AP Multiple ChoiceAP Multiple ChoiceAP Multiple ChoiceAP Multiple Choice

English Language and English Language and CompositionComposition

What should I expect?• Section I = 40-60 mc in 1 hour over 4 to 5

prose passages (expect non-fiction)• College level/not easy/not all

American/different purposes• Self-contained (i.e., you do not have to

know the context or background)• Basic biblical and mythological allusions are expected

Strong Analytical Skills• Follow sophisticated syntax• Respond to diction• Be comfortable with upper level vocab• Be familiar with rhetorical terminology• Make inferences• Be sensitive to irony and tone• Recognize components of organization and style• Be familiar with modes of discourse and

rhetorical strategies

Begin by looking for• Length of selections• Time periods and writing styles• Number of questions asked• Types of questions• Do all of this in a minute or two• Skim questions briefly to get about

5 ideas to look for when reading

Timing• 1 hour (12-15 minutes per passage)

– 10 minutes to read the passage

– 5 minutes to answer all the questions • Keep a watch in front of you• Does not get progressively harder• Read passage carefully first; just skim

questions• Slow down and read with all of your

senses (refrain from licking your paper, however)

Passage Reading Tips• Underline, circle, highlight (active reading)• Pay close attention to punctuation, syntax,

diction, pacing, organization• Read as if aloud, emphasize meaning and

intent hear those words in your head• Use you finger to underscore each line• Use all info including title, footnotes, author,

date• Look for organizational and rhetorical devices• Look for thematic lines and details• Practice reading aloud like this (1.5 min/page)

Reading Tips• Do your best to answer all questions from one

passage before moving on• Try to get the main point without getting

bogged down in unfamiliar diction• Visualize while you read (movie)• Paraphrase/put ideas in your own words by

paragraph• Read questions carefully after passage• Leave most difficult questions for the end of

each section

Reading Archaic Prose (17th and 18th century writers)

• As you read, think about where paragraphs might go – split it up in your mind

• Treat colons and semicolons as periods– Get a handle on thought divisions because

of long, sentences with complex ideas

• Look for extended metaphors— common

Practice• Hints about wrong answers

– Contradictory to the passage– Irrelevant or not addressed in passage– Unreasonable– Too general or specific– Only half correct (something and something) – Buzz words – Right words/wrong concept – Right concept/wrong words– Often, anything said by authorities (parent,

teacher, clergy, *esp. anything that sounds like what an English teacher would say is wrong

)

Types of Questions• Straightforward

– The passages is an example of a ____ type of essay. (c. comparison/contrast)

– The pronoun it refers to (b. his gait)

Types of Questions• Interpretation of lines or draw

conclusions– Lines 52-57 serve to (a. reinforce the

author’s thesis)

Types of Questions• All . . . Except requiring the reader to

consider every possibility– The AP English Language and Composition

exam is all of the following except– A. given in May of each year.– B. open to high school students.– C. published in the New York Times.– D. used as a qualifier for college credit.– E. is a three hour test.

Types of Questions• Inference or abstraction of a

concept not directly stated in the passage– In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”,

the reader can infer that the speaker is (e. religious).

Types of Questions• Roman numerals

– In the passage “night” refers toI. The death of the young womanII. A pun on Sir William’s titleIII. The end of the affairA. I onlyB. I and IIC. I and IIID. II and IIIE. I, II, and III

Questions about Rhetoric

• The shift in point of view has the effect of• The syntax of lines ___ to ___ serves to• The second sentence is unified by

metaphorical references to• The antecedent for ___ is• The third sentence remains coherent because

of the use of• The style of the passage can best be

characterized as• Lines ___ and ___ are parallel such as

Author’s Meaning and Purpose

• Which of the following best identifies the meaning of

• Which of the following best describes the author’s purpose

• The main purpose of ___ is to make clear

• In context, which of the following meanings are contained in

Questions about the main idea

• The theme of the second paragraph is• The speaker’s attitude is best described as one of • In context, the sentence ___ is best interpreted as• The atmosphere or tone is one of• Which of the following would the author least

likely • Which of the following is true about the various

assertions made in the passage• All of the following ideas may be found in the

passage except

Questions aboutOrganization and

Structure• The quotation ___ signals a shift from• The speaker’s mention of ___ is appropriate to the

development of her argument by• The type of argument employed by the author is most

similar to which of the following• The speaker describes ___ in an order best described as

moving from • The relationship between ___ and ___ is explained

primarily by the use of• The author’s discussion depends on which of the

following structures• Which of the following best describes the function of

the third paragraph in relation to the preceding two?

Questions about Rhetorical Modes

• The pattern of exposition exemplified in the passage

• The author’s use of description is appropriate because

• Which of the following best describes the author’s method

• Because the author uses expository format, he is able to

Strategies for Answering

• Work in order• Mark up exam booklet• Do not spend too much time on one question• Length of selection does not relate to difficulty• Work within the context; don’t fight the

question or passage• Consider all the choices in a given question• Maintain an open mind about a contradictory

answer• All parts of the answer must be correct• Go back to text when in doubt

Specific Techniques• Process of elimination

– Any that are obviously wrong– Those which are too narrow or broad– Illogical choices– Synonymous answers– Answers which cancel each other out– If two answers are close find the general

one that contains all aspects of the question or one limited enough to provide the correct detail

Specific Techniques• Substitution/Fill-in

– Rephrase using a blank– Find the one that is the best fit

• Using Context– Use when directed to a specific place in the

text– Read the sentences before and after the

reference for clues

Specific Techniques• Anticipation

– Mark details and ideas that you would ask questions about on the first reading

• Intuition– Trust your own knowledge from the

past

Time Running Out• Scan remaining questions and look

for– Shortest questions/point to a line

• Look for specific detail/definition questions

• Look for self-contained questions– “The jail sentence was a bitter winter for

his plan” is an example of (c. analogy)

Guessing• A wrong answer = ¼ of a point• Try to answer every question

based on educated guess• Blank answers = 0

– so it’s ok to have a few blank answers

Factual Questions• Words refer to• Allusions• Antecedents• Pronoun referents

Technical Questions• Sentence

structure• Style • Grammatical

purpose• Dominant

technique • Imagery

• Point of view• Organization of

passage• Narrative progress

of passage• Conflict• Irony• Function of

Analytical• Rhetorical strategy• Shift in development• Rhetorical stance• Style• Metaphor• Comparison/contrast• Cause/effect• Argument

• Description• Narration• Specific-general• Characterization• Imagery• Passage is primarily

concerned with• Function of

Inferential• Effect of diction• Tone• Inferences• Effect of

description• Effect on reader• Narrator’s attitude

• Image suggests• Effect of detail• Author implies• Author most

concerned with• Symbol