2018
AP Human Geography
Sample Student Responses
and Scoring Commentary
Inside:
Free Response Question 3
Scoring Guideline
Student Samples
Scoring Commentary
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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
2018 SCORING GUIDELINES
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Question 3
8 points (1 + 3 + 4)
A. Identify TWO specific means of global diffusion from the following. 1 point
Internet, email, social media (Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), celebrities, television, radio, movies,
c
omputers, phones, newspapers, streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.), music, plays, books, comic
books, manga, anime, magazines, podcasts, language learning programs, graphic t-shirts with terms.
No
te: “Media” or “technology” are not acceptable.
B. Explain how terms diffuse spatially through EACH of the following processes. 3 points (1 + 1 + 1)
Note: Definitions alone are not acceptable; response must explain spread of the term(s):
1. Relocation: a person who uses a term moves to a new location and continues to use the term in the new
l
ocation, OR a form of media, in which a term is used, is relocated to a new place and the term is used in the new
location.
2. Contagious: an individual uses, or individuals use, the new word and then acquaintances (or those in close
p
roximity to them) begin to use the word as well.
3. Hierarchical: celebrities start to use the new word and then it spreads to others down the social hierarchy OR
p
eople in large cities start to use the word and then the word eventually gets to smaller places or media markets,
OR Reverse Hierarchical: minority use of the term spreads up the social ladder to majority group(s).
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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
2018 SCORING GUIDELINES
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Question 3 (continued)
C. Identify and explain TWO barriers to diffusion from the following. 4 points (2 identifications + 2
explanations)
Answers must be from the following, and explanations must match identifications.
Identification Explanation
C1. Distance or physical
b
arriers
Geographical separation or isolation may limit diffusion between innovators and
receivers of new words or terms.
C2. Age barriers
Generation gap; older people may be more resistant to adopt new words or
t
erms.
C3. Linguistic barriers
Popular words or terms don’t translate readily to other languages; people act to
p
reserve or protect their language from external influence.
C4. Religious barriers
Religious rules or laws may prevent the use of foreign language or popular
c
ulture words or terms; rules or law that restrict behaviors described by the
words or terms.
C5. Political barriers
Internet or media censorship in some countries, language protection laws to ban
f
oreign-language media that use new words or terms.
C6. Folk or local culture
Desire to cling to traditions, or reject new forms of language, media, or
t
echnology that include new words or terms.
C7. Ethnic culture
The desire to maintain distinctiveness, or identities may insulate groups from
ce
rtain media that include new words or terms.
C8. Social class barriers
Those with limited access to a form of media or technology will be less likely to
ha
ve exposure to certain new words; a rejection of another group’s words or
terms.
C9. Economic barriers
May limit access to media, celebrities, movies, and expensive media, which use
n
ew words or terms.
C10. Regulatory barriers
Import laws (customs), trade agreements, media contracts, or media providers
d
elay the diffusion of popular culture, which includes new words or terms.
.
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© 2018 The College Board.
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AP
®
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
2018 SCORING COMMENTARY
© 2018 The College Board.
Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
Question 3
Overview
This question hits multiple parts of Unit III., Cultural Patterns and Processes. Students were expected to “explain
th
e diffusion of culture and cultural traits through time and space,” especially language. They need to be able to
differentiate between the different “types of diffusion [that] include expansion (contagious, hierarchical, stimulus)
and relocation.” They learn to “compare and contrast popular and folk culture and the geographic patterns
associated with each.” The AP Human Geography course prepares students to “explain how globalization is
influencing cultural interactions and change.”
This was not the “diffusion question,” just like it was not the “pop culture question” or the “language question.”
Part A asked students to identify two specific means by which new expressions in popular culture are diffused
globally. Part B asked students to explain how expressions diffuse via three specific processes. Part C asked
students to explain two barriers to diffusions of expressions. This was an applied question that dealt with various
topics in Unit III. Skill-wise, this question had the students (1) apply knowledge from one part of Unit III to
another and (2) think critically about linguistic diffusion in a new globalized context, which is quite different from
the way that it is discussed in the textbooks.
Overall there were three types of student responses: (1) those that demonstrated very little knowledge about
dif
fusion; (2) those that demonstrated knowledge of diffusion but failed to apply that knowledge to answer the
question that was asked; and (3) those that demonstrated knowledge and applied that knowledge to answer the
question.
Sample: 3A
Score: 8
In part A the response earned 1 point for correctly identifying social media and celebrities as two specific means
of t
he global diffusion of new words or terms in popular culture.
In part B the response earned 1 point for describing the relocation diffusion processes of words or terms by
ex
plaining that slang terms may be diffused by someone who uses the terms moving from one area to another
different area and “diffusing the slang and vocabulary to others.” The response earned 1 point in part B for
describing the spread of words or terms through the processes of contagious diffusion as many people may adopt
slang words or terms from other people through online viral videos. The response earned an additional 1 point in
part B for describing that hierarchical diffusion may occur as celebrities use a new word or term and that using
that word or term influences other people who then adopt that same word or term.
In part C the response earned 2 points for correctly identifying folk or local culture as a barrier to diffusion and
ex
plaining that folk and local cultures may avoid using technologies that deliver popular culture. The response
earned 2 additional points for correctly identifying political issues as a barrier to diffusion and explaining that
“some countries, like North Korea, ban technology” and “others believe the United States is dominating world
culture and ban access to news and television from the US.”
Sample: 3B
Score:
6
In part A the response earned 1 point for correctly identifying the internet and social media as two means for
dif
fusing terms in popular culture.
AP
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HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
2018 SCORING COMMENTARY
Question 3 (continued)
In part B the response earned 1 point for describing the relocation diffusion process as words or terms move via
people moving from one country to another. The response earned 1 point in part B for describing hierarchical
diffusion as a process by which a popular person, such as a celebrity, uses a word or term, and then others begin
to use the same word or term. The description for the process of contagious diffusion did not earn a point
because the description is about diseases and not words or terms.
In part C the response earned 2 points for correctly identifying folk or local culture as a barrier to diffusion and for
explaining that folk and local cultures may not accept new words or terms as they may not fit with their customs
or traditions. The response earned 1 point by correctly identifying a linguistic barrier to diffusion. The response
did not earn the second point as the response does not provide an explanation, but simply states the words or
terms are difficult to diffuse.
Sample: 3C
Score: 3
In part A the response earned 1 point for correctly identifying the internet and people in power as two specific
m
eans of the global diffusion of new words or terms in popular culture.
In part B the response earned 1 point for describing the processes of contagious diffusion as a group using a
word or term, and then others nearby begin to adopt and use the same word or term. The response earned an
additional 1point in part B for describing hierarchical diffusion as a process where a person in power, such as a
celebrity, uses a word or term, and then their followers begin using the same word or term. The response did not
earn a point in part B for relocation diffusion, as the description provided is general to culture and not specific
regarding words or terms.
In part C the response earned no points as no barriers to the diffusion of terms are identified, and no explanations
are provided. The response provided is nonspecific.
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