KRISTI NEUROTH: Hi, my name is Kristi Neuroth.
You are back again to tackle FRQ questions that
have no stimulus.
So let's dive right in today.
Before we get started, let's go over a couple
of important reminders for FRQs with no stimulus.
If you'd like to join in with me today and tackle the question
that I'm going over, you can download a PDF copy and work
right alongside me.
Feel free to pause the video at any point in time,
to take a time, take a moment to practice, and write your answer
and see if you're on the right track.
As we're tackling FRQs with no stimulus,
we will always remember to read the stem carefully.
Make sure you know exactly what the question is
asking so you are sure that your answer will
address that question.
Next, make note of any key vocabulary.
That's going to give you a hint of the kind of terms
the AP graders will want to see in your answer.
Next, take time to annotate the question.
You are going to see me doing that today.
I'm going to practice that with you,
so you'll see what kind of words are
terms I choose to focus in on.
When you're doing your AP test or you're writing your answer,
you can do this through underlining key words,
or maybe starring the key concept you want to come back
to, or even circling a key concept you don't want to miss.
Next, be specific in your answer.
The more specific you can be, using key vocabulary
or real world examples, the more you'll
show that you really know your stuff.
And finally, pay attention to the verbs.
Make sure you know whether the question is asking
you to describe something or explain something or define
something, so that you give adequate information
and address exactly what they want you to talk about.
Let's dive into our question here today.
The stem of the question says in most countries,
the concept of the state as a political unit
is subject to the tensions between centrifugal and
centripetal forces.
So I'll pause right there.
I've got a concept and I've got two vocab terms right here
in the very first sentence of the stem.
I'm going to pay close attention to those things.
Jumping back in, governments are often
challenged by the evolutionary factors--
another concept here, more vocab--
that challenge state sovereignty.
So if I take a step back here, I noticed
that this question is all about what
makes a state, centripetal and centrifugal forces,
evolutionary factors, sovereignty.
I'm telling myself this question is
going to be all about unit 4 and political geography.
So taking some time with the stem
helps me focus on what is the overall concept or overall unit
that I'll be addressing for the most part in my answer.
Now what I'm going to do is I'm going
to go through each piece of the question with you,
and I will show you a sample answer.
Now it's important to note that this sample answer is not
a complete answer.
For the sake of space and time, I'll
just give you some key concepts you could potentially
discuss when answering each piece of the question.
So let's dive in with part A. Part A
says define the concept of the multinational state.
So define is pretty straightforward.
You're going to answer the question in roughly one,
maybe two sentences, and get right to the point,
making sure that your answer is a complete sentence.
So in this case, I would say, if this were a complete sentence,
a multinational state is--
and then go through the answer in one, maybe two sentences.
So I've got a sample here for you that
illustrates a potential answer.
If I've defined in one to two sentences,
I've given complete sentences, then I've
done everything I need to do for part A
and I'm ready to move on to part B.
Part B says explain how ethnicity
can be a factor that leads to the devolution of a state.
So the key words here are explain, ethnicity,
and the concept of devolution of a state.
Now, an explanation requires more thoughtful responses then
definitions will.
So I want to have roughly three to five sentences
here that make sure that I focus on that concept of ethnicity
and how that may tie to the devolution of a state.
Now, I've given you a sample here
of what you could talk about.
Again, a fuller and complete answer
would be much longer than this.
But this gives you an idea of what you could possibly
write about.
If I've done that effectively using key vocabulary, examples,
full and complete sentences, then
I'm ready to move on from part B.
Part C, explain how communication technology
plays an important role in the goals of devolutionary groups
and democracy movements.
There's quite a lot going on here.
You can see that when I annotated this question,
I focused in on several things--
communication technology, the fact
that it's an explain, goals, devolutionary groups, democracy
movements.
So my answer needs to address each piece of that.
Now, I'll provide a sample answer for you here.
Again, it would be a bit longer on the real test.
But this gives you an idea of some of the things
that I might want to include in my answer to show that I really
know what I'm talking about, and I've addressed
each piece of the question.
If I've done that, I can give myself a checkmark here.
I'm ready to move on to part D.
D says, explain one way governments
use communication infrastructure to limit
the capabilities of devolutionary groups
and democracy movements.
So think to yourself, what words do you
think I'm going to highlight here?
What terms do you think are important?
You can even pause the video and take a moment
to annotate your own question and see what you
think you should hone in on.
Did you underline or circle or star the word explain?
Did you pay close attention to one way governments use
communication infrastructure or the word
limit, devolutionary groups, or democracy movements?
Have you honed in on any of those things
as important concepts that we're going
to need to keep in mind as we write our answer?
So it does say one way.
I don't want to have a big long list of many different things.
I want to focus on one thing.
So a specific example I could use
is what you see here, the blocking of information
on the internet, for instance.
Obviously, my real answer would be much longer--
three to five sentences, around that length--
to really do a full explanation of this concept.
If I've done that, I can give myself a check here.
I'm ready to move on to part E.
E says, explain how uneven development--
so another important concept in human geography--
within a state can act as a centrifugal force.
So again, I've got these two key concepts here,
and I've got an explain.
I have a good idea of how much I need to write.
So I might include something like one part of the country
being neglected economically, and how that can
make local residents resentful.
I would build on this with some specific real world examples,
perhaps, and make sure that I've got a detailed explanation that
includes the how.
And I might even have that word because in my answer, which
shows I'm explaining how something happens,
how that uneven development acts as a centrifugal force.
If I've done all of that, I can check mark part E
and move on to part F.
F states describe-- we've got a different verb here.
It's not yet another explain.
Describe one force that governments
can use to promote the state as a nation.
So I've turned now to centripetal force.
This is why it's really important
to annotate the question because you've just
been talking about centrifugal forces,
and you might be tempted or you might even be so focused
on that, that you answer the question incorrectly
because you haven't focused in on the specific term
that they're using here in part F.
So annotating can be a way to make sure
that you don't miss those nuances between words
that look very similar.
A simple answer here might include the specific items
I have listed--
things like folklore, sports, holidays, military, traditions.
Using those things to promote political nationalism
could be a potential answer.
Now again, you've noticed I've included
some specific information here to show
I know this information at a college level, which is exactly
what they're looking for.
If I've done that, then I can check mark part F
and move on to the final piece, which is part G.
Part G says, for a multinational state facing
the realities of devolution--
so I'll pause there.
We're focusing on multinational states.
We're focusing on devolution.
I'm going to compare.
So this is a new verb here, we haven't had this yet.
It's buried here at the very end.
We are comparing the choice to create an autonomous
region with the choice to maintain a unitary state.
Notice that it seems like the most difficult part
of the question is here towards the end.
Sometimes, that happens.
So think of it as a good thing.
You've already worked on this question for A through F,
so you've had some time to really think
about these concepts of states and devolution
and unitary states and autonomous regions.
All of that has been floating around in your mind
here as you've written the rest of the question.
So don't be worried if the end gets a little bit more
complicated.
They want to see can you take your knowledge
to the next level.
Now, comparison is going to take more time and more effort
than a simple definition.
It may even take more time than a description
or an explanation.
So give yourself adequate time and space
on your page to make sure that you address
both pieces of the comparison.
Just addressing one isn't enough to answer the question.
So the choice here is between autonomous regions
and unitary states.
So my answer sample here make sure to address both.
And I would obviously have written a bit more on this
if it were a full, complete answer to really address
that full comparison.
But hopefully, this gives you an idea
of the direction you may want to go with your answer.
Well now that we've finished part G,
we are here at the end with my final thoughts for today.
So here are some things to think about
as you tackle these FRQs with no stimuli.
First, don't forget that success comes
when you take time to understand the question.
The most common mistake I see with students
is that they jump right in.
They're so excited to show what they know.
And they don't really take the time
to understand the question.
They end up writing some beautiful information down,
but it doesn't address the question.
And therefore, they miss out on the points.
So take time to understand the question.
Next, you show your depth of knowledge
when you are specific.
Use that AP vocabulary.
Give specific real world examples.
That's a great way to elevate your answer
and prove that you know this information at that AP level.
Finally, don't forget you've got this.
You've had this extra practice.
You're focusing.
You're annotating.
You have all the tools you need to be
successful on the AP test.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
And don't forget, we've got more videos for you
on how to tackle FRQs that do have stimuli.
So be sure to tune in for those as well.