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AP English Test Information

English Literature: Two Parts, Three Hours
Part 1: Part 2:
 * 50-60 multiple-choice questions based on a series of prose passages and poems (two passages are prose, two are poetry) that represent three or four different periods and include the work of a female or minority writer.
 * One hour to complete
 * Begins with difficult passage and difficult question about the difficult passage - then goes into (SLIGHTLY) easier question(s).
 * When analyzing poetry, consider:
 * Who is the speaker?
 * What is the structure/rhyme scheme?
 * What is the theme?
 * Are the grammar/meaning clear?
 * What are the images/figures of speech?
 * Analyze the diction
 * Similies, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc.?
 * Diction/word usage
 * Tone, literary devices, metrics
 * For example: Which best describes the major structural divisions of the poem? The main verb of the first grammatically complete sentence is...? The metaphor used in the first line of the poem compares English to...?
 * When analyzing prose, consider:
 * genre
 * narrator
 * subject
 * structure
 * style
 * For example: As it is used in line 2, the word ___ can be best understood to mean...? The tone of the passage is best described as...? The speaker's choice of verbs in the paragraph is to stress the...?
 * Three essays: one on prose, one on poetry, and one free-response, which will allow you to choose an appropriate novel or play to answer the prompt.
 * Two hours to complete
 * ANSWER THE PROMPT (AP stands for this...haha...)
 * Answer all parts of the question on the exam.
 * Introductory/concluding paragraphs are NOT necessary!
 * Assume that the reader is smart enough to figure it out.
 * Tell the reader that you UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION, UNDERSTAND THE PASSAGE, and CAN WRITE AN ESSAY DEMONSTRATING THE MASTERY.
 * Identify attitude, state of mind, or tone.
 * Samples:
 * The following passage is the opening of a novel. Read it carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the speaker conveys her attitude to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, paying special attention to the diction, figurative language, and tone.
 * Notice - "how" not "what"
 * what is the attitude, how does she convey the attitude?
 * The author of the following letter questions the traditional distinctions between comedy and tragedy. Read the passage carefully. Then write a cohesive essay in which you discuss his agreement and disagreement with the definitions of other writers and the literary devices he employs to justify his definitions of the two dramatic forms.
 * The passage that follows presents the conversation of a man and woman looking back on forty years of marriage. Write an essay in which you discuss the differences between the husband's and wife's attitude toward marriage and the family. Explain how the author uses the resources of language to make a reader more sympathetic to the wife's point of view than to the husband's.

English Language: Two Parts, Three Hours and Fifteen Minutes - [[file:coxenglish/AP Language Practice Test.pdf|AP Language Practice Test.pdf]]
Part 1: Multiple-Choice Part 2: Free Response Questions (FRQs)
 * 55 multiple-choice questions based on series of prose passages (different sources, rhetorical modes {argument, cause & effect}, historical or literary periods, and disciplines) - analyzing the passage's style, content, and rhetoric.
 * One hour to complete
 * Test your ability to analyze prose passages
 * Three essays: analysis, argument, synthesis (40 minutes each)
 * Two hours and fifteen minutes to complete
 * Demonstrate your ability to...
 * analyze how an author's rhetoric and style create meaning, based on one given reading passage
 * analyze an author's key point(s) in a given passage and create an argumentative essay that discusses the validity of the author's message
 * synthesize an argument of your own, based on multiple given passages/sources, all dealing with similar subject matter

What is rhetorical criticism? - from College Board
Rhetorical criticism is the analytical method underlying a substantial part of the AP English Language course. Using the methods of rhetorical criticism, a student examines a discourse in context, paying attention to its situation, purpose, and audience, and observing how the writer or speaker controls the context with language. Rhetorical criticism is a highly empowering tool for high school students because they can apply it to the world of language and communication that surrounds them. Historically, rhetoric has been the study of persuasion. What makes a discourse persuasive? One of the most challenging breakthroughs an AP English Language student needs to experience is discovering how writers not only say things, but also do things. The study of rhetorical criticism helps us understand what is being done to us when we listen and read.

AP Tests - I still don't know which one to take!
Go to SparkNotes Test Prep and create an account (if you don't have one already!) (You may have to click on a test/subject in order to be prompted to create an account.) Once you have created an account, go back to the SparkNotes AP site to take a diagnostic test (choose either Language or Literature - the order does not matter as you will be taking both!) From College Board: The principal academic activity in the AP English Language course is rhetorical criticism. In the AP English Literature course, it is literary criticism. For that reason, the primary texts for AP English Language are writings found in real-world communicative contexts, while the primary texts for AP English Literature come from the literary canon. Of course, these categories overlap. Literary works often have functional effects, and functional discourse often makes use of imaginative and artistic language. But in general, the works studied in an AP English Language course are nonfiction or the literature of fact. It should be a comfortable course for bright students who may not have a passion for literature but who can appreciate the power of language in a broad range of non-literary contexts.

AP Tests - What to do on Exam Day: What to Bring

 * Several sharpened No. 2 pencils (with erasers) for all multiple-choice answer sheets.
 * Black or dark-blue ballpoint pens for free-response questions in most exams.
 * Your school code. (If you are a homeschooled student, you will be given a code at the time of the exam.)
 * A watch (in case your exam room does not have a clock that you can see easily).
 * Your social security number for identification purposes. (If you provide it, the number will appear on your AP Grade Reports.)
 * An AP-authorized calculator if you're taking an AP Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Physics, or Statistics Exam.
 * A ruler or straightedge if you're taking an AP Physics Exam.
 * A photo I.D. if you do not attend the school where you are taking the exam.

AP Tests - What to do on Exam Day: What NOT to Bring

 * Books, compasses, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes.
 * Rulers and straightedges (except as noted above).
 * Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets).
 * Typewriting equipment, computers (except as noted for students with disabilities), or calculators (except as noted above).
 * Watches that beep or have an alarm.
 * Portable listening or recording devices -- even with headphones -- or photographic equipment.
 * Beepers, cellular phones, MP3 players, or personal digital assistants (PDAs).
 * Clothing (t-shirts, for example) with subject-related information.

Guessing on the Exams/Exam Scoring
Beginning with the May 2011 AP Exam administration, there will be a change to the way AP Exams are scored. Total scores on the multiple-choice section will be based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points will no longer be deducted for incorrect answers and, as always, no points will be awarded for unanswered questions.

Scores on the multiple-choice sections of the AP Exams are based on the number of questions answered correctly minus a fraction of the number of questions answered incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for unanswered questions. For questions with five answer choices, one-fourth of a point is subtracted for every wrong answer. For questions with four answer choices, one-third of a point is deducted for every wrong answer. Thus, random guessing is unlikely to raise or lower your grade. However, if you have SOME knowledge of the question, and can eliminate one or more answer choices, informed guessing from among the remaining choices is usually to your advantage.

Links:
AP English Literature: Study Skills - Reading AP English Literature: Study Skills - Writing AP English Literature: Sample Questions & Scoring Guidelines AP English Language: Study Skills - Reading AP English Language: Study Skills - Writing AP English Language: Sample Questions & Scoring Guidelines Most Frequently Cited Works on Literature Test