FRQ 2 – Quantitative Analysis

This guide organizes advice from past students who got 4s and 5s on their exams. We hope it gives you some new ideas and tools for your study sessions. But remember, everyone's different—what works for one student might not work for you. If you've got a study method that's doing the trick, stick with it. Think of this as extra help, not a must-do overhaul.

📌 Overview

• Students are asked to analyze data from a visual representation and come to a conclusion
• 13% of Exam Score
• Spend about 20 min
• Scored on a 4 point rubric
  • Identifies visual data (1)
  • Describes similarity/difference (1)
  • Draws conclusion (1)
  • Explains political concept (1)

💭 General Advice

Tips on mindset, strategy, structure, time management, and any other high level things to know

• Do not overthink it. This information can stem from what you have learned in the past.
• Focus on the clarity and effectiveness of your response, not creativity/originality.
• For most questions for the Quantitative Analysis section, the answers can be very straightforward and is already given to you, just in the form of data and statistics.
• Make sure you fully answer the question. If it asks you to describe the relationship, write out explicitly what the relationship is, do not just say there is a relationship between X and Y. Responses to questions with “explain” require more sentences than other questions and should be the most detailed to fully address the topic.
• Use numbers or specifics when answering the questions that involve looking at number charts or any of the maps keys.
• Use the language of the prompt, this is very general for any FRQ.

🕐 Before you Write

What should a student do in the first few minutes, before they start writing?

• Before doing anything first, read the question and look for what task verbs they’re using as that further clarifies what the question is truly asking you to do or it’s asking of you.
• In addition to the advice above, it may seem like “explain” and “describe” questions are asking the same thing. However they’re not, the key difference is that an “explain” question is looking for a connection or a comparison or something that needs more explaining than what is provided. For “describe” questions, you will likely use just the information given to you (don’t have to search for outside knowledge!).
• Make small notes next to the questions about what it’s looking for and what you’ll likely want to include.

💡 Tips for Earning Each Point

Identify Visual Data

• Usually this question is something you can find by looking at the map or stimulus given. Look for a common fact or what the question is asking for. Spend about 5 to 10 minutes if needed to look at the stimulus.
• When identifying the visual data, state what the numbers are that you see in the visual given! Make sure you are looking at the visual correctly, as sometimes students get mixed up and write the wrong thing down.
• It helps if you look at the broader context of the visual data. For example, if you see that a chart or graph has data from the 1960s, remember and perhaps even write down key events or ideas that took place around that time. This will help you understand why a certain trend may occur, which will allow you to apply the reasoning behind why similarities and differences may occur.

Describe Similarity/Differences

• Make sure you actually write out the similarities and differences. Do not just say X and Y are similar/different.
• When describing the difference or similarity, you should use the numbers from the graph or visual in the question. Explain why this difference/similarity occurs or relate it to other pieces of data.

Draw a Conclusion

• Only make one-step inferences or conclusions. When drawing a conclusion, you should make an inference from the data that was given, but make sure you do not make an over-inference or make a conclusion without having evidence. There needs to be evidence to back up your conclusion.
  • If you tend to over-inference or over-explain to the point where the conclusion is hidden, limit yourself to one or two solid sentences that draw the conclusion and concisely explain why.
• You can think of answering it like this: write one sentence for the conclusion you’re drawing and one sentence explaining why or how that conclusion exists based on the information and evidence given.

Explain Political Concept

• Show the grader that you know the concept and are not just using context clues to guess the meaning by possibly applying the concept to a topic also discussed in U.S Gov.
• Do your best to use key terms in your answer and whenever you use them define them!!
  • Using words like ‘gridlock’ and ‘log rolling’ will make you look more knowledgeable and will show the grader that you actually know what you’re talking about. However, it’ll look even better when you define them, it demonstrates to the graders that you truly know the definition of these terms and aren’t just writing/saying them just to say them.