  in the  French Revolution, 1984
In the  passage, Lynn Hunt  outlines the  Marxist interpretation of the  French Revolution. What evidence would support the  argument that the  Revolution was fundamentally bourgeois?

(A) The wave of spontaneous peasant attacks on the  nobility in 1789

(B) The abolition of hereditary privileges by the  National Assembly during the  first phase of the  Revolution

(C) The price controls on basic foodstuffs instituted by the  Revolutionary government

(D) The leading role  in the  Revolution of members of the  nobility, such as the  Marquis de Lafayette

Sample Free Response Question: Document-Based Question

Correct Answer: B

abongiovanni
D:20150202142809-05'00'
-------------------------------------------- Unmarked set by abongiovanni

Evaluate the  extent to which the  experience of war  altered the  lives  of European women during the  First World
War and its immediate aftermath.
Students examine seven primary source documents, including a weekly magazine cover illustration, two  letters (one from the  Chief of the  German General Staff  to the  German Chancellor, and one from a British frontline soldier to his fiancee), writings by a French female countess, a poem, a memoir, and a chart showing women as a percentage of the industrial workforce in France in the  early 20th  century.
Sample Free-Response Question: Periodization Essay
Students select one from among a set  of two  questions.
1.  Analyze whether or not  the  revolutions of 1848 can  be considered a turning point in European political and social history.
2.  Analyze whether or not  the  collapse of communism (1989–91) can  be considered a turning point in European economic and political history.

Sample Short-Answer Question: Comparison
Answer parts A, B, and C.

A)    Briefly  explain ONE important similarity between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. B)	Briefly  explain ONE important difference between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. C)	Briefly  analyze ONE factor that accounts for the  difference you  identified in part B.

courses focus on helping students develop historical thinking
skills while they learn the  required course content. Course themes foster deep analysis by making connections and comparisons across different topics. Each AP History course corresponds to two semesters of a typical introductory college history course.

AP European History Course Overview

AP European History focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about European history from approximately 1450 to the present and apply historical thinking skills as they learn about the
past. Five themes of equal importance—Interaction of Europe and the World, Poverty and Prosperity, Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions, States and Other Institutions of Power, and Individual
and Society—provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the  course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisite courses, although students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP European History Course Content
The AP European History course is structured around themes and concepts in four  different chronological periods from approximately
1450 to the  present:

Period 1: c. 1450 to c. 1648

Period 2: c. 1648 to c. 1815

change over time

•   Connect patterns of continuity and change over time to larger historical processes or themes
•   Analyze and evaluate competing models of periodization of
American history

II. Comparison and Contextualization

•   Compare related historical developments and processes across place, time, and/or different societies, or within one society
•   Explain and evaluate multiple and differing perspectives on a given historical phenomenon
•   Explain and evaluate ways in which specific historical phenomena, events, or processes connect to broader regional, national, or global processes occurring at the same time

III.   Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical  Evidence

•   Analyze commonly accepted historical arguments and explain how an argument has been constructed from historical evidence
•   Construct convincing interpretations through analysis of disparate, relevant historical evidence
•   Evaluate and synthesize conflicting historical evidence to construct persuasive historical arguments
•   Analyze features of historical evidence such as audience, purpose, point of view,  format, argument, limitations, and context germane to the  evidence considered

•    Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate  
what they know best. 
•   Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.

•   Students select one question among two.
•   Explain and analyze significant issues in European history.
•    Develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical  
evidence. 

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Marx  himself was passionately interested in the  history of the  French Revolution… in all of Marx’s historical writings, the  Revolution served as a touchstone; it fostered the  development of capitalism by breaking the  feudal stranglehold on production, and it brought the  bourgeoisie as a class to power. These two,  inseparable elements— the  establishment of a suitable legal framework for capitalist development and the  class struggle won by the bourgeoisie—have characterized Marxist historical accounts of the  Revolution ever since… In the  Marxist account, the  Revolution was bourgeois in nature because its origins and outcomes were bourgeois.
Lynn Hunt,  historian, Politics, Culture, and  Class  in the  French Revolution, 1984
In the  passage, Lynn Hunt  outlines the  Marxist interpretation of the  French Revolution. What evidence would support the  argument that the  Revolution was fundamentally bourgeois?

(A) The wave of spontaneous peasant attacks on the  nobility in 1789

(B) The abolition of hereditary privileges by the  National Assembly during the  first phase of the  Revolution

(C) The price controls on basic foodstuffs instituted by the  Revolutionary government

(D) The leading role  in the  Revolution of members of the  nobility, such as the  Marquis de Lafayette

Sample Free Response Question: Document-Based Question

Correct Answer: B

abongiovanni
D:20150202142809-05'00'
-------------------------------------------- Unmarked set by abongiovanni

Evaluate the  extent to which the  experience of war  altered the  lives  of European women during the  First World
War and its immediate aftermath.
Students examine seven primary source documents, including a weekly magazine cover illustration, two  letters (one from the  Chief of the  German General Staff  to the  German Chancellor, and one from a British frontline soldier to his fiancee), writings by a French female countess, a poem, a memoir, and a chart showing women as a percentage of the industrial workforce in France in the  early 20th  century.
Sample Free-Response Question: Periodization Essay
Students select one from among a set  of two  questions.
1.  Analyze whether or not  the  revolutions of 1848 can  be considered a turning point in European political and social history.
2.  Analyze whether or not  the  collapse of communism (1989–91) can  be considered a turning point in European economic and political history.

Sample Short-Answer Question: Comparison
Answer parts A, B, and C.

A)    Briefly  explain ONE important similarity between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. B)	Briefly  explain ONE important difference between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. C)	Briefly  analyze ONE factor that accounts for the  difference you  identified in part B.

courses focus on helping students develop historical thinking
skills while they learn the  required course content. Course themes foster deep analysis by making connections and comparisons across different topics. Each AP History course corresponds to two semesters of a typical introductory college history course.

AP European History Course Overview

AP European History focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about European history from approximately 1450 to the present and apply historical thinking skills as they learn about the
past. Five themes of equal importance—Interaction of Europe and the World, Poverty and Prosperity, Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions, States and Other Institutions of Power, and Individual
and Society—provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the  course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisite courses, although students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP European History Course Content
The AP European History course is structured around themes and concepts in four  different chronological periods from approximately
1450 to the  present:

Period 1: c. 1450 to c. 1648

Period 2: c. 1648 to c. 1815

change over time

•   Connect patterns of continuity and change over time to larger historical processes or themes
•   Analyze and evaluate competing models of periodization of
American history

II. Comparison and Contextualization

•   Compare related historical developments and processes across place, time, and/or different societies, or within one society
•   Explain and evaluate multiple and differing perspectives on a given historical phenomenon
•   Explain and evaluate ways in which specific historical phenomena, events, or processes connect to broader regional, national, or global processes occurring at the same time

III.   Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical  Evidence

•   Analyze commonly accepted historical arguments and explain how an argument has been constructed from historical evidence
•   Construct convincing interpretations through analysis of disparate, relevant historical evidence
•   Evaluate and synthesize conflicting historical evidence to construct persuasive historical arguments
•   Analyze features of historical evidence such as audience, purpose, point of view,  format, argument, limitations, and context germane to the  evidence considered

•    Questions provide opportunities for students to demonstrate  
what they know best. 
•   Some questions include texts, images, graphs, or maps.

•   Students select one question among two.
•   Explain and analyze significant issues in European history.
•    Develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical  
evidence. 

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Marx  himself was passionately interested in the  history of the  French Revolution… in all of Marx’s historical writings, the  Revolution served as a touchstone; it fostered the  development of capitalism by breaking the  feudal stranglehold on production, and it brought the  bourgeoisie as a class to power. These two,  inseparable elements— the  establishment of a suitable legal framework for capitalist development and the  class struggle won by the bourgeoisie—have characterized Marxist historical accounts of the  Revolution ever since… In the  Marxist account, the  Revolution was bourgeois in nature because its origins and outcomes were bourgeois.
Lynn Hunt,  historian, Politics, Culture, and  Class  in the  French Revolution, 1984
In the  passage, Lynn Hunt  outlines the  Marxist interpretation of the  French Revolution. What evidence would support the  argument that the  Revolution was fundamentally bourgeois?

(A) The wave of spontaneous peasant attacks on the  nobility in 1789

(B) The abolition of hereditary privileges by the  National Assembly during the  first phase of the  Revolution

(C) The price controls on basic foodstuffs instituted by the  Revolutionary government

(D) The leading role  in the  Revolution of members of the  nobility, such as the  Marquis de Lafayette

Sample Free Response Question: Document-Based Question

Correct Answer: B

abongiovanni
D:20150202142809-05'00'
-------------------------------------------- Unmarked set by abongiovanni

Evaluate the  extent to which the  experience of war  altered the  lives  of European women during the  First World
War and its immediate aftermath.
Students examine seven primary source documents, including a weekly magazine cover illustration, two  letters (one from the  Chief of the  German General Staff  to the  German Chancellor, and one from a British frontline soldier to his fiancee), writings by a French female countess, a poem, a memoir, and a chart showing women as a percentage of the industrial workforce in France in the  early 20th  century.
Sample Free-Response Question: Periodization Essay
Students select one from among a set  of two  questions.
1.  Analyze whether or not  the  revolutions of 1848 can  be considered a turning point in European political and social history.
2.  Analyze whether or not  the  collapse of communism (1989–91) can  be considered a turning point in European economic and political history.

Sample Short-Answer Question: Comparison
Answer parts A, B, and C.

A)    Briefly  explain ONE important similarity between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. B)	Briefly  explain ONE important difference between the  wars of religion in France and the  English Civil War. C)	Briefly  analyze ONE factor that accounts for the  difference you  identified in part B.

standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP History Program

The AP Program offers three history courses: AP European History, AP United States History, and AP World History. All three history courses focus on helping students develop historical thinking
while learning required course content. Course themes foster deep analysis by making connections and comparisons across different topics.

AP World History Course Overview

AP World History is designed to be  the  equivalent of a two- semester introductory college or university world history course. In AP World History students investigate significant
events, individuals, developments, and processes in six historical periods from approximately 8000  B.C.E. to the  present. Students develop and use the  same skills,  practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical comparisons; and utilizing reasoning about contextualization, causation, and continuity and change over time. The  course provides five themes that students explore throughout the  course in order to make connections among historical developments
in different times and places: interaction between humans and the  environment; development and interaction of cultures; state building, expansion, and conflict; creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and development and transformation of social structures.

PREREQUISITES

There are  no prerequisites for the AP World History course. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP World History Course Content

The AP World History course is structured around themes and concepts in six different chronological periods from approximately
8000 BCE to the  present:
•   Technological and Environmental Transformations (to c. 600 BCE)
•   Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (c. 600 BCE
to c. 600 CE)
•   Regional and Transregional Interactions (c. 600 CE to c. 1450)
•   Global Interactions (c. 1450 to c. 1750)
•   Industrialization and Global Integration (c. 1750 to c. 1900)
•   Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (c. 1900 to the
Present)

AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills
The AP history courses seek to apprentice students to the  practice
of history by emphasizing the  development of disciplinary practices and reasoning skills while learning historical content. The practices and skills that students should develop in all AP history courses are listed below, along with  a condensed description of what students should be able to do with  each. Every AP Exam question will assess one or more of these practices and skills.

AP HISTORY DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES Practice  1: Analyzing Historical  Evidence Primary Sources
•   Explain the  relative historical significance of a source’s point of view,  purpose, historical situation, and/or audience.
•   Evaluate a source’s credibility and/or limitations.

Secondary Sources
•   Explain how a historian’s claim or argument is supported with evidence.
•   Analyze patterns and trends in quantitative data in non-text- based sources.
•   Evaluate the  effectiveness of a historical claim or argument.

Practice  2: Argument Development
•   Make  a historically defensible claim in the form of an evaluative thesis.
•   Support an argument using specific and relevant evidence.
•   Use  historical reasoning to explain relationships among pieces of historical evidence.
•   Consider ways that diverse or alternative evidence could be used to qualify or modify an argument.

AP HISTORY REASONING SKILLS Skill 1: Contextualization
•   Use  context to explain the  relative historical significance of a specific historical development or process.

Skill 2: Comparison
•   Explain the  relative historical significance of similarities and/ or differences between different historical developments or processes.

Skill 3: Causation
•   Explain the  difference between primary and secondary causes and between short- and long-term effects.
•   Explain the  relative historical significance of different causes and/or effects.

Skill 4: Continuity and Change Over Time

objectives, key concepts, course themes, and AP history disciplinary practices and reasoning skills.  Exam questions represent various
geographical regions, with  no more than 20 percent of the  multiple-choice questions focusing solely on Europe.

Format of Assessment

Section I Part A: Multiple Choice | 55 Questions | 55 Minutes |
40% of Exam Score

•   Questions appear in sets of 2–5.
•   Students analyze primary and secondary texts, images, graphs, and maps.
•   Questions cover all course periods.

Section I Part B: Short Answer | 3 Questions | 40 Minutes |
20% of Exam Score

•   Students respond to 2 required questions and choose between
2 options for a third question.
•   Questions 1 and 2 cover periods 3–8 of the  course; students choose between answering either question 3 (covering periods 1–3) or question 4 (periods 4–6).
•   Students analyze historians’ interpretations, historical sources, and propositions about history.

Section II Part A: Document Based | 1 Question | 60 Minutes |
25% of Exam Score

•   Students assess written, visual, and quantitative sources as historical evidence.
•   Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.
•   Question covers periods 3–6 of the  course.

Section II Part B: Long  Essay | 1 Question | 40 Minutes |
15% of Exam Score

•   Students select one question among three different periods
(1–2, 3–4, 5–6) of the  course.
•   Students explain and analyze significant issues in world history.
•   Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of historical evidence.

AP WORLD HISTORY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
“The ruler is a boat; people are  the  water. The water can  carry the  boat; the  water can  capsize the  boat. . . . A man may be the  descendant of kings, lords, or nobles, but  if he does not  observe the  norms of ritual and proper behavior he must be relegated to the  status of a commoner. Similarly, he may be a descendant of commoners, but  if he accumulates learning of the  texts, corrects his behavior, and observes the  norms of ritual and proper behavior—then he must be elevated to the  ranks of high ministers, lords, and nobles.”
Xunzi,  Chinese philosopher, circa  250 B.C.E.

Ideas similar to those expressed in the  passage have directly contributed to the  development of which of the  following aspects of later
Chinese imperial history?
(A)   The long-standing tradition of Chinese leadership in technological, agricultural, and commercial innovation relative to the  rest of the  world
(B)   The expectation that emperors must be judged by a different set  of ethical standards all other members of society
(C)   The virtual elimination of the  threat of rebellion against established political authority
(D)   The practice of recruiting capable bureaucrats on the  basis of educational achievement rather than noble birth
Correct Answer: D

Sample Short-Answer Question: Comparison
A) Identify ONE similarity in the  way  elites used art or architecture in Europe and in Asia during the  period 1450–1750. B) Explain ONE difference in the  way  elites used art or architecture in Europe and in Asia during the  period 1450–1750.
C) Explain ONE reason for the  difference in the  way  elites used art or architecture in Europe and in Asia during the  period 1450–1750.

Sample Free-Response Question: Document-Based Question
Evaluate the  extent to which industrialization in Japan was similar to industrialization in Russia between 1850 and 1914.
Students examine seven primary source documents, including a secret diplomatic letter, excerpts from two  different magazine articles, image of Japanese silk factory, excerpts from two  different memoirs, chart documenting Japanese silk workers’ impressions of life in the factories.

Sample Free-Response Question: Long Essay Question Focused on Continuity and Change over Time
Evaluate the  extent to which the  relationship between labor systems and social hierarchies changed in the  period c. 600 C.E. to c. 1750 C.E.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apworldhistory

of AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop AP
courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Environmental Science Course Overview

The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in environmental science, through which students engage with  the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the  interrelationships of the  natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the  relative risks  associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving
or preventing them. Environmental Science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies, environmental science, chemistry, and geography.

LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

Although there are  no specific AP Environmental Science labs
or field investigations required for the  course, it is expected that students perform as many labs/field investigations as possible.

PREREQUISITE

Students should have completed two  years of high school laboratory science — one year of life science and one year of physical science (for example, a year of biology and a year of chemistry). Due to the  quantitative analysis required in the  course, students should also have taken at least one year of algebra. Also desirable (but  not  necessary) is a course in earth science.

AP Environmental Science Course Content
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. There are  several unifying themes that cut across topics. The following are  course themes:
•   Science is a process.

•   Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.

•   The Earth itself  is one interconnected system.

•   Humans alter natural systems.

•   Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.

•   Human survival depends on developing practices that will
achieve sustainable systems.

Topic Outline
I.    Earth Systems and Resources

II.   The Living World

III. Population

IV. Land  and Water Use

V.   Energy Resources and Consumption

VI. Pollution

VII. Global Change

Inquiry-Based Investigations
Because it is designed to be a course in environmental science rather than environmental studies, the AP Environmental Science course includes a strong laboratory and field investigation component.
The AP Environmental Science course requires teachers to provide students with  opportunities to perform experiments and analyses involving the  study of air, water, and soil qualities as an essential core for the  lab/field investigation activities. These investigations challenge students’ abilities to
•   Critically observe environmental systems;

•   Develop and conduct well-designed experiments;

•   Utilize appropriate techniques and instrumentation;

•   Analyze and interpret data, including appropriate statistical and
graphical presentations;

•   Think analytically and apply concepts to the  solution of
environmental problems;

•   Make  conclusions and evaluate their quality and validity;

•   Propose further questions for study; and

•   Communicate accurately and meaningfully about observations
and conclusions.

Exam questions are  based on each major topic area. They  are designed to cover the  breadth of students’ knowledge and depth of understanding of environmental science.

•   Discrete Questions

•   Questions in sets

Section II: Free  Response: 4 Questions | 90 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score

•   Data  Set  (1 question)

•   Document-Based Question (1 question)

Determine the  net  change in atmospheric CO2  concentration between 140,000 years ago  and  125,000 years ago.
Calculate the  ratio of the  change in the  mean global temperature to the  change in atmospheric
CO2  concentration between 140,000 years ago and 125,000 years ago.
Scientists predict that between 1950 and 2050,  the  atmospheric CO2  concentration will increase by
200 ppm. Predict the  change in mean global temperature between 1950 and 2050 using the  ratio
that you  calculated in part (ii).

•   Synthesis and Evaluation (2 questions)

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
Directions: The lettered choices on the  graph below refer to the  numbered statements immediately following it. Select the  one lettered choice that best fits each statement. Each  choice may be used once, more than once, or not  at all in each set.
Questions 1–3 refer to the  lettered points of the  curves plotted on the  graph below. The curves show two  possible patterns of change in population size over time for a certain species of small mammal in an ecosystem.

1. Population growing exponentially
2. Population decreasing at greatest rate
3. Population growing at a decreasing rate

Sample Free-Response Question: Data-Set Question
According to atmospheric temperature and CO2  concentration records derived from Antarctic ice cores, Earth’s climate has undergone significant changes over the  past 200,000 years. Two graphs are  shown to the  left. The upper graph shows the  variation
in atmospheric CO2  concentration, and the  lower graph shows the variation in air temperature. Both  graphs cover the  same time period from approximately 200,000 years ago up until  the  year 1950,
which is represented as year 0 on the  graphs.

(A)   Answer the  following questions that relate to the  graphs above. Remember that for any  calculation you  must clearly indicate how you  arrived at your answer. Answers must also include appropriate units.
(i) (ii) (iii)

(iv) Describe one major assumption that was necessary to make the  prediction in part (iii) above.
Discuss the  validity of the  assumption.
(B)   Identify and describe TWO major causes for the  predicted 200 ppm increase in atmospheric CO2
concentration between 1950 and 2050.
(C)   Identify TWO gases other than CO2  that contribute to the  anthropogenic increase in mean global temperature.
For each gas, describe a major human activity that leads to its release.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apenvscience

AP English Program

The AP Program offers two  courses in English studies, each designed to provide high school students the  opportunity to engage with  a typical introductory-level college English curriculum.
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on  the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the  rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts.
The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods.
There is no prescribed sequence of study, and a school may offer one or both courses.

AP English Literature and Composition Course Overview

The AP English Literature and Composition course aligns to an introductory college-level literary analysis course. The course engages students in the  close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the  ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism,
and tone. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works.

PrErEquisitE

There are no prerequisite courses for AP English Literature  
and Composition.  
Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level  texts and apply the  conventions of Standard Written English in  their writing. 

AP English Literature and Composition Course Content
The course is designed to help students become skilled readers and writers through engagement with  the  following course requirements:
•   Reading complex imaginativeliterature  (fiction, drama, and
poetry) appropriate for college-level study1

•   Writing an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style, and themes; the  social and historical values it reflects and embodies; and such elements as the  use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone
•   Composing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) based on students’ analyses of literary texts
•   Writing that proceeds through several stages or drafts, with
revision aided by teacher and peers

•   Writing informally (e.g., response journals, textual annotations, collaborative writing), which helps students better understand the  texts they are  reading
•   Revising their work  to develop

o  A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
o  A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
o  Logical organization, enhanced by techniques such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
o  A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; and
o  An effective use of rhetoric, including tone, voice, diction, and sentence structure.

element in a work  of literary merit selected by the  student

AP EngLish LitErAturE And COmPOsitiOn  sAmPLE ExAm quEstiOns

sample multiple-Choice question
Students are  given a passage of writing and asked to respond to a set  of prompts and questions based on the passage. Below is one example.

The chief  effect of the  first paragraph is to

(A) foreshadow the  outcome of Papa’s meeting

(B) signal that change in the  family’s life is overdue

(C) convey the  women’s attachment to the  house

(D) emphasize the  deteriorating condition of the  house

(E) echo the  fragmented conversation of the  three women

sample Free-response Prompt
Read carefully the  following poem by the  colonial American poet, Anne Bradstreet. Then write a well-organized essay
in which you  discuss how the  poem’s controlling metaphor expresses the  complex attitude of the  speaker.

“The Author to Her Book”
Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, Who  after birth did’st by my side remain,
Til snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, Who  thee abroad exposed to public view;
Made thee in rags, halting, to the  press to trudge,
Where errors were not  lessened, all may judge.
At thy return my blushing was not  small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call,
I cast thee by as one unfit  for light,
Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could.

I washed thy face, but  more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet;
In better dress to trim  thee was my mind,
But nought save homespun cloth in the  house I find. In this  array, ’mongst vulgars may’st thou roam;
In critics’ hands beware thou dost not  come;
And take  thy way  where yet thou are  not  known.
If for thy Father asked, say  thou had’st none;
And for thy Mother, she alas is poor,
Which caused her  thus to send thee out  of door. (1678)

AP English Program

The AP Program offers two  courses in English studies, each designed to provide high school students the  opportunity to engage with  a typical introductory-level college English curriculum.
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on  the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the  rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts.
The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods.
There is no prescribed sequence of study, and a school may offer one or both courses.

AP English Literature and Composition Course Overview

The AP English Literature and Composition course aligns to an introductory college-level literary analysis course. The course engages students in the  close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the  ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism,
and tone. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works.

PrErEquisitE

There are no prerequisite courses for AP English Literature  
and Composition.  
Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level  texts and apply the  conventions of Standard Written English in  their writing. 

AP English Literature and Composition Course Content
The course is designed to help students become skilled readers and writers through engagement with  the  following course requirements:
•   Reading complex imaginativeliterature  (fiction, drama, and
poetry) appropriate for college-level study1

•   Writing an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style, and themes; the  social and historical values it reflects and embodies; and such elements as the  use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone
•   Composing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) based on students’ analyses of literary texts
•   Writing that proceeds through several stages or drafts, with
revision aided by teacher and peers

•   Writing informally (e.g., response journals, textual annotations, collaborative writing), which helps students better understand the  texts they are  reading
•   Revising their work  to develop

o  A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
o  A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
o  Logical organization, enhanced by techniques such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
o  A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; and
o  An effective use of rhetoric, including tone, voice, diction, and sentence structure.

element in a work  of literary merit selected by the  student

AP EngLish LitErAturE And COmPOsitiOn  sAmPLE ExAm quEstiOns

sample multiple-Choice question
Students are  given a passage of writing and asked to respond to a set  of prompts and questions based on the passage. Below is one example.

The chief  effect of the  first paragraph is to

(A) foreshadow the  outcome of Papa’s meeting

(B) signal that change in the  family’s life is overdue

(C) convey the  women’s attachment to the  house

(D) emphasize the  deteriorating condition of the  house

(E) echo the  fragmented conversation of the  three women

sample Free-response Prompt
Read carefully the  following poem by the  colonial American poet, Anne Bradstreet. Then write a well-organized essay
in which you  discuss how the  poem’s controlling metaphor expresses the  complex attitude of the  speaker.

“The Author to Her Book”
Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, Who  after birth did’st by my side remain,
Til snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, Who  thee abroad exposed to public view;
Made thee in rags, halting, to the  press to trudge,
Where errors were not  lessened, all may judge.
At thy return my blushing was not  small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call,
I cast thee by as one unfit  for light,
Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could.

I washed thy face, but  more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet;
In better dress to trim  thee was my mind,
But nought save homespun cloth in the  house I find. In this  array, ’mongst vulgars may’st thou roam;
In critics’ hands beware thou dost not  come;
And take  thy way  where yet thou are  not  known.
If for thy Father asked, say  thou had’st none;
And for thy Mother, she alas is poor,
Which caused her  thus to send thee out  of door. (1678)

AP English Program

The AP Program offers two  courses in English studies, each designed to provide high school students the  opportunity to engage with  a typical introductory-level college English curriculum.
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on  the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the  rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts.
The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods.
There is no prescribed sequence of study, and a school may offer one or both courses.

AP English Language and Composition Course Overview

The AP English Language and Composition course aligns to an introductory college-level rhetoric and writing curriculum, which requires students to develop evidence-based analytic and
argumentative essays that proceed through several stages or drafts. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Throughout the  course, students develop a personal style by making appropriate grammatical choices. Additionally, students read and analyze the  rhetorical elements and their effects
in non-fiction texts, including graphic images as forms of text,  from many disciplines and historical periods.

PrErEquisitE

There are no prerequisite courses for AP English Language  
and Composition. 
Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level  texts and apply the  conventions of Standard Written English in  their writing. 

AP English Language and Composition Course Content
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become skilled readers and writers through engagement with  the  following course requirements:
•   Composing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects

•   Writing that proceeds through several stages or drafts,with
revision aided by teacher and peers

•   Writing informally (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing), which helps students become aware of themselves as writers and the  techniques employed by other writers
•   Writing expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions
based on readings representing a variety of prose styles and genres
•   Reading nonfiction (e.g., essays, journalism, science
writing, autobiographies, criticism) selected to give  students opportunities to identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques1
•   Analyzing graphics and visual images both in relation to
written texts and as alternative forms of text  themselves

•   Developing researchskills and the  ability to evaluate, use, and
cite primary and secondary sources

•   Conducting researchand writing argument papers in which students present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources
•   Citing  sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g.,
Modern Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style)

•   Revising their work  to develop

o  A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
o  A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
o  Logical organization, enhanced by techniques such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
o  A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; and
o  An effective use of rhetoric, including tone, voice, diction, and sentence structure.

1.  The College Board does not mandate any particular authors or reading  list, but representative authors are cited in the AP English Language Course
Description.

AP English lAnguAgE And ComPosition ExAm:
3 hours 15 minutEs

Assessment Overview
The AP English Language and Composition Exam employs multiple-choice questions to test students’ skills in rhetorical analysis of prose passages. Students are  also required to write three essays that demonstrate their skill in rhetorical analysis, argumentation, and synthesis of information from multiple sources
to support the  student’s own argument. Although the  skills tested on the  exam remain essentially the  same from year to year, there may be some variation in format of the  free-response (essay) questions.

Format of Assessment

section i: Multiple Choice: 52–55 Questions | 60 Minutes | 45% of Exam  Score

•   Includes excerpts from several non-fiction texts

•   Each  excerpt is accompanied by several multiple-choice
questions

section ii: Free Response: 3 Prompts | 2 Hours 15 Minutes | 55% of Exam Score

•   15 minutes for reading source materials for the  synthesis
prompt (in the  free-response section)

•   120 minutes to write essay responses to the  three
free-response prompts

Prompt types

Synthesis: Students read several texts about a topic and create an argument that synthesizes at least three of the  sources to support their thesis.

Rhetorical Analysis: Students read a non-fiction text  and analyze how the  writer’s language choices contribute to his or her  purpose and intended meaning for the  text.

AP EngLish LAnguAgE And COmPOsitiOn  sAmPLE ExAm quEstiOns

Argument: Students create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.

sample multiple-Choice question
Students are  given a passage of writing and asked to respond to a set  of prompts and questions based on the  passage. Below is one example.

The primary rhetorical function of lines 14–22 is to

(A) provide support for a thesis supplied in lines 1–2

(B) provide evidence to contrast with  that supplied in the  first paragraph

(C) present a thesis that will be challenged in paragraph three

(D) introduce a series of generalizationsthat  are  supported in the  last  two  paragraphs

(E) anticipate objections raised by the  ideas presented in lines 12–14

sample Free-response question
The following passage is from Rights of Man, a book written by the  pamphleteer Thomas Paine in 1791.  Born  in England, Paine was an intellectual, a revolutionary,and a supporter of Americanindependence  from England. Read the  passage carefully. Then write an essay that examines the  extent to which Paine’s characterization of America holds true today.
Use  appropriate evidence to support your argument.

If there is a country in the  world, where concord,according to common calculation, would be least expected, it is America. Made up,  as it is, of people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and more different in their modes of worship, it would appear that the union of such a people was impracticable; but  by the  simple operation of constructing government on the  principles of society and the  rights of man, every difficulty retires, and all the  parts are  brought into  cordial unison. There, the poor are  not  oppressed, the  rich are  not  privileged.... Their  taxes are  few,  because their government is just;  and as there is nothing to render them wretched, there is nothing to engender riots and tumults.

AP Computer Science Program

When AP Computer Science Principles launches in the  2016–17 academic year, AP will have two  computer science offerings, and students can  take  either course in any  order. Currently one of the  fastest growing AP courses, the AP Computer Science A course and exam continues to focus on computing skills related
to programming in Java. The new AP Computer Science Principles course will complement AP Computer Science A as it aims to broaden participation in the  study of computer science. The courses underscore the  importance of communicating solutions appropriately and in ways that are  relevant to current societal needs. AP Computer Science courses can  help address traditional
issues of equity, access, and broadening participation in computing while providing a strong and engaging introduction to fundamental areas of the  discipline.

AP Computer Science A Course Overview

AP Computer Science A is equivalent to a first-semester, college- level  course in computer science. The course introduces students to computer science with  fundamental topics that include problem solving, design strategies and methodologies, organization of
data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential solutions, and the  ethical and social implications of computing. The course emphasizes both object-oriented and imperative problem solving and design using Java language.
These techniques represent proven approaches for developing solutions that can  scale up from small, simple problems to large, complex problems. The AP Computer Science A course curriculum is compatible with  many CS1 courses in colleges and universities.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

Students should be comfortable with  functions and the  concepts found in the  uses of function notation, such as f (x) = x + 2 and
f (x) = g(h(x)). It is important that students and their advisers understand that any  significant computer science course builds upon a foundation of mathematical reasoning that should be acquired before attempting such a course.
Lab Requirements
The AP Computer Science A course must include a minimum of 20 hours of hands-on structured lab experiences to engage students in individual or group problem solving. Thus, each AP Computer Science A course includes a substantial laboratory component
in which students design solutions to problems, express their solutions precisely (e.g., in the  Java programming language), test their solutions, identify and correct errors (when mistakes occur), and compare possible solutions.
Computer Language
The AP Computer Science A course requires that solutions of problems be written in the  Java programming language. Because the Java programming language is extensive with  far more features than could be covered in a single introductory course, the AP Computer Science A Exam covers a subset of Java. The AP Java subset can  be found in Appendix A of the  Course Description.

Goals of AP Computer Science A
Students should be able to
•   Design, implement, and analyze solutions to problems;
•   Use  and implement commonly used algorithms;
•   Develop and select appropriate algorithms and data structures to solve new problems;
•   Write  solutions fluently in an object-oriented paradigm;
•   Write, run, test, and debug solutions in the  Java programming language, utilizing standard Java library classes and interfaces from the AP Java subset;
•   Read and understand programs consisting of several classes and interacting objects;
•   Read and understand a description of the design and  
development process leading to such a program; and 
•   Understand the  ethical and social implications of computer use.

Topic Outline for AP Computer Science A
I. Object-Oriented Program Design

A. Program and class design

II. Program Implementation
A. Implementation techniques
B. Programming constructs
C. Java library classes and interfaces included in the
AP Java Subset
III. Program Analysis
A. Testing
B. Debugging
C. Runtime exceptions D. Program correctness E. Algorithm analysis
F.  Numerical representations of integers

IV. Standard Data  Structures
A. Primitive data types (int, boolean, double) B. Strings
C. Classes
D. Lists
E. Arrays (1-dimensional and 2-dimensional) V. Standard Operations and Algorithms
A. Operations on data structures
B. Searching

C. Sorting

VI. Computing in Context A. System reliability B. Privacy
C. Legal  issues and intellectual property
D. Social and ethical ramifications of computer use

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A EXAM: 3 HOURS

Assessment Overview
All code on  the AP Computer Science A Exam is consistent with the AP Java subset that can be found in Appendix A of the Course

Format of Assessment

Section I: Multiple Choice | 40 Questions | 75 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Discrete Questions

Description. All questions involving code should be answered in	 	

Java. Students are not tested on  minor points of syntax.

Section II: Free  Response | 4 Questions | 105 Minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Short Answer (each requiring Java programming language)

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question
A car dealership needs a program to store information about the  cars for sale. For each car,  they want to keep track of the  following information: number of doors (2 or 4), whether the  car has air-conditioning, and its average number of miles per  gallon. Which of the  following is the  best object-oriented program design?

(a) Use  one class, Car, with  three instance variables: int numDoors, boolean hasAir, and milesPerGallon. (b) Use  four  unrelated classes: Car, Doors, AirConditioning, and MilesPerGallon.
(c) Use  a class Car with  three subclasses: Doors, AirConditioning, and MilesPerGallon.

(d) Use  a class Car, with  a subclass Doors, with  a subclass AirConditioning, with  a subclass MilesPerGallon.

(e) Use  three classes: Doors, AirConditioning, and MilesPerGallon, each with  a subclass Car.

Sample Free-Response Question: Experimental Design

Correct Answer: A

A travel agency maintains a list of information about airline flights. Flight  information includes a departure time and an arrival time. You may assume that the  two  times occur on the  same day. These times are  represented by objects of the Time  class.
The declaration for the Time  class is shown below. It includes a method minutesUntil, which returns the  difference (in minutes) between the  current Time  object and another Time  object.
Students are  provided with  a scenario and part of the  program to solve that scenario. They  are  then asked to complete a method in that program so that the  program can  calculate the  duration of flights.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apcompscia

standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Computer Science Program

There are  two  computer science offerings, and students can  take  either course in any  order. The AP Computer Science A course and exam continues to focus on computing skills related to programming in Java. The new AP Computer Science Principles course complements AP Computer Science A as it aims to broaden participation in the
study of computer science. The courses underscore the  importance of communicating solutions appropriately and in ways that are relevant to current societal needs. AP Computer Science courses can help address traditional issues of equity, access, and broadening participation in computing while providing a strong and engaging introduction to fundamental areas of the  discipline.

AP Computer Science Principles Course Overview

The AP Computer Science Principles course is designed to be equivalent to a first- semester introductory college computing course. In this  course, students will develop computational thinking skills vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course engages students in the  creative aspects of the
field by allowing them to develop computational artifacts based on their interests. Students will also develop effective communication and collaboration skills by working individually and collaboratively
to solve problems, and will discuss and write about the  impacts these solutions could have on their community, society, and the  world.

PREREQUISITES

It is recommended that a student in the AP Computer Science Principles course should have successfully completed a first year high school algebra course with  a strong foundation on basic
linear functions and composition of functions, and problem solving strategies that require multiple approaches and collaborative efforts. In addition, students should be able to use a Cartesian (x, y) coordinate system to represents points in a plane. It is important that students and their advisers understand that any  significant
computer science course builds upon a foundation of mathematical and computational reasoning that will be applied throughout the study of the  course.

Computer Language
Unlike AP Computer Science A, which is taught in Java, the AP Computer Science Principles course does not  have a designated programming language. Teachers select the  programming language(s) that is most appropriate for their students.

AP Computer Science Principles Course Content

The following are  the  major areas of study, or big ideas, that are foundational to studying computer science:
•   Creativity: Computing is a creative activity. Creativity and computing are  prominent forces in innovation; the  innovations enabled by computing have had and will continue to have
far-reaching impact.

•   Abstraction: Abstraction reduces information and detail to facilitate focus on relevant concepts. It is a process, a strategy, and the  result of reducing detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems.
•   Data  and Information: Data  and information facilitate the creation of knowledge. Computing enables and empowers new methods of information processing, driving monumental change across many disciplines — from art to business to science.
•   Algorithms: Algorithms are  used to develop and express solutions to computational problems. Algorithms realized
in software have affected the  world in profound and lasting ways.
•   Programming: Programming enables problem solving, human expression, and creation of knowledge. Programming and
the  creation of software has changed our  lives. It results in the  creation of software, and facilitates the  creation
of computational artifacts, such as music, images, and visualizations.
•   The Internet: The Internet pervades modern computing. The
Internet and the  systems built  on it have had a profound
impact on society. Computer networks support communication and collaboration.
•   Global Impact: Computing has global impact. Our methods
for communicating, collaborating, problem solving, and doing business have changed and are  changing due to innovations enabled by computing.

Computational Thinking Practices
The course also incorporates computational thinking practices that set  clear expectations of what students will do in the  course:
•   Connecting Computing – Students learn to draw connections between different computing concepts.
•   Creating computational artifacts – Students engage in the creative aspects of computing by designing and developing interesting computational artifacts as well  as by applying computing techniques to creatively solve problems.
•   Abstracting – Students use abstraction to develop models and simulations of natural and artificial phenomena, use them to make predictions about the  world, and analyze their efficacy and validity.
•   Analyzing problems and artifacts – Students design and produce solutions, models, and artifacts, and they evaluate and analyze their own computational work  as well as the computational work  others have produced.
•   Communicating – Students describe computation and the impact of technology and computation, explain and justify the design and appropriateness of their computational choices, and analyze and describe both computational artifacts and the results or behaviors of those artifacts.
•   Collaborating – Students collaborate on a number of activities, including investigation of questions using data sets and in the production of computational artifacts.

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES EXAM: 2 HOURS

Assessment Overview
This assessment comprises two  parts: performance tasks and the end-of-course AP Exam and the  through-course AP assessment.
The AP Computer Science Principles Exam will be a multiple-choice, paper and pencil exam.
The  two  performance tasks require students to explore the impacts of computing and create computational artifacts through programming.

Format of Assessment

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES EXAM: 2 HOURS (60% of
AP Exam score)

•   Multiple Choice (single- and multiple-select) | 74 Questions |
120 minutes | 60% of assessment score

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES THROUGH-COURSE PERFORMANCE TASKS (2) (Combined 40% of AP Exam Score):

•   Explore – Impact of Computing Innovations | 8 hours
(classroom time) | 16% of assessment score

•   Create – Application to Ideas |12 hours (classroom time) |

24% of assessment score

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question

Consider the  code segment below.

If the  variables onTime and absent both have the  value false, what is displayed as a result of running the  code segment?

(A)   Is anyone there?
(B)   Better late than never.
(C)   Hello. Is anyone there?
(D)   Hello. Better late than never.

Answer: B

Performance Task: Create – Applications from Ideas
•   This performance task  focuses on students developing computer programs and describing significant aspects of the  program that allow it to run  correctly.
o   Students have the  flexibility to write programs that reflects their interests (e.g., their desire to solve a problem; program a game; or produce digital art appealing to a specific audience, etc.) This allows students to engage in the  study of computer science from a creative perspective. Students will provide evidence of their knowledge of important programming concepts such as developing algorithms and using abstractions. Students are  required to submit an individual program but  are  able to collaborate on the  development of their program.
Performance Task: Explore – Impacts of Computing Innovations
•   This performance task  focuses on students using and applying computational analysis in the  exploration of a significant computing innovation to determine and describe the  impact of the  innovation on people and society.
o   Students select and explore an innovation of their choosing. Then, they create a computational artifact about the  innovation
and describe how it works and how it used, its purpose, how it consumes and/or produces data, and the  harmful and beneficial effects of the  innovation on people and society.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apcsp
Students: apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcsp

© 2017 The College Board. 	00678-0009 (Updated June 2017)

AP course and exam development is the  result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They  work  together to develop
AP courses and exams, set  scoring standards, and score the  exams. College faculty review every AP teacher’s course syllabus.

AP Chemistry Course Overview

The AP Chemistry course provides students with  a college-level foundation to support future advanced course work  in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through
inquiry-based investigations, as they explore topics such as: atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium.

LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

This course requires that 25 percent of the  instructional time provides students with  opportunities to engage in laboratory investigations. This includes a minimum of 16 hands-on labs, at least six of which are  inquiry based.

RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES

Students should have successfully completed a general high school chemistry course and Algebra II.

AP Chemistry Course Content
The key concepts and related content that define the AP Chemistry course and exam are  organized around underlying principles called the  Big Ideas. They  encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide
a broad way  of thinking about the  particulate nature of matter underlying the  observations students make about the  physical world. The following are  Big Ideas:
•   The chemical elements are  the  building blocks of matter, which can  be understood in terms of the  arrangements of atoms.
•   Chemical and physical properties of materials can  be explained by the  structure and the  arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the  forces between them.
•   Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or  
reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons. 

•   Rates of chemical reactions are  determined by details of the molecular collisions.
•   The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role  
of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes  
in matter. 

•   Bonds or attractions that can  be formed can  be broken. These two  processes are  in constant competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external forces or changes.

Science Practices
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices enables teachers to use
the  principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging
and rigorous experience for AP Chemistry students. Such practices require that students:
•     Use  representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems;
•     Use  mathematics appropriately;
•     Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the  context of the AP course;
•     Plan  and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question;
•     Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence;
•     Work with  scientific explanations and theories; and
•     Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains.
Inquiry-Based Investigations
Twenty-five percent of instructional time is devoted to inquiry- based laboratory investigations. Students ask questions, make observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress.

AP Chemistry Exam Structure

AP CHEMISTRY EXAM: 3 HOURS 15 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
Exam questions are  based on learning objectives, which combine science practices with  specific content. Students learn to
•   Solve problems mathematically — including symbolically;

•   Design and describe experiments;

•   Perform data and error analysis

•   Explain, reason, or justify answers; and

•   Interpret and develop conceptual models.

Students have a periodic table of the  elements and a formula and constants chart to use on the  entire exam. In addition, students may use a scientific calculator on the  free-response section.

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice: 60 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

•   Discrete items

•   Items in sets

Section II:  Free  Response: 7 Questions | 105 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score

Three long- and four  short-answer questions. The seven questions ensure the  assessment of the  following skills: experimental design, quantitative/qualitative translation, analysis of authentic lab data and observations to identify patterns or explain phenomena, creating or analyzing atomic and molecular views to explain observations, and following a logical/analytical pathway to solve a problem.

AP CHEMISTRY SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS

Sample Multiple-Choice Question

The dissolution of an ionic  solute in a polar solvent can  be imagined as occurring in three steps, as shown in the  figure at left. In step 1, the  separation between ions in the  solute is greatly increased, just  as will occur when the solute dissolves in the  polar solvent. In step 2, the  polar solvent is expanded
to make spaces that the  ions will occupy. In the  last  step, the  ions are  inserted into  the  spaces in the  polar solvent. Which of the  following best describes the enthalpy change, ΔH, for each step?

(A)   All three steps are  exothermic. (B)   All three steps are  endothermic.
(C)   Steps 1 and 2 are  exothermic, and the  final step is endothermic.

(D)   Steps 1 and 2 are  endothermic, and the  final step is exothermic. 	Correct Answer: D

Sample Free-Response Question: Analyzing Lab Data and Observations

The indicator Hln is a weak acid  with  a pKa value of 5.0. It reacts with  water as represented in the  equation above. Consider the  two  beakers below. Each  beaker has a layer of colorless oil (a nonpolar solvent) on top  of a layer of aqueous buffer solution. In beaker X, the  pH of the  buffer solution is 3, and in beaker Y, the  pH of the  buffer solution is 7. A small smount of Hln is placed in both beakers. The mixtures are  stirred well,  and the  oil and water layers are allowed to separate.

(A)   What is the  predominant form of Hln in the  aqueous buffer in beaker Y, the  acid  form or the  conjugate base form? Explain your reasoning.

(B)   In beaker X, the  oil layer is yellow, whereas in beaker Y, the  oil layer is colorless. Explain these observations in terms of both acid-base equilibria and interparticle forces.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apchemistry

AP Calculus Program

AP Calculus AB and  AP Calculus BC focus on students’ understanding of calculus concepts and  provide experience with  methods and applications. Although computational competence is an important outcome, the  main emphasis is on a multirepresentational approach to calculus, with  concepts, results, and  problems being expressed graphically, numerically, analytically, and  verbally. The connections among these representations are  important.
Teachers and  students should regularly use  technology to reinforce relationships among functions, to confirm written work,  to implement experimentation, and  to assist in interpreting results. Through the  use of the  unifying themes of calculus (e.g.,  derivatives, integrals, limits, approximation, and  applications and  modeling) the  courses become cohesive rather than a collection of unrelated topics.

AP Calculus  BC Course Overview

AP Calculus BC is roughly equivalent to both first and second semester college calculus courses and extends the  content learned in AB to different types of equations and introduces the topic of sequences and series. The AP course covers topics in differential and integral calculus, including concepts and skills of limits, derivatives, definite integrals, the  Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, and series. The course teaches students to approach calculus concepts and problems when they are  represented graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally, and to make connections amongst these representations.
Students learn how to use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and support conclusions.

PREREQUISITE

Before studying calculus, all students should complete four  years of secondary mathematics designed for college-bound students: courses in which they study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions. These functions include linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise-defined functions. In particular, before studying calculus, students must be familiar with  the  properties of functions, the  algebra of functions, and the  graphs of functions. Students must also understand the language of functions (domain and range, odd and even, periodic, symmetry, zeros, intercepts, and so on) and know the  values of the trigonometric functions at the  numbers 0, π/6, π/4, π/3, π/2, and their multiples.
Use of Graphing Calculators
Professional mathematics organizations have strongly endorsed the use of calculators in mathematics instruction and testing. The use
of a graphing calculator in AP Calculus BC is considered an integral part of the  course.

Goals of AP Calculus BC
Students who are  enrolled in AP Calculus BC are  expected to
•   Work with  functions represented in multiple ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They  should understand the connections among these representations.
•   Understand the  meaning of the  derivative in terms of a rate of change and local  linear approximation and use derivatives to solve problems.
•   Understand the  meaning of the  definite integral as a limit of Riemann sums and as the  net  accumulation of change and use integrals to solve problems.
•   Understand the  relationship between the  derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the  Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
•   Communicate mathematics and explain solutions to problems
verbally and in writing.
•   Model a written description of a physical situation with  a
function, a differential equation, or an integral.
•   Use  technology to solve problems, experiment, interpret
results, and support conclusions.
•   Determine the  reasonableness of solutions, including sign,
size,  relative accuracy, and units of measurement.
•   Develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of
knowledge and as a human accomplishment.

Topic Outline for AP Calculus BC
I. Functions, Graphs, and Limits
•   Analysis of Graphs
•   Limits  of Functions (including one-sided limits)
•   Asymptotic and Unbounded Behavior
•   Continuity as a Property of Functions
•   Parametric, Polar, and Vector Functions
II. Derivatives
•   Concept of the  Derivative
•   Derivative at a Point
•   Derivative as a Function
•   Second Derivatives
•   Applications and Computation of Derivatives
III. Integrals
•   Interpretations and Properties of Definite Integrals
•   Applications of Integrals
•   Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
•   Techniques and Applications of Antidifferentiation
•   Numerical Approximations to Definite Integrals
IV. Polynomial Approximations and Series
•   Concept of Series
•   Series of constants
•   Taylor Series

AP Calculus  BC Exam Structure

AP BC CALCULUS EXAM: 3 HOURS 15 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP Calculus BC Exam questions measure students’ understanding of the  concepts of calculus, their ability to apply these concepts, and their ability to make connections among graphical, numerical, analytical, and verbal representations of mathematics. Adequate preparation for the  exam also includes a strong foundation in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and
elementary functions, though the  course necessarily focuses on differential and integral calculus. Students may not  take  both
the  Calculus AB and Calculus BC Exams within the  same year. A Calculus AB sub-score is reported based on performance on the portion of the  Calculus BC Exam devoted to Calculus AB topics.

x 	2 	5 	7 	8
f (x)	 10 	30 	40 	20

(C) 160 	(D) 190 	(E) 210

The free-response section tests students’ ability to solve problems using an extended chain of reasoning. During the  second timed portion of the  free-response section (Part  B), students are  permitted to continue work  on problems in Part A, but  they are  not  permitted to use a calculator during this  time..

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice  | 45 Questions | 105 minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Part A: 28 questions; 55 minutes (no calculator permitted)

•   Part B: 17 questions; 50 minutes (graphing calculator permitted)

Section II:  Free Response | 6 Questions | 90 minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Part A: 2 problems; 30 minutes (graphing calculator permitted)

•   Part B: 4 problems; 1 hour (no calculator permitted)

AP CALCULUS BC SAMPLE QUESTIONS Sample Multiple-Choice Question

The function f is continuous on the  closed interval [2,8] and has values that are  given in the  table above. Using the

2

subintervals [2,5], [5,7], and [7,8], what is the  trapezoidal approximation of ∫8 f (x)dx?

(A) 110 	(B) 130 	Correct Answer: C

Sample Free-Response Question: Experimental Design

The graphs of the  polar curves r = 3 and r = 4 – 2sin  θ are  shown in the  figure above. The curves intersect when
θ =  π  and θ =  5π .
6 	6

(a)    Let S be the  shaded region that is inside the  graph of r = 3 and also inside the  graph of r = 2sin  θ.
Find the  area of S.

(b)    A particle moves along the  polar curve r = 4 – 2sin  θ so that at time t seconds, θ = t 2. Find the  time t in the interval 1 ≤ t ≤ 2 for which the  x-coordinate of the  particle’s position is –1.

(c)    For the  particle described in part  (b), find the  position vector in terms of t. Find the  velocity vector at time  t = 1.5.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apcalcbc

AP Calculus Program

AP Calculus AB and  AP Calculus BC focus on students’ understanding of calculus concepts and  provide experience with  methods and applications. Although computational competence is an important outcome, the  main emphasis is on a multirepresentational approach to calculus, with  concepts, results, and  problems being expressed graphically, numerically, analytically, and  verbally. The connections among these representations are  important.
Teachers and  students should regularly use  technology to reinforce relationships among functions, to confirm written work,  to implement experimentation, and  to assist in interpreting results. Through the  use of the  unifying themes of calculus (e.g.,  derivatives, integrals, limits, approximation, and  applications and  modeling) the  courses become cohesive rather than a collection of unrelated topics.

AP Calculus AB Course Overview

AP Calculus AB is roughly equivalent to a first semester college calculus course devoted to topics in differential and integral calculus. The AP course covers topics in these areas, including concepts and skills of limits, derivatives, definite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. The course teaches students
to approach calculus concepts and problems when they are represented graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally, and to make connections amongst these representations.
Students learn how to use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and support conclusions.

PREREQUISITE

Before studying calculus, all students should complete four  years of secondary mathematics designed for college-bound students: courses in which they study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions. These functions include linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise-defined functions. In particular, before studying calculus, students must be familiar with  the  properties of functions, the  algebra of functions, and the  graphs of functions. Students must also understand the language of functions (domain and range, odd and even, periodic, symmetry, zeros, intercepts, and so on) and know the  values of the trigonometric functions at the  numbers 0, π/6, π/4, π/3, π/2, and their multiples.
Use of Graphing Calculators
Professional mathematics organizations have strongly endorsed the use of calculators in mathematics instruction and testing. The use
of a graphing calculator in AP Calculus AB is considered an integral part of the  course.

Goals of AP Calculus AB
Students who are  enrolled in AP Calculus AB are  expected to

•   Work with  functions represented in multiple ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They  should understand the connections among these representations.
•   Understand the  meaning of the  derivative in terms of a rate of change and local  linear approximation and use derivatives to solve problems.
•   Understand the  meaning of the  definite integral as a limit of Riemann sums and as the  net  accumulation of change and use integrals to solve problems.
•   Understand the  relationship between the  derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the  Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
•   Communicate mathematics and explain solutions to problems
verbally and in writing.

•   Model a written description of a physical situation with  a
function, a differential equation, or an integral.

•   Use  technology to solve problems, experiment, interpret
results, and support conclusions.

•   Determine the  reasonableness of solutions, including sign,
size,  relative accuracy, and units of measurement.

•   Develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of
knowledge and as a human accomplishment.

Topic Outline for AP Calculus AB
I. Functions, Graphs, and Limits

•   Analysis of Graphs

•   Limits  of Functions (including one-sided limits)

•   Asymptotic and Unbounded Behavior

•   Continuity as a Property of Functions

II. Derivatives

•   Concept of the  Derivative

•   Derivative at a Point

•   Derivative as a Function

•   Second Derivatives

•   Applications and Computation of Derivatives

III. Integrals

•   Interpretations and Properties of Definite Integrals

•   Applications of Integrals

•   Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

•   Techniques and Applications of Antidifferentiation

•   Numerical Approximations to Definite Integrals

AP Calculus  AB Exam Structure

AP AB CALCULUS EXAM: 3 HOURS 15 MINUTES

Assessment Overview
The AP Calculus AB Exam questions measure students’ understanding of the  concepts of calculus, their ability to apply these concepts, and their ability to make connections among graphical, numerical, analytical, and verbal representations of mathematics. Adequate preparation for the  exam also includes a strong foundation in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and
elementary functions, though the  course necessarily focuses on differential and integral calculus. Students may not  take  both the Calculus AB and Calculus BC Exams within the  same year.

(A) f (1) < f ’(1) < f ”(1) (B) f (1) < f ”(1) < f ’(1) (C) f ’(1) < f (1) < f ”(1) (D) f ”(1) < f (1) < f ’(1) (E) f ”(1) < f ’(1) < f (1)

The free-response section tests students’ ability to solve problems using an extended chain of reasoning. During the  second timed portion of the  free-response section (Part  B), students are  permitted to continue work  on problems in Part A, but  they are  not  permitted to use a calculator during this  time.

Format of Assessment

Section I:  Multiple Choice  | 45 Questions | 105 minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Part A: 28 questions; 55 minutes (no calculator permitted)

•   Part B: 17 questions; 50 minutes (graphing calculator permitted)

Section II:  Free Response | 6 Questions | 90 minutes | 50% of Exam  Score

•   Part A: 2 problems; 30 minutes (graphing calculator permitted)

•   Part B: 4 problems; 1 hour (no calculator permitted)

AP CALCULUS AB SAMPLE QUESTIONS Sample Multiple-Choice Question

The graph of a twice-differentiable function f is shown in the  figure above. Which of the  following is true?

Sample Free-Response Question: Experimental Design

Correct Answer: D

t
(minutes)	
0	
1	
2	
3	
4	
5	
6	
C(t)
(ounces)	
0	
5.3	
8.8	
11.2	
12.8	
13.8	
14.5	

Hot water is dripping through a coffeemaker, filling a large cup  with  coffee. The amount of coffee in the  cup  at time
t, 0 ≤ t ≤ 6, is given by a differentiable function c, where t is measured in minutes. Selected values of C (t ), measured in ounces, are  given in the  table above.

(a)    Use  the  data in the  table to approximate C’ (3.5). Show the  computations that lead to your answer, and indicate units of measure.

(b)    Is there a time t, 2 ≤ t ≤ 4, at which c’ (t ) = 2? Justify your answer.

(c)    Use  a midpoint sum with  three subintervals of equal length indicated by the  data in the  table to approximate
the  value of  1  ∫6 C (t )dt. Using correct units, explain the  meaning of  1  ∫6 C (t )dt. in the  context of the  problem.
6   0 	6   0

(d)    The amount of coffee in the  cup, in ounces, is modeled by B (t ) = 16 – 16e -0.4t. Using this  model, find the  rate
at which the  amount of coffee in the  cup  is changing when t = 5.

Educators: apcentral.collegeboard.org/apcalcab