Five Points for AP English Language Review

Five Points for AP English Language Review

Overall

1. Get a good night’s sleep.
2. Eat breakfast!  Yes, there are extensive studies to prove that students score higher on tests if they eat breakfast. Why do you think the school serves free breakfast to juniors before exit exams?
3. Get to the test site early so you have time to calm down and prepare for the test.
4. Use the entire allotted time on the test. Don’t finish early. Go back and look at difficult multiple-choice questions or proofread, edit, and revise essays. Ignore other students who succumb to senioritis and rush through the exam.
5. If a section of the test is extremely difficult, SMILE and persevere because that means you have a much better chance of making a higher score if you charge ahead. Many, many other students will let the test defeat them and skip or rush through difficult sections. Take your time and accept the challenge!

Multiple-Choice

1. How well did you manage time during practice exams? If you had remaining free time at the end of the exams, slow down on the real exam and read each selection twice. If you struggled to finish within the time constraints, it might help you to omit one section of multiple choice and concentrate on the other passages. If you omit a section, omit the oldest section or the section with the fewest number of questions.
2. Don’t forget to read quotations in context. If you are asked a question over lines 32-35 of a text, start reading at least two lines about line 32 and continue reading at least two lines after line 35.
3. Do not allow one question to take too much time. Circle the item and return to it at the end of the test if you have remaining time.
4. Don’t forget that the multiple-choice questions are NOT graded for difficulty. The most difficult question may be #1, and the easiest question may be the final question. Don’t spend so much time on the first section that you never get to easier questions later on the test.
5. Make sure that you look at notes at the end of passages. Often you may learn information about the time period or author that may make the passage easier to comprehend.

Synthesis Question

1. As soon as you receive your packet, write MYAC in big letters across the top of the page:  MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT CENTRAL!  This should help you remember that the readers want to see someone who can have a conversation with the sources. Do not summarize!  That is an easier writing skill. If you summarize all sources, you might have a very good 6-page summary, but your grade will probably be a 4 or lower.
2. Read the introduction and assignment carefully. Some people read only the introduction to the topic and miss the assignment. Make sure you know what you should write about before you begin writing.
3. Pay attention to the minimum number of required sources and make sure you include that many. If you write a splendid essay but do not use enough sources, you cannot receive a grade above a 4.  You do not receive extra points for exceeding the number of sources.
4. Document all sources through lead-ins or parenthetical documentation.
5. Watch the prompt carefully. Are you supposed to take a stand and persuade someone? Are you supposed to look at both sides of an issue? Follow the directions!

Rhetorical Analysis

1. Historically, this is the essay where national averages are lowest; therefore, this is the essay where you can score big points! Spend the full 40 minutes here even if you find the prompt difficult.
2. Write the following words at the top of your rhetorical analysis as soon as you get the green booklet:  TONE, ETHOS (Do we trust the author? Why?)  Pathos (What effect does the passage have on the reader? Why? How does the author do this?) and Logos (How does the author use logic to make his point?). Consider these ideas and see if they fit within the prompt.
3. Read the prompt carefully to determine what you are supposed to do. Are you supposed to explain how the author makes his argument?  If so, tell what he is doing in each section of the passage. Are you supposed to analyze rhetorical devices? If so, choose 2 or 3 and explain what he does and WHY. What effect do these rhetorical devices have on the passage?
4. If you are absolutely lost and have no idea what to do, tell what the author is doing in each paragraph and try to make at least a 5 on the rhetorical analysis. As you dissect and write about each paragraph, you may uncover the idea the readers want you to find. If you then have a flash of understanding, include this understanding in your conclusion.
5. Quote from the passage!  Usually, you will quote only parts of sentences or words. Do not quote large sections of a passage. You do NOT need to cite line numbers.

Open Question

1. Read the prompt carefully so that you know what to do. Are you supposed to look at both sides of an issue or just advance your position? Read carefully!
2. Are you allowed to bring in outside examples? If so, include several scholarly examples. If you have to, you can use personal examples, but the higher scores generally go to students who bring in examples from current events, history, science, politics, etc.
3. Your writing must shine on the open argument question. Use some of the rhetorical devices (repetition, rhetorical questions, figurative language) that you have learned this year.
4. Provide DEPTH to your argument. If you provide only a surface analysis, your grade will be lower. This is why you need to use the full time provided for the test.
5. A longer paper that is well-written and on subject almost always will receive a higher score than a shorter paper. Once again, use the full allotted time for the test!