Identify the president who issued the highest number of executive orders in a single term, according to the data in the chart.
B.
Describe the difference in the overall trend of executive orders issued in a president's first term compared to their second term, as illustrated in the chart.
C.
Draw a conclusion about presidential policymaking based on the data shown in the chart.
D.
Explain how Congress could use the constitutional principle of checks and balances to respond to the trend of executive orders shown in the chart.
What the Quantitative Analysis FRQ asks
The Quantitative Analysis question is FRQ 2 on the AP US Government exam. You get a chart, table, map, or infographic and answer four parts: identify a data point, describe a pattern, draw a conclusion, and tie the data to a political principle.
A specific piece of information, exactly as the data shows it
1 pt
B
Part B: Pattern
A trend, similarity, or difference in the data
1 pt
C
Part C: Conclusion
What the pattern suggests about politics or government
1 pt
D
Part D: Principle
How the data shows a principle, institution, or behavior at work
1 pt
How Quantitative Analysis FRQ practice works
Each question follows the exam’s format, from the full prompt to a score on every part.
1
Read the data and the question
The chart, table, or map and all four parts, A through D, laid out the way the exam shows them.
2
Write on a 20-minute timer
The time to plan for on exam day. Pause it or turn it off, and your response saves as you go.
3
Submit for a score out of 4
Your response is scored against the scoring guidelines written for that question. Your first score is included.
Feedback on every part
A summary at the top tells you what to work on next. Below it, each part shows whether you earned the point and what the scoring guidelines were looking for.
Earned the point. You correctly identified 2005 as the year with the highest number of Supreme Court cases involving federalism issues.
Part B: 1/1 point
Earned the point. You described the overall pattern — the data fluctuates but generally increases until 2005 (reaching about 9 cases) and then drops afterward. This captures a directional trend across multiple data points rather than just citing two isolated years. To make this even stronger, use cleaner language like 'the number of cases generally increased from 1950 to 2005, then declined' instead of describing each individual data point.
Part C: 0/1 point
Did not earn the point. You described the data (low cases = good relationship, high cases = bad relationship), but you didn't connect it to the actual balance of power between state and national governments. To earn this point, you needed to draw a conclusion like: 'The high number of cases from the 1980s to 2005 shows that the boundaries of power between state and federal governments were heavily contested and required the Supreme Court to step in and resolve disputes.' The key is explaining WHAT the case numbers tell us about who holds power and why that matters — not just whether the relationship was 'good' or 'bad.'
Detailed feedback on a practice Quantitative Analysis FRQ
Questions about the Quantitative Analysis FRQ
How many responses can I get scored?
You can read every question without a plan. Your first scored response is included. A plan unlocks unlimited scoring.
Do I need to do any math?
No. You read the data and describe what it shows. There are no formulas or calculations.
How is Part C different from Part B?
Part B describes a pattern in the data. Part C draws a conclusion about what that pattern means for politics or government.
Are these real College Board questions?
No. We wrote them in the AP format, with the same four parts, and wrote scoring guidelines for each one.
Can I write my answer by hand?
Yes. Switch the editor to handwrite, write on paper, and add a photo of your page.
More AP US Government practice
Concept Application FRQ practice
Concept Application questions with the full scenario and all three parts.
