AP Lang Exam the Final Tips

AP Lang Exam the Final Tips

AP Lang Exam… the Final Tips!

45% of your score comes from the multiple choice

55% of your score comes from the written responses

FYI: 7% of students taking the AP Lang exam score a 5

20% score a 4

MULTIPLE CHOICE TIPS:

Read the passage carefully and then work through the questions – it might be helpful to put an asterisk (*) by the questions that are easy but time consuming and a double asterisk (**) by questions that are hard

The College Board seems to like questions about antithesis and the shift (in tone, style, etc)

One last type of MC we didn’t talk about much … the footnote or bibliographical info type. Use the following footnotes to answer the following questions.

______

1John F. Kasson, Civilizing the Machine: Technology and Republican Values in America 1776-1900 (New York: Grossman Publishers, The Viking Press, 1976), Chapter 4, “The Aesthetics of Machinery,” pp. 139-180.

2”Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition,” Engineering (26 May 1876), p. 427, cited by Kasson, see note 1 above.

3”The International Exhibition of 1876,” Scientific American Supplement (17 June 1876), p. 386, cited by Kasson, see note 1 above.

4Richard Guy Wilson, Dianne H. Pilgrim, Dixsran Tashjian, The Machine Age in America 1918-1941(New York: The Brooklyn Museum in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1986), p. 85.

  1. Which of the following is an accurate reading of footnote 2?
  2. An article by John F. Kasson appears on page 427 of Engineering.
  3. “Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition” was published in New York.
  4. The article “Engineering” can be found on page 427 of “Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition.”
  5. “Machine Tools at the Philadelphia Exhibition” is an article published in the May 26, 1876, issue of Engineering.
  6. Engineering is an article cited by John F. Kasson.
  1. The purpose of footnote 4 is to inform the reader that the quotation in line 49
  2. has been attributed to three different designers
  3. was first cited in 1918
  4. was the inspiration for an exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum
  5. is in an article in The Machine Age in America 1918-1941 written by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
  6. appears in a book written by Wilson, Pilgrim, and Tashjian and published in 1986
  1. Taken as a whole, the footnotes suggest that
  2. the author of the passage wants the text to present highly technical material
  3. the author of the passage relies heavily on Kasson’s book
  4. very little was written about the topic of machinery and ornamentation prior to 1976
  5. engineering magazine are an essential source for technical writers
  6. except in rare cases, it is best to use the latest published work when documenting an idea or concept

ESSAY TIPS:

STAY CALM and organize your thoughts

If you MUST discuss syntax and diction PLEASE give an adjective describing it AND RELATE IT TO THE THEME/ MESSAGE/ POINT of the text

Have a point!!! – DO NOT ramble! – DO NOT rant!

Pick a side and STICK WITH IT!

Relating a personal anecdote can really “sell” your essay to the reader

Even if you don’t have time to do a real conclusion, have some sort of a wrap up, even if it is just a sentence or two!

Let YOUR VOICE come through in the paper; that is the mark of a mature writer.

BE SURE you understand the passage you are responding to; let your understanding guide your analysis of the rhetoric

All of these ask basically the same thing…

  1. “How does the author use language”
  2. “Analyze how the author crafts the text to reveal….”
  3. “Evaluate the techniques XXX uses to….”
  4. “Analyze the rhetorical strategies used to achieve the purpose”
  5. “Discuss how the distinctive style reveals the purpose”

Keep in mind that the reader is really looking for these things:

Basic sentence structure (it should be varied)

Solid vocabulary usage (review your cards)

A mature voice

Basic grammar

Respond to the prompt

They WILL remember that this is a rough draft

SYNTHESIS QUESTION:

Use AT LEAST 3 of the sources

Use BOTH direct quotes and indirect references

CITE WHAT YOU USE

“the STUDENT’S argument MUST be central” to the paper with source material “sprinkled in” to support it.

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