The Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics course and test, unlike the other Social Studies AP courses and tests, is contemporary in nature. The students taking the course and the test are among the most politically aware.
Updating this book reflects a 24-year cycle of test changes that were incorporated when the first edition of the Barron’s AP U.S. Government and Politics was published. The 12th edition, like the 11th edition, has more changes than any previous edition. This edition also includes updates and changes to the new AP U.S. Government and Politics curriculum and exam implemented in the 2018-2019 school year. There have not been any changes to the multiple-choice section of the test. It is still comprised of 55 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer choices. However, there are now four different types of free-response questions, one of which is an “argumentation” essay.
The curriculum is organized by unit with each unit having “Big Ideas.” Each unit has what the curriculum calls “Enduring Understandings”—core ideas that students should remember; “Learning Objectives,” what students must be able to do; and “Essential Knowledge,” what students need to know. All content on the exam will be derived from these three areas. For the first time, there will also be required foundational documents and required Supreme Court cases that every student must know.
This edition is organized around the five units and five Big Ideas that are linked to the Enduring Understandings. Each of the five chapters correlates to the five units of the curriculum. Each unit has specific types of multiple-choice questions and one free-response question that reflects an Enduring Understanding and Learning Objective of that unit.
In preparing for the revisions for this edition, I have relied on the guidance provided by the College Board. I want to recognize my editor, Kristen Girardi, who provided guidance and support. I also thank my wife, Phyllis, who is without a doubt the best editor I have ever known. I could not have completed this book without their support.
Curt Lader
June 2019