1. AP English Literature Exam Tips

2. Essay Tips Be sure to review your list of literary terms. Use a black pen. Each essay should be a minimum of two (2) pages each. Three (3) pages is better. Spend time planning your essays (10 minutes each), and find some angle within the context of the prompt that you feel passionate about-- whether emotionally, intellectually or philosophically (passion moves readers). Integrate your quotations gracefully into your analysis of literary devices with an interpretation of meaning.

3. Essay Tips Avoid summary. This is the kiss of death! Evidence, evidence, evidence! Don’t moralize or comment on the quality of the work – “I liked the poem,” etc; focus on literary analysis as a means to convey your opinions not on how you personally felt about the selection. And, don’t comment on the author, either: “Such and such was a great 20 th century author who….” Or “Milton does a great job of …” Do not misspell the names of poets, authors, poems, books, terms from the prompt, etc. It looks sloppy. Plus, poems are not plays or novels; plays are not poems or novels; and novels are not poems or plays.

4. Essay Tips Know the differences between: analyzing, explaining, paraphrasing, summarizing, describing, etc. “Simplistic” doesn’t mean “simple.” Mastery of grammar and mechanical skills is important and strengthens the essay. Writers don’t “use” diction or tone, nor do they “use literary terms” in their writing. ALL sentences have diction and syntax. The questions is, what kind of diction and syntax is being used AND WHY. Don’t write, “The author uses diction (or syntax or whatever) to show his or her meaning.”

5. Essay Tips Thoroughly EXPLAIN the relevance of the quote to the prompt and your analysis. Don’t assume that your understanding of a quote is the same as the readers’ understanding; you have to EXPLAIN its significance to the work, your thesis, and the prompt. Show, don’t tell. The conclusion should be a separate paragraph, even if you only have time for one sentence. Don’t just stop after your last argument, and avoid simply repeating your introduction in your conclusion. A good conclusion could restate the thesis, emphasize salient aspects of the essay, and end with a provocative clincher.

6. Essay Tips Poetry is written in stanzas not paragraphs. Words are not a poetic device. Avoid “in today’s society” and “paints a picture.” Mood and tone are not the same thing. Themes are stated in complete sentences, not single word labels. Do not assume what is not in the prompt. (i.e. “If John Proctor had not cheated on Elizabeth then this would never have happened.” You don’t know it wouldn’t happen because it is not in the story.

7. Essay Tips For the Free Response Question, review the list of past prompts to refresh your memory about the range of essay topics. Memorize at least three quotes from three different major literary works (novels, plays). Focus on quotes related to character and/or themes. This will give you material you can incorporate into your essay. Above all else, ANSWER THE QUESTION!

8. Multiple Choice Tips PLANNING AND READING Try to divide your time between passages evenly. Check how many questions there are for each passage before you start so you can alter your time appropriately. Read the footnotes before you read the passage. As a result, you do not have to break your train of thought while reading the passage. Read the references at the end of the passage to find out if the author is a man or woman and from what time period they are. You read a piece differently when you know it was written by a woman in 1970 than you would if you knew it was written by a man in the 1700s.

9. Multiple Choice Tips PLANNING AND READING Read the questions first, then read the passage, sometimes marking lines which apply to the questions as you go...It allows you to know what you are looking for before you get into it, and sometimes the questions (especially the last ones) reveal a difficult concept which you might not catch by reading the passage first. When you are reading the passage, don’t get carried away and underline everything you feel is interesting. Only underline what you think is important. Be aware of the tone of the author. There is almost always a question about it.

10. Multiple Choice Tips PLANNING AND READING Figure out the writer’s purpose, because it may be easier to answer the questions if you are very aware of what the writer is trying to get the reader to understand. It is very important to read around lines given. For example, if a question refers to lines 18-22, be sure to read a few lines before 18 and a few lines after 22. Carefully consider the context of words or phrases referenced by questions. Don’t assume that the answer/meaning is limited to the sentence in which it is found.

11. Multiple Choice Tips PLANNING AND READING With poems, try to pay attention to the rhyming pattern because it might help you answer questions. Be very familiar with the main character in a passage, because there are usually questions about the main character and the impression he or she has on others. Many times, an answer will be right according to the earlier parts of the passage, but not at the end. By this, be sure to remained focused and pay attention to the character’s development throughout the passage. Close your mind to everything but the test; don’t think about the time (or anything else you may need to do that day).

12. Multiple Choice Tips ANSWER SELECTION (Part Two) Try not to spend too much time on any one question. If you are going back and forth on the answer, make your best guess and put a dot next to it. If you have time at the end, you can always go back. Try to answer the question in your head before looking at the answers. If a question is very difficult, read it thoroughly along with the answer choices, then move on and come back to it. Sometimes things show up on the second look. Make sure you have support for whatever answer you choose, because it is more likely to be correct the more evidence you can find in the passage.

13. Multiple Choice Tips ANSWER SELECTION (Part Two) Make sure you understand style. It shows up a lot. A.P. Tests have no sympathy for individual interpretation. Don’t choose the answer that makes the most sense to you with a poetry passage. Look for concrete evidence from the reading to pick the correct answer. Look for more subtle meaning in the passages. Don’t choose the obvious or elaborate answer. Even if something is only mentioned once in a passage, note it, and realize its significance.

14. Multiple Choice Tips ANSWER SELECTION (Part Two) Most of the time the questions won’t be about the storyline. Pay attention to the mood and connotations and not changes and shifts in them. Make a quick, one-word note on the prompt. If you see two answers that could be correct, spend extra time to look at both. Weigh both options carefully and look for supporting evidence for both. Don’t just settle for one if you think you’re taking too much time. When questions have the word [least] & quotations for answers, reread every line. Although seemingly tedious, rereading & reanalyzing each quote will give you the right answer. (General tip about the word least): This is a dangerous question, it wastes time rereading, and is always somewhat opinionated. As you eliminate answer choices, cross them out so you remember what you’re picking from.

15. Multiple Choice Tips ANSWER SELECTION (Part Three) If you already feel that you are running short on time, skip questions with the word(s) “contributes least” or “except” because they take the longest, requiring you to look back at the passage in five different sections. Don’t be careless! Don’t choose an answer because all the others seem accurate for [not] or [except] questions. Double checking is the only way to know for sure. Don’t be lazy. Questions that ask for I, II, or III are very difficult. Take extra time with these. Look for a relationship between the different options. See if they go hand in hand to form the correct answer. Look to the passage and search for evidence or support.

16. Multiple Choice Tips ANSWER SELECTION (Part Three) The questions with Roman numerals, where they ask you to choose which ones are true or applicable are some of the most difficult; my advice is to skip them and come back to them after all the other questions about the passage are answered because they usually take a lot of time and extensive searching & thought. [Gut instinct] Three times so far changing an answer has lost my paper points, so stick with what most clearly strikes you early on. As cliché as it sounds, go with your gut instinct. I can’t count the number of times that I have had the right answer and then changed it because I doubted myself. After choosing an answer, do not change it. Unless you find some evidence that supports a different choice, you should stick with your initial choice. Too often we overthink the answers to questions that seem “too easy.” Don’t!

17. Multiple Choice Tips FINISHING THE TEST (Part Four) If you are running out of time, look for the shortest questions or those which direct you to a specific line. When you are finished, keep working. Do not stare off into space. You have one hour to get as many correct answers as possible, so it is very important to take advantage of every minute given to you. Don’t run out of time and leave the last ones blank. Never leave an item blank when there is a chance that you might answer it correctly.

18. Multiple Choice Tips Practicing for the Test If you would like additional practice, take the AP English Literature Practice Exam located on my teacher page. Give yourself no more than an hour to take the test. The exam key is on the last page of the document.