Krugman’s Economics for AP®, Second Edition

To the Student

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How to Get the Most from This Program

The AP^® Economics course represents a wonderful opportunity for high school students to be challenged by the rigor of a college-level course, while learning life-relevant concepts from the discipline of economics. We understand the unique challenges of teaching and learning AP^® Economics and have designed this book and its support program to be the most effective possible resources to help you succeed in AP^® Economics.

Intent on promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of AP^® Economics courses, we started with the best available college-level introduction to economics—Krugman and Wells’ Economics, second and third editions. We knew these would be the best foundation for an AP^® adaptation. Our goal was to retain the features of Economics that make it a winner, while crafting it to closely follow the AP^® syllabus and speak to a high school audience. Krugman’s Economics for AP^®, second edition, is designed to be easy to read and easy to use. Our hope is that you will find our explanations clear and concise, and that you will enjoy reading the book.

What’s New in this Edition?

This book is your ultimate tool for success in the AP^® Economics courses. With this in mind, the second edition features improvements to the organization and presentation of content, as well as to our system of supporting student learning and preparation for the AP^® Exam. For a visual walk-through of the features of the book, please see page xxiv.

More AP^®-focused elements and study aids

AP^® exam tips, found in the margin throughout the text, provide invaluable advice on where you should focus, how to avoid pitfalls, and how to be successful in the course and on the exam. These “on-the-spot” reminders help you avoid common mistakes.
More AP^® exam practice is provided through an increased number of multiple-choice and free-response questions (FRQs) at the end of each module and section. These assessments not only test you on the material you learned in the module, but also mimic AP^® questions to train you on what you will see on the exam. The open-ended, conceptual FRQs help familiarize you with the kind of synthesis skills you’ll need to master the exam.
Full-length AP^®-style practice examinations are included at the end of the text to ensure you have nailed down the content and are ready to tackle the real test in May.

New video clips to help you study and review

Economics videos available on the Internet can be both entertaining and educational. For a complete list of these videos, look for econextras video links on the Book Companion Site at bcs.worthpublishers.com/KrugmanAP2e.

Module “Flip It” Concept Videos are short, concise videos that explain a key concept covered in a module, such as the Production Possibilities Curve in Module 3 and Comparative Advantage in Module 4. Each video is short, focused, and funny. These Internet videos offer simple examples to underscore the concepts and give lots of practice in reading and interpreting graphs—skills that are important on the AP^® Exam.
Section Review Videos provide a great review of the key concepts in a section. These longer videos focus on explaining the big picture ideas, key graphs, and common mistakes/pitfalls for the section. Watching the Section Review Video is a smart way to make sure you understand the key ideas in the section.

What Continues?

Perhaps the most important feature is what has been left unchanged from the first edition. We adhere to the general approach of Krugman’s balanced and proven Economics text:

“To achieve deeper levels of understanding of the real world through economics, students must learn to appreciate the kinds of trade-offs and ambiguities that economists and policy makers face when applying their models to real-world problems. We believe this approach will make students more insightful and more effective participants in our common economic, social, and political lives.”

Alignment with the College Board^® Topic Outline

We have organized the book to match up with the College Board’s Topic Outlines for AP^® Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, so you can be sure you are receiving the best possible preparation for the AP^® exam. Where the outline has recommended coverage within specific sections, you can be sure that you will find that coverage. You can find a guide correlating each module with its equivalent College Board course description topic on the front endpaper of this text.

A flexible modular approach

This book is arranged by sections that correspond to the AP^® Topic Outline. Each section is divided into four to seven modules. Each module breaks the course material into a pedagogically appropriate unit that is designed to be covered in one class period. This organization takes you through the required AP^® course material in a sequence and at a pace designed for optimal success.

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Effective study aids

Learning Objectives establish measurable goals for each module and help you direct your reading.
Module Reviews allow you to practice what you’ve learned with AP^®-style questions. These reviews help you determine your mastery of each module so you can decide if you’re ready to move on or need more study.
Section Reviews include detailed summaries of each module as well as page-referenced Key Terms and AP^®-style multiple-choice and free-response questions.

Additional Resources to Optimize Productivity

Downloadable e-Book

This PDF-style e-Book matches the printed book page for page and is optimized for use on Windows or Apple computers, laptops, and tablets.
Strive for a 5: Preparing for the AP^® Macroeconomics and Microeconomics Exams

The Strive for a 5 guides are designed for use with Krugman’s Economics for AP^®, second edition. They are written to help you evaluate your understanding of the material covered in the textbook, reinforce the key concepts, develop conceptual understanding and graphing skills, and prepare you to succeed on the AP^® Macroeconomics and Microeconomics Exams. The guides are divided into two sections: a study guide and a test preparation section. The study guides are written to be used throughout the course, while the prep section offers additional AP^® test strategies and includes two full-length AP^®-style practice exams—each with 60 multiple-choice questions and three free-response questions.

Turn the page for a tour of the text. Once you know how to use the book properly, you will be more likely to realize success in the course and on the AP^® exam!

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