HOW TO SCORE A 3, 4, OR 5 ON THE APE LANGUAGE EXAM AND EARN YOURSELF COLLEGE CREDIT, MAKE YOUR PARENT(S) PROUD, AND MAKE MRS. AUSTIN HAPPY!

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE MULTIPLE CHOICE PART OF THE TEST… You will have one hour to complete the multiple choice portion of the test. There will be 54 or 55 questions. (If there are 55 questions, one is a field test question and will not count toward your score. You will not know which question is the field test question.) There will be 4 -5 reading passages linked to the questions. At least one of the readings and the linked questions will come from a citation, attribution, or footnote. The readings will be fiction and non-fiction passages. The reading passages will be complex (similar to the readings in 50 Essays and Language of Composition.) The selections and questions will be self-contained.

YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO… Follow and understand complex diction and syntax Apply the meaning and understand of complex vocabulary Be familiar with and apply rhetorical terminology (KNOW YOUR LITERARY TERMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Make inferences Identify irony and tone Analyze style Relate and interpret rhetorical strategies Understand and explain author’s purpose Remember: (SOAPSTone…always think about speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone!)

STRUCTURE OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS… Straightforward questions Refer to specific lines to draw conclusions or interpret questions The ALL…EXCEPT questions…consider every possibility Make an inference question The “killer” questions…This is the multiple option multiple choice question (it is like two questions in one!) The footnote question

KEY TERMINOLOGY CATEGORIES… Factual Technical Analytical Inferential

STRATEGIES… NEVER, EVER, EVER LEAVE ANY MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION BLANK!!!!!! Work in order of the passages and questions. Write and annotate on the exam booklet. Watch your time – balance your time – never leave any question blank. Don’t be mislead by the length of a passage. Don’t fight the question or passage – read it the way it was written (don’t over think your answer too much). Consider all the choices for each question. (Try to eliminate the distractor! Find the flaw with the distractor.) Keep an open mind regarding the possible choices. Remember all parts of an answer must be correct for it to be right. When in doubt, go back to the text and look for evidence for verification.

TECHNIQUES… Process of elimination Substitution/Fill-in the blank Using Context Anticipation Educated guess

SYNTHESIS ESSAY You will be given 5-7 sources to read prior to starting the essay portion of the APE Language exam. Take all or most of the 15 minutes you are provided to read and annotate the sources! Use AT LEAST 4 sources in your synthesis essay! Synthesize ideas! Cite your sources correctly (MLA format or as directed on the exam) Paraphrase and use direct textual evidence from the three sources you select to use. Use multiple examples and evidence from each of the sources you use. Format: Write at least 4-6 paragraphs Introduction/thesis statement!!!!! Evidence paragraph(s) (most important) Counter argument paragraph (with evidence from one source) Refutation and conclusion (disprove the counterargument with evidence) NEVER end a paragraph with a quotation. Quotes support your argument, they are not your own ideas.

ANALYTICAL (RHETORICAL ANALYSIS) ESSAY This essay requires you to analyze the author’s persuasive techniques based on an excerpt of passage you are provided. Focus on the passage because your response must analyze the passage. DO NOT SUMMARIZE. SUMMARY IS METAPHORICAL DEATH ON THE APE LANGUAGE EXAM. Be sure to include a CLEAR thesis statement. Explain the use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) Explain the use and effect of rhetoric and literary devices (example figurative language, diction, satire, ect.) Include explanation of SOAPSTone (Speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone) and how those aspects DIRECTLY impact the passage. Use paraphrased information from the passage and direct textual evidence to support your ideas and analysis. (Be sure to cite the passage using the author’s last name.) Write 4-6 paragraphs.

PERSUASSIVE (FRQ) ESSAY Write 4-6 paragraphs. This essay could be completely free response, or you may be provided with a short passage or quotation in which you must defend (agree), refute(disprove), or qualify a position in your response. If you are provided with a passage for this question, use paraphrased evidence from the passage to support your ideas. If there is no passage provided, pull from your experience and knowledge to explain your ideas and thesis (anecdotes). Include a CLEAR thesis statement. You MAY write in first person for this response, but BE CAREFUL the tone of your response is NOT conversational. Write using formal syntax and diction at all times. Use impressive vocabulary, insightful diction, and organized and varied syntax. SPELLING ALWAYS MATTERS!

ALWAYS REMEMBER… YOU STILL HAVE A FEW DAYS UNTIL YOU TAKE THE APE LANGUAGE EXAM, SO TAKE ANOTHER PRACTICE TEST AND REVIEW USING YOUR BARRON’S REVIEW BOOK! STUDY YOUR LITERARY TERMS AND KNOW HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND APPLY THEM! ANNOTATE WHILE YOU READ PASSAGES, WRITE A LOT, INCLUDE EXCELLENT DICTION, AND ALWAYS SUPPORT A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT. NEVER FORGET ABOUT RHETORIC, LITERARY DEVICES, SOAPS Tone, AND RHETORICAL APPEALS. BE SURE TO SLEEP 7-8 HOURS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM. EAT A LIGHT MEAL BEFORE TAKING THE EXAM (remember you can get free breakfast in the cafeteria). TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND DO YOUR BEST. YOU CAN SCORE A 3, 4, OR 5. I BELIEVE IN YOU, SO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! DO YOUR BEST!