Barron's AP U.S. Government and Politics (Barron's AP United States Government & Politics) [Paperback]

Curt Lader M.A. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0764143719 | ISBN-13: 978-0764143717 | Edition: 6

This manualÂ's general review of U.S. government and politics is focused to reflect the most-often-asked questions on recent Advanced Placement exams. Topics covered include Constitutional development, the branches and institutions of the federal government, political parties and processes, special interest groups, the media, bureaucracy, and public policy issues as they relate to the economy, the federal budget, social welfare, foreign policy and the national defense. Two full-length model exams follow the manualÂ's subject review, and are provided with answer keys.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

(back cover )

Two full-length model AP exams that are similar to the actual exam in length, structure, and degree of difficulty

A comprehensive review covering: Constitutional development, the branches and institutions of the federal government, political parties and processes, special interest groups, the media, bureaucracy, and public policy issues as they relate to the economy, the federal budget, social welfare, foreign policy and the national defense

Study tips and test-taking strategies

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 6 edition (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764143719
• ISBN-13: 978-0764143717
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Civics
  • #41 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Federal Government
  • #90 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Test Guides - College & University > Advanced Placement

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Covers the subject matter; not for the last minute crammers, May 6, 2011

By 

Victoria Do - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barron's AP U.S. Government and Politics (Barron's AP United States Government & Politics) (Paperback)

I'm giving this three stars because it does appear to cover the subject information. However, this review book, like most Barron's books, really caters toward students who prefer comprehensive, in-depth summaries and are willing to invest a lot of time studying over a long period of time. It reads more like a simplified textbook than anything. Some points:

- It's very wordy. Very, very wordy. Most of the book is made up of headings followed by long blocks of text. Some sections seemed completely unnecessary. For example, there is a page that describes Obama's particular methods of appointing Cabinet members and who each of his Cabinet picks were. Considering that Obama is only three years into his first term (two at the time this book was published), I doubt he'll even show up on the test--so why bother including this at all?
- The key terms are not bolded. This was the most annoying thing about the book, aside from the wordiness. The author does include a list of key terms at the beginning of each chapter, but proceeds to embed them in paragraphs without any special formatting. This made the book extremely difficult to skim, and I found myself simply googling the terms rather than hunting for them in the text.
- There are many examples, which make up a large part of the text. Personally, I thought there were too many alluded to and few well-explained.
- The questions don't match the actual test. They are harder. This is a given with most Barron's books, of course, and some people like this.

The book wasn't all bad:
- The multiple choice questions at the end of each section were helpful.
- All questions, multiple choice or free-response, were explained.
- If you have the time to go through each section thoroughly, then you'll definitely come out well-equipped for the test.

Overall, I feel like this review is tailored toward a specific type of student. I prefer succinct and concrete writing (CliffsAP is generally good with this) over Barron's textbook-like style. Additionally, I had three exams to study for, and buying this book less than a month in advance of my test was my fault, not theirs. It's a textbook supplement and evidently not for people like me. ;)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid AP review book, May 14, 2010

By 

JJ Christensen "Crazy4Faith" (Orange County, Southern CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barron's AP U.S. Government and Politics (Barron's AP United States Government & Politics) (Paperback)

As an A.P. American Government teacher, I highly recommend this book. In fact, there are only three review books I allow my students to access, and this is one of them.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Used it for the Praxis II Government test, January 16, 2011

By 

G. G Storey (Juneau, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Barron's AP U.S. Government and Politics (Barron's AP United States Government & Politics) (Paperback)

I needed to take the Praxis II Government/Political Science test in order to continue teaching US Government at High School. The Chapters matched the content of the test, while the end of chapter review questions and the two practice AP tests contained many questions that were similar (and a couple even duplicated) to the Praxis test questions.

A good source of review.