How to Approach Each Question Type ❮ 39structures, ball-and-stick models, or space-filling models. You might be asked to take one
and convert it to another or to choose a particular representation that is the most useful in
describing certain observations.
Your score on the free-response questions amounts to one-half of your grade and, as long-
time readers of essays, we assure you that there is no other way to score highly than to know
your stuff. While you can guess on a multiple-choice question and have a 1/5 chance of
getting the correct answer, there is no room for guessing in this section. There are, however,
some tips that you can use to enhance your FRQ scores.- Easy to read—easy to grade. Organize your responses around the separate parts of the
question and clearly label each part of your response. In other words, do not hide your
answer; make it easy to find and easy to read. It helps you and it helps the reader to
see where you are going. Trust me: helping the reader can never hurt. Which leads
me to a related tip... write in English, not Sanskrit! Even the most levelheaded
and unbiased reader has trouble keeping his or her patience while struggling with
bad handwriting. (We have actually seen readers waste almost 10 minutes using the
Rosetta stone to decipher a paragraph of text that was obviously written by a time-
traveling student from the Egyptian Empire.) - Consistently wrong can be good. The free-response questions are written in several parts.
If you are looking at an eight-part question, it can be scary. However, these questions
are graded so that you can salvage several points even if you do not correctly answer
the first part. The key thing for you to know is that you must be consistent, even if
it is consistently wrong. For example, you may be asked to draw a graph showing a
phase diagram. Following sections may ask you to label the triple point, critical point,
normal boiling point, and vapor pressure—each determined by the appearance of your
graph. So let’s say you draw your graph, but you label it incorrectly. Obviously, you
are not going to receive that point. However, if you proceed by labeling the other
points correctly in your incorrect quantity, you would be surprised how forgiving the
grading rubric can be. - Have the last laugh with a well-drawn graph. There are some points that require an
explanation (i.e., “Describe how.. .”). Not all free-response questions require a graph,
but a garbled paragraph of explanation can be saved with a perfect graph that tells the
reader you know the answer to the question. This does not work in reverse... - If I say draw, you had better draw. There are what readers call “graphing points,” and
these cannot be earned with a well-written paragraph. For example, if you are asked
to draw a Lewis structure, certain points will be awarded for the picture, and only the
picture. A delightfully written and entirely accurate paragraph of text will not earn
the graphing points. You also need to label graphs clearly. You might think that a
downward-sloping line is obviously a decrease, but some of those graphing points will
not be awarded if lines and points are not clearly, and accurately, identified. - Give the answer, not a dissertation. There are some parts of a question where you are
asked to simply “identify” something. This type of question requires a quick piece
of analysis that can literally be answered in one word or number. That point will be
given if you provide that one word or number whether it is the only word you write,
or the fortieth. For example, you may be given a table that shows how a reaction rate
varies with concentration. Suppose the correct rate is 2. The point is given if you say
“2,” “two,” and maybe even “ii.” If you write a novel concluding with the word “two,”
you will get the point, but you have wasted precious time. This brings me to...
STRATEGY