1. English Language and Composition
AP Multiple Choice
English Language and Composition

2. What should I expect?
Section I = 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Timing 1 hour (12-15 minutes per passage) Keep a watch in front of you
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)

6. 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)

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 )

10. 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)

11. Types of Questions Interpretation of lines or draw conclusions
Lines serve to (a. reinforce the author’s thesis)

12. 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.

13. 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).

14. Types of Questions Roman numerals In the passage “night” refers to
I. The death of the young woman
II. A pun on Sir William’s title
III. The end of the affair
A. I only
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. II and III
E. I, II, and III

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Questions about Organization 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?

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Specific Techniques Substitution/Fill-in Using Context
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

23. Specific Techniques Anticipation Intuition
Mark details and ideas that you would ask questions about on the first reading
Intuition
Trust your own knowledge from the past

24. 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)

25. 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

26. Factual Questions Words refer to Allusions Antecedents
Pronoun referents

27. Technical Questions Sentence structure Style Grammatical purpose
Dominant technique
Imagery
Point of view
Organization of passage
Narrative progress of passage
Conflict
Irony
Function of

28. 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

29. 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