How to Approach Each Question Type ❮ 41- Grading depends on what you get right in your answer. If you say something that is
wrong, it is not counted against you. Always try to say something. This will give you
a chance for some partial credit. Do not try too hard and negate something you have
already said. The grader needs to know what you mean; if you say something and
negate it later, there will be doubt. - Do not try to outthink the test. There will always be an answer. For example, in the
reaction question, “no reaction” will not be a choice. If you find yourself doing this,
pick the simplest answer. If you know the answer to a “difficult” question—give
yourself credit for preparing well; do not think that it is too easy, and that you missed
something. There are easy questions and difficult questions on the exam.
Questions concerning experiments will be incorporated into both the multiple-choice and
free-response questions. This means that you will need to have a better understanding of
the experiments in order to discuss not only the experiment itself, but also the underlying
chemical concepts.
- Be familiar with all the suggested experiments. It may be that you did not perform a
certain experiment, so carefully review any that are unfamiliar in Chapter 19. Discuss
these experiments with your teacher. - Be familiar with the equipment. Not only be familiar with the name of the equipment
used in the experiment, but how it is used properly. For example, the correct use of a
buret involves reading of the liquid meniscus. - Be familiar with the basic measurements required for the experiments. For example, in a
calorimetry experiment you do not measure the change in temperature, you calculate
it. You measure the initial and final temperatures. - Be familiar with the basic calculations involved in each experiment. Review the appro-
priate equations given on the AP exam. Know which ones may be useful in each
experiment. Also, become familiar with simple calculations that might be used in each
experiment. These include calculations of moles from grams, temperature conver-
sions, and so on. - Other things to keep in mind:
● Begin every free-response question with a reading period. Use this time well to jot
down some quick notes to yourself, so that when you actually begin to respond,
you will have a nice start.
● The questions are written in logical order. If you find yourself explaining part C
before responding to part B, back up and work through the logical progression of
topics.
● Abbreviations are your friends. You can save time by using commonly accepted
abbreviations for chemical variables and graphical curves. With practice, you will
get more adept at their use. There are a number of abbreviations present in the
additional information supplied with the test. If you use any other abbreviations,
make sure you define them.