AP Language and Composition Multiple Choice Section Ms. Quintina merriweather

Nuts and Bolts Counts as 45% of the entire score Typically 50-60 questions, but most commonly around 55, based on 4-5 passages At least one passage will be pre-20th century At least one passage will include footnotes/endnotes/bibliographic citations and 5-7 questions will be specifically about those footnotes/endnotes/bibliographic citations. Two or three of the passages will be relatively contemporary passages from non-fiction sources The passages could come from any realm of non-fiction You must read a wide range of reading assignments

Nuts and Bolts Entire question = an item. Stem = the part of the item that asks the question. Options = the five answer choices. Key = correct answer Distractors = incorrect answers

Nuts and Bolts One Hour to complete the multiple choice You do not have to work on the passages in the order in which they are presented. Make sure that you don’t mix up the answers on your answer sheet when you skip around.. Every 10 questions, double check that the question matches the appropriate place on the answer sheet

Nuts and Bolts There is not penalty for an incorrect response. Guess when appropriate: when running out of time or if you have narrowed the choices down to two or three choices When guessing after narrowing the choices down, to two or three, you might choose the option that seems most specific.

Nuts and Bolts Read aggressively and actively: ANNOTATE This improves concentration Concentration is critical One question/minute Trust your intuition Develop it through practice sessions in class

Nuts and Bolts Eyeball the number of passages and how many questions need to be answered per passage. Then set a rate of completion and decide which passages you will complete first. Passage 1 = 15 minutes Passage 2 = 15 minutes Passage 3 = 15 minutes Passage 4 = 15 minutes

Nuts and Bolts Scan the question stems quickly before reading the passage. For each question stem highlight the following: What is being asked of you Hints about the meaning or function of the passage The line or paragraph number as a reference

Nuts and Bolts Questions that ask to find “all of the following except,” or are set up to combine possible answer choices (I and II are correct, II and III are correct, I and III are correct, or all are correct) take longer to answer. If rushed Leave them for last Guess

Nuts and Bolts Questions that demand the rereading of long portions of the passage can be left for later as well or guessed at, if time is an issue. Eliminate correct answers in “all of the following except” questions You may want to treat the Roman numeral questions as True/ False/ Not Sure

Nuts and Bolts Questions generally follow the chronology of the passage. Some questions are easier than others, but all count for the same point value. Keep your finger on the place in the passage where the last question ended, as the next question will most likely pick up from the last spot. Leave the most difficult questions in each section until the end of the section as other questions may help you answer these difficult ones.

Nuts and Bolts Sometimes a question refers to part of a sentence, often a very long and complicated sentence, looking for the meaning of a word or phrase, how a word functions or seeking the antecedent for a pronoun. It is helpful with these types of searches to read the sentence preceding the referred to sentence and, sometimes, the sentence following it. Rule out the chronologically first and last for antecedent questions.

Nuts and Bolts If running out of time, scan the remaining questions for either the shortest questions or the questions that refer to specific line or lines. These often can be answered more quickly.

Types of Questions: Main Idea Commonly asked questions Measure the reader’s ability to identify the author’s ideas, attitudes, and tone May ask to Determine what the passage is most about or the overall tone Make an inference based on facts the reader has to piece together from the passage Usually include one of these key words Think, predict, indicate, feel, probably, seem, imply, suggest, assume, infer, and most likely

Types of Questions: Rhetoric Questions Commonly asked questions May ask about syntax, point of view, and figurative language It is important to know, in a functional way, the key terms of rhetoric, somewhere between 25- 100 Any of the terms are possibilities

Types of Questions: Definition Questions Basically vocabulary questions about difficult words in the passage or about ordinary words used in unfamiliar ways The key to answering these questions is to read the surrounding sentence or sentences. This process should help to discover the meaning in context Create your own vocabulary list in your interactive notebooks from texts read both inside and outside of class.

Types of Questions: Tone or Purpose Questions Frequently asked questions Require the reader to Determine how or why the author wrote the material Tone reflects the writer’s attitude toward the audience and/or subject Think of tone as “the expression on the face of the words.” Purpose defines the effect the author wants to have on an audience (readers) Writers convey purpose through choices in diction and images and the impression those words and images create

Types of Questions: Form Questions Form - a writer’s method of organizing material in a particular sequence Be aware of structure, organization, and development Some writers use only one form, while others combine many forms of development Comparison/ contrast Cause and effect Chronological order Order of importance Problem – solution A series of examples Spatial order

Types of Questions: Documentation/Citation Questions These questions will occur in just one section 4-6 questions regarding information in an extended citation

Nuts and Bolts Multiple choice questions will be based on the nuance of the text. Two answers will often e technically “correct” Only one of those answers will be more focused and to the point