AP Lit & Comp 5/1 ‘17

1.Score multiple choice test

2.Ten commandments of AP Lit

3.Important tips and reminders

4.AP Lit survival kit

The Ten Commandments of AP Lit

• I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other

Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt

attention; the Prompt is thy friend. Thou shalt address the

Prompt. Thou shalt not just get the general idea of the

Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine

own ideas for the Prompt, or simply restate the Prompt.

• Thou shalt not postpone, omit or bury thy Thesis

Statement.

• Thou shalt not commit plot summary, nor shalt though

cohabit with Reading Comprehension, for it is an

abomination in my sight.

The Ten Commandments of AP Lit

• Thou shalt not commit free-floating generalization, but shall

support and develop thy every assertion.

• Thou shalt not confuse complexity with confusion, or subtlety

with indecisiveness or shifting perspective with self-

contradiction; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or

ignorance to authorial ineptitude. The fact that thou gettest not

the point doesn't mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast

missed the point. Deal with it.

• Thou shalt read every MC question with the same exquisite

care that thou devotest to the essay Prompt: thou shalt not 'get

the drift.' By the same token, thou shalt strive to read what the

writer actually wrote, not what thou expectest him or her to

have written.

The Ten Commandments of AP Lit

• Thou shalt not finish early. Thou shalt spend plenty of thy

time planning thine essay responses and reading them

over.

• Thou shalt guess in an educated manner when thou

knowest not the answers.

• Thou shalt not merely identify literary and stylistic devices,

but shalt SHOW how they function.

• Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I

am the prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy

focus, attention and confidence. Yea, though thou hast

totally screwed up thy last essay, this next essay maketh a

fresh start.

THE POETRY ESSAY • 1. Find the heart of the prompt.

• 2. Read the poem SLOWLY, in sentences.

Read to figure out the heart of the prompt

BEFORE you figure out which devices you’ll

discuss. Read the poem more than once.

• 3. Organize your body paragraphs by concepts

(or by devices.) TREXEX

• 4. Use snippets for your examples. LOTS of

them.

• 5. Poem titles go in quotation marks.

THE POETRY ESSAY • 6. Remember that your thesis should address

the heart of the prompt: you can also mention

the devices.

• 7. Try to talk about the poem’s overall meaning

in some way.

• 8. Write a concluding statement that goes in its

own paragraph – make it something new or

insightful – not just a repeat of your thesis.

Connect it to heart of the prompt or overall

meaning.

THE PROSE ESSAY • 1. Find the heart of the prompt.

• 2. Read the passage slowly, annotating carefully

for heart of the prompt and meaning.

• 3. After you’ve figured out how you’ll respond

to the heart of the prompt, choose the devices

you’ll discuss.

• 4. Write a thesis that addresses the heart of the

prompt.

• 5. Organize your body paragraphs by

characteristics rather than devices.

THE PROSE ESSAY • 6. Each body paragraph should be organized by

TREXEX.

• 7. Use direct quotes for your examples and

explain each one thoroughly, connecting it back

to the heart of the prompt.

• 8. Finish with at least one strong, insightful

concluding sentence –don’t repeat the thesis—

say something new that’s connected to the

universality of the heart of the prompt.

FREE RESPONSE ESSAY • 1. Make a task list that includes everything the

prompt wants you to do.

• 2. Choose the work you’ll use and the theme

you’re going to focus on from that work. Then

write a strong thesis (use the “ultimately”

template you’ve memorized.)

• 3. Organize your body paragraphs according to

TREXEX. Blend in lots of specific examples

from the work. Connect each paragraph back to

MOWAW (theme.)

FREE RESPONSE ESSAY • 4. Finish with at least one strong, insightful

concluding sentence –don’t repeat the thesis—

say something new that’s connected to the

universality of the heart of the prompt.

• 5. Book titles are underlined.

• 6. Review your flashcards!

A few lit terms to review:

• Synecdoche (SIN EK DUH KEE)– uses a part of something

to represent the whole

– Examples of synecdoche:

– The word “bread” refers to food or money as in, “Writing

is my bread and butter.”

– The word “suits” refers to businessmen.

Example in literature:

• “The western wave was all a-flame.

The day was well was nigh done!

Almost upon the western wave

Rested the broad bright Sun”

• The “western wave” is a synecdoche as it refers to the sea by

the name of one of its parts i.e. wave.

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A few lit terms to review:

– Synecdoche vs. metonymy

– Synecdoche refers to the whole of a thing by the

name of any one of its parts. For example, calling a

car “wheels” is a synecdoche because a part of a car

“wheels” stands for the whole car.

– In metonymy, the word used to describe another

thing is closely linked to that particular thing, but is

not necessarily a part of it. For example, “crown”

that refers to power or authority is a metonymy

used to replace the word “king” or “queen.” So

metonymy is more of a direct substitute of one term

for another.

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WHAT AP READERS LOOK FOR • 1. Fully develop your essays: try to write at least 2

pages, 2.5 if possible.

• 2. Integrate your quotations gracefully. (1) into your

analysis of literary devices (2) with an interpretation

of meaning. (3) Thoroughly explain the relevance

of the quote to the prompt and your analysis. You

have to interpret its significance to the work, your

thesis, and the prompt. SHOW, don’t tell.

5/1/2017 Free Template from www.brainybetty.com 13

WHAT AP READERS LOOK FOR • 3. Spend time planning your essay (10 minutes), and find some

angle, within the heart of the prompt, that you feel passionate

about, whether emotionally, intellectually, or philosophically

(passion moves readers).

• 4. If the prompt refers to “literary devices” or any other

technical aspects of the work, ignore the reference and ask first,

“What is the heart of the prompt? THEN, ask “How is that

message delivered?” At this point, the devices should suggest

themselves in a context in which the technicalities of the work

will be seen to create its effectiveness rather than obscuring its

power.

5/1/2017 Free Template from www.brainybetty.com 14

• They require only a surface reading, not a close

understanding.

• They are simplistic—they have less depth.

• They give generalizations when specificity is

required.

• They are unrelated to the question.

• They are unrelated to the material of the passage.

• One part of the answer is correct, but not the

other.

Wrong M/C answer choices follow patterns

• 1 – Best answer (most defensible)

• 1 – Also correct (but not as defensible or correct as

the best answer)

• 2 – Will be plausible but not truly possible

• 1 – Will be a misread: an answer that supports a

misreading of the passage. Sometimes this can be

a pronoun/antecedent error. Simply substitute the

noun for the pronoun to eliminate distracters.

Remember common answer options:

Poetry prompt reminders

• Remember to take the time to annotate the poem or poems, before you write the essay. Look for deeper meaning (what is the poem saying about life (or whatever subject it’s addressing)? Heart of the prompt

• Then, for each element you discuss, connect how the element helps the author get to this meaning. This is what the readers are looking for!

• Do not say “narrator.” Refer to the poem’s main character as the speaker.

• Refer to the author as the poet.

• Poem titles are in quotation marks

• Cite lines of poetry in snippets to PROVE how the author is showing meaning. Try to include three snippets (at least) per paragraph (or per element.)

PROSE prompt reminders • Box, circle or underline the key words in the prompt. Make sure

you address these things in your essay. Find the heart of the

prompt.

• Read the passage slowly and carefully. Actually form the words

with your mouth, so you can “hear” the reading in your head.

• Remember to take the time to annotate as you’re reading. Use

brackets around paragraphs, underline or box things, etc. before

you write the essay. Look for HOW the author is using literary

devices to accomplish characterization or convey meaning. This is

what the readers are looking for!

• Excerpts from novels are underlined. Short story titles go in

quotes.

• Refer to the author by first and last name, then by last name only.

• Cite lines from the passage in snippets to PROVE how the author

is creating characterization or showing meaning.

• 1. You MUST discuss MOWAW (meaning of the work as a whole). If you don’t do this, your score drops to a 5.

• 2. You MUST discuss which techniques the author uses to portray the MOWAW.

• 3. You need specific textual support. You won’t be able to use quotes, but you need to give specific examples from the work (so a specific character’s actions, a specific scene, a specific event, etc.)

• 4. You must have a clear thesis. Don’t repeat the prompt word-for-word. Use the thesis template we learned. Try to add a little of your own style and flair. Thesis goes in the first paragraph (or is your first paragraph exclusively).

• 5. Circle or box key words and tasks in the prompt. You MUST address all parts of the prompt. Failure to do so, again, drops your score to a 5.

• 6. This essay prompt is all about theme. What methods does the author use to convey meaning (MOWAW)? Use the thesis statement formula we learned in class earlier this year.

Must haves for the open quest.

• 7. This essay is all about showcasing your analysis abilities. Do NOT summarize the plot. The person who scores your essay will be familiar with the work you’re using.

• 8. Organize clearly in paragraphs. Best bet? A brief intro or just your thesis with mention of theme. Paragraph 1 = discuss first example/technique and relate to theme. Paragraph 2 = discuss second example and relate to theme. Paragraph 3 = discuss third example and relate to theme. You need at least a concluding statement. A brief concluding paragraph is better, one in which you reiterate which methods the author uses to make meaning.

• 9. If specific literary techniques are given in the prompt, address ALL of them with concrete examples. If the choice is yours, choose the most sophisticated ones possible.

• 10. Punctuation and handwriting count. Underline book titles and pay attention to detail. WRITE IN PRESENT TENSE.

• 11. Use ALL the time given. Proofread closely, if time allows.

Must haves for the OEQ

• Here is a formula for writing a thesis statement that ironically won't read as formulaic. This model provides is a thesis statement which is sophisticated, in-depth, and complex. MEMORIZE THIS FORMULA!

In the ___________________ __________________________________,

(name the specific genre) (title of text punctuated correctly)

• _________________ _______________________ ________________, ______________________

• (author’s full name) (reflects upon, examines, or other powerful verb) (idea, issue or problem) highlighting the tension between _______________ and __________________,

• (central opposition) (central opposition)

• ultimately revealing _______________________________.

• (THEME – statement about the human condition that transcends setting.)

• *Note how this formula identifies the central topic, recognizes complexity, and states theme--an ideal combination, as the AP Lit exam is all about complexity.

Thesis formula

• Watch a funny video or two right before you head into the test.

• Dress in layers and stay hydrated. Bring water with you in a sealed bottle or cup.

• Drink the same amount of caffeine you would normally have prior to the exam (no more or no less.)

• Eat breakfast that is high in protein. Even an Egg McMuffin would be good.

• Bring a high protein snack

• Bring extra pencils and pens and a watch with no alarm.

• Believe in yourself! You have prepped for this all year and know more than you think.

GENERAL REMINDERS

• I feel very confident about your abilities and the

likelihood of you performing well on the exam.

• If I believe in you, you should definitely believe

in you!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

• Review your mini data works sheets and the

practice OEQ prompts we filled out.

• Maybe read through the OEQ prompts.

• Look through the sample prose prompts

online. Read and annotate a few passages and

jot down how you would write the essay.

• Perhaps do a few M/C questions on

Learnerator.

• Review verb/tone/lit term flashcards on

Classroom. SPICY VERBS

TONIGHT & TUES NIGHT