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AP English Language & Composition Test Preparation Guide

"Soon you will take a test. The test doesn't think you're smart enough. The test doesn't think you're bright enough. The test doesn't think you have what it takes. That you don't belong in the same room with it. And the test doesn't think you're good-looking, either. PROVE IT WRONG! Show yourself to be a man. Study. Prepare. Seek guidance. And on that day, dress with style. Slick back your hair. Walk confidently into the room, and face it down. Dominate." --Anonymous  

Students: Please explore the links and files at the bottom of the page. The file "AP Test Prep" contains my strategy suggestions heading into the exam.  

IMPORTANT: On the left margin, explore the links under "Literary Tools." Three sublinks will show: Literary Terms, Sentence Structure, and Punctuation. There will also be sublinks under these headings. Most, if not all, of the terms listed below appear within those pages. Any of the terms given could appear on the AP English Language exam. The list given below is a recommended study sheet provided by the CollegeBoard but is not necessarily inclusive.

What are "rhetorical strategies"?

Consider the following:
1. Figurative language (e.g., metaphors, similes)
2. Analogies (or comparisons in general)
3. Emotional Appeals (how does the writer target the audience's emotions?)
4. Logical Appeals (how does the writer target the audience's intelligence?)
5. Attempts to establish credibility
6. Use of repetition (if they repeat it often enough, people tend to believe it)
7. Diction (note patterns of words)
8. Standout sentences (that is, sentences designed to grab your attention)
9. Tone (consider how effective sarcasm can be)
10. Cause-effect argumentation (if this happens, then....)
11. Addressing the opposition
12. Use of historical precedents (this falls under analogies but is worth noting separately)
13. Contrast (sometimes a writer best shows his position by contrasting it to another, weaker view)
14. Selection of Detail (remember, the person making the argument chooses what you see and don't see)

Remember the Keys to AP Writing!

Rhetorical Analyses:

Subject
Occasion
Audience
Purpose
You can do it!

Specific Examples
How does the writer's choice affect the reader/listener?
Rhetorical modes: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Explain the writer's intent
Why does the writer think the reader/listener's opinion will be changed?

For Persuasive Arguments:

Specific thesis/specific examples
Hook the reader
Address the opposition
Don't fence sit!
Explain how and/or why your examples prove your thesis
Show attitude!


IMPORTANT:

For those who tend to score 4's and 5's on their essays, perhaps the key to last minute improvement is commentary. In commentary, the writer explains HOW or WHY the given evidence supports or proves his or her point. Commentary explains WHY the analyzed writer chose to use certain rhetorical strategies.

Simply having extended commentary improves most papers. The absence or limitedness of commentary results in low scores, as the writer never bothers to explain his or her thinking.

To better your commentary, consider using the following phrases after your examples:

From this example, one can.....
This shows that....
By this, the author.....
The intended effect of this.....
The reader (or audience) would.....

Whatever follows such phrases is analysis that explains HOW or WHY the state evidence proves the author's point, or supports the writer's ideas.

Papers scoring a 4 or less do not show adequate understanding. In other words, the commentary in 4's (or less) is nonexistant, not fully explained, or flat out wrong.

Key Terms:

The following essential terms have been taken from an Official AP Prep guide. The test writers expect you to know them. Use the links in the Literary Terms Section of this website to compile definitions.

Ad hominem argument
allegory
alliteration
allusion
ambiguity
analogy
antecedent
aphorism
apostrophe
atmosphere
clause
colloqualism
conceit
connotation
denotation
diction
didactic
euphemism
extended metaphor
figurative language
figure of speech
generic conventions
genre
homily
hyperbole
imagery
inference
invective
irony (including verbal irony, situational irony, dramatic irony)
loose sentence
metaphor
metonomy
mood
narrative
onomatopoeia
oxymoron
paradox
parallelism
parody
pedantic
periodic sentence
personification
point of view (first person, third person, omniscient narrator, limited-third person)
predicate adjectives
predicate nominative
prose
repetition
rhetoric
rhetorical modes (exposition, argumentatiion, description, narration)
rhetorical question
sarcasm
satire
simile
style
subject complement
subordinate clause
syllogism
symbolism
syntax
theme
thesis
tone
transition
understatement
wit

Also know the following terms that appear on the essay section:

attitude (or tone)
concrete detail
descriptive detail
devices
language
narrative devices
narrative technique
persuasive devices
persuasive essay
resources of language
rhetorical features
sentence structure
stylistic devices

Writing Advice from an Official AP Scorer (doc file)
These comments, written in 2007, shed light on what AP graders are looking for in your essay.

Advice from the Chief AP Reader (doc file)
More advice, this time from the person who oversees the writing and scoring of the exam.

Official AP English Course Description (pdf file)
This file, written by the CollegeBoard, details the AP English course programs and include practice materials, answer keys, and model essays.

AP Rhetoric (pdf file)
This document details what students should know about rhetoric heading into the AP English Language exam.

1989 MLK AP Essay Analysis (doc file)
This file uses student models--both good and bad--for introductions and conclusions.

AP Language Prep Sheet (doc file)
This file, created by Mr. Wevodau, presents a synopsis of the basic strategies and approaches to different parts of the test.

AP Test Strategies (doc file)
This file, created by Mr. Wevodau, may repeat some of the information in the above AP prep file. It contains advice for both the multiple choice and essay sections.

Advice from AP scorer on Writing Arguments (doc file)
Here is a short article written by an AP scorer containing suggestions for writing arguments.

AP Synthesis Question Advice (doc file)
This short file, created by Mr. Wevodau, suggests procedures for tackling the synthesis question.

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	doc file: You need the Microsoft Word program, a free Microsoft Word viewer, or a program that can import Word files in order to view this file. To learn more about the free Microsoft Word Viewer, visit the Microsoft Word website.

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