Multiple Choice Test Strategies AP Language & Composition AP Literature & composition

Reading the Multiple Choice Section You are reading in order to answer questions Scan the passage (30 seconds) Your brain will pick up on little details like Dialog or no dialog Long or short paragraphs Difficult or easy vocab Scan the questions (30 seconds) Read the passage to get the main idea There will be no magic topic sentences You SHOULD GO BACK to the passage in order to answer the questions

Answering the Multiple Choice Questions Types of questions General Comprehension This passage is primarily concerned with … Which choice best describes the tone … Which choice best describes the relationship between A and B It is evident the author feels _____ toward _______ Which point describes the changing attitude toward …. Detail Questions Sends you to a specific point in the passage Factual Knowledge Knowledge of literary or poetic devices, literary or poetic structure

Ordering Your Response Strategies If you are CONFIDENT in your immediate understanding of the passage, complete the questions in the order given If you are STRUGGLING with the passage, attack them in this order: Do the detail questions first Do the knowledge questions second Do the general questions last Your answers should be CONSISTENT. You should not have responses that conflict with one another.

Summary for Tackling Multiple Choice Recognize the three categories of questions General Detail Factual Do it your way If you know the main idea, do the questions in order If you’re uncomfortable, do detail and factual questions first Use Consistency of Answers When in doubt, pick an answer that agrees with the main idea. Pick answers that agree with each other

Answering Prose Passage Questions General Questions Primary Purpose Look for a response that accurately describes some facet of the entire passage – the key idea here is finding a description that addresses WHOLE passage – not just a small piece of it Use Process of Elimination Half Bad = All Bad Line Reference Questions Go back to the passage and reread the lines in question Read at least one full sentence before the line reference and one full sentence after Keep the main idea in mind and use Consistency of Answers

GUESSING WISELY USING PROCESS OF ELIMINATION RULE: If you’ve read the passage, the question, and the answer choices, then always answer the question. How do you correctly answer a multiple choices question? Have the answer in mind right from the moment you read the question. You are unsure which answer is right. Look for wrong answers and eliminate them. Partially wrong (even only 1/10) = completely wrong. Don’t fixate on what’s right about the answer. If anything is wrong, cross it out and move on. Eliminate obviously wrong answers Be fearless. A machine is grading the multiple choice section. No one knows you. DO NOT PICK ANSWERS THAT YOU KNOW ARE PROBABLY WRONG. Why would a student do this? Because one answer was “kind of but not really right,” and the other one was totally unfamiliar. Pick the unfamiliar answer over the one that you know is wrong.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS General Comprehension – These questions ask about the overall passage They do not send you back to a specific place in the passage.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Detail Questions – These questions almost always send you back to specific places in the passage. They tell you where to look and ask about what is going on at the specific place in the passage.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Factual Knowledge Questions – These questions ask you about English language and its grammar and the basic terminology of criticism and poetry.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Style Questions – These questions will test your understanding of kinds of sentences that the passage contains simple or complex contain modifying clauses interpret or describe loose or periodic

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Structure Questions – these questions will test your knowledge about how the passage is put together general  examples isolated incident  generalization humorous  serious sudden shift in emphasis

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Tone Questions – these questions will test you understanding of the underlying emotion of the passage Angry Passionate Sarcastic Distraught Lack of judgment

TYPES OF QUESTIONS Grammar Questions – these question test your grammatical knowledge . At the very least, be certain to understand subject (B) direct object (C) indirect object (D) antecedent (F) phrase (A) clause (E) Feeling generous, Sam threw the orange to Irene, who tried to catch it. A B C D E F

THE SEVEN MINUTE DRILL Do NOT look at the clock and say “I have 20 minutes left so I need to rush on the last two passages!!!” That could end up in lousy scores, panicking and unnecessary guesswork on two passages instead of using proper rushing and guessing methods on just one passage. Relax on your third passage. Use the regular method. This method is only to be used on the final passage. INSTEAD … when you hit the last passage on the test, check your time. This is the strategy to use if you have seven minutes or fewer left. Don’t read the passage. Not even a little. Just don’t do it. Go straight to the questions Answer the questions in the following order: Answer any literary term or grammar questions. Go to any question that asks for the meaning of a single word or phrase. Go to any other question that gives you a line reference in the question (Not line-reference answer choices, but questions) Go to any question on tone or attitude Go to any questions that have line references in the answer choices Do whatever is left over.

Multiple Choice Strategy Answer Choice Reason to Eliminate 1. Too narrow Too small a section of selection covered 2. Too broad An area wider that the selection covered 3. Irrelevant Nothing to do with the passage Relevant to selection, but not the question 4. Incorrect Distortion of the facts in the selection Contradiction of the facts in the selection 5. Illogical Not supported by the facts in the passage Not supported by cited passage from the selection 6. Similar Choices GO BACK AND TEASE OUT THE DIFFERENCES 7. Not/Except Answer that correctly represent the selection