Obviously, you are not going to receive that point. However, if you proceed by label-
ing the other points correctly in your incorrectquantity, 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 expla-
nation (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 pic-
ture. 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 down-
ward-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...
- Welcome to the magic kingdom. If you surround the right answer to a question with a
paragraph of chemical wrongness, you will usually get the point, so long as you say the
magic word. The only exception is a direct contradiction of the right answer. For exam-
ple, suppose that when asked to “identify” the maximum concentration, you spend a
paragraph describing how the temperature may change the solubility and the gases are
more soluble under increased pressure, and then say the answer is two. You get the
point! You said the “two” and “two” was the magic word. However, if you say that the
answer is two, but that it is also four, but on Mondays, it is six, you have contradicted
yourself and the point will not be given.
- “How” really means “how” and “why.” Questions that ask how one variable is affected by
another—and these questions are legion—require an explanation, even if the question
doesn’t seem to specifically ask how andwhy. For example, you might be asked to
explain how effective nuclear charge affects the atomic radius. If you say that the “atomic
radiusdecreases,” you may have only received one of two possible points. If you say
that this is “because effective nuclear charge has increased,” you can earn the second
point.
- Read the question carefully. The free-response questions tend to be multipart questions.
If you do not fully understand one part of the question, you should go on to the next
part. The parts tend to be stand-alone. If you make a mistake in one part, you will not
be penalized for the same mistake a second time.
- Budget your time carefully. Spend 1–2 minutes reading the question and mentally
outlining your response. You should then spend the next 3–5 minutes outlining
your response. Finally, you should spend about 15 minutes answering the question.
A common mistake is to overdo the answer. The question is worth a limited number of
points. If your answer is twice as long, you will not get more points. You will lose time
How to Approach Each Question Type 37
