FRQ coach

Every part of a free-response question is worth one point, and the first word of the part, its task verb, says what earns it. Identify asks for a name; describe asks for what it is like; explain asks how or why, with the because; compare asks about both things; explain the degree asks you to state the degree first.

Here you answer one part at a time: read the verb and its demand, write your answer with a checklist that watches for the because, then see the rubric line and a full-credit answer, and pick which of two answers earns the point.

How this coach works

Explore. Pick a question and a part. The checklist under your answer is a hint, never a score: it looks for a link word in an explain (because, so), both sides in a compare, a degree in an explain the degree, and a scale when the part asks for one. Then open the rubric line and the sample, and choose which of two answers earns the point.

Test yourself. Seeded drills: what each verb demands, which answer earns the point, and the missing link of an explain. Each wrong choice names the slip the exam readers report most often. The questions are original and short; on the exam each question has seven parts, A to G, one point each.

Notes for this topic: How FRQs Are Scored and What Each Task Verb Demands