AP Test Basics
Intro to the Multiple-Choice Section
• 60 minutes long
• Between 50-55 questions
• Four reading passages (narration,
argumentation, persuasion, description)
between 400-800 words
• Questions are not ordered by level of
difficulty
More Multiple Choice
• The passages can be up to 400 years old
• You are not expected to be familiar with the
passage at the start
• All terms and information needed to answer the
questions will be given
• This year, documentation questions will be
added to this section
• You will have to analyze an author’s use of
sources
• You will not have to decide if the sources are
correctly cited
What AP Is Testing
• The multiple choice section is designed to
test:
– Ability to analyze rhetorical, linguistic, and
stylistic choices of an author
• You will be expected to work with syntax,
tone, figurative language, and style
Multiple Choice Strategies
1. Skim the questions to find out what to
concentrate on
2. Read each passage actively and visually
3. Paraphrase while you read
4. Read the question carefully after you read the
passage
5. Read all of the answer choices carefully
6. Leave the most difficult questions in each
section for last
7. Analyze questions you got wrong on practice
tests
Reasons Answers May Be Wrong
• Test writers use the same tricks over and over
to mislead students:
• The create wrong answers that are:
1. Contradictory to the passage
2. Irrelevant or not addressed in the passage
3. Unreasonable
4. Too general or too specific
• This is an OBJECTIVE test:
– The wrong answers are wrong for a very specific
reason (wrong idea, wrong word, etc)
– The correct answer will not have any wrong words
or ideas in it
Types of Multiple Choice Questions
1. Questions about rhetoric
• Most common, understand diction, syntax, point of view, figurative
language, effects
• “The shift in point of view has the effect of…”
2. Questions about author’s meaning and purpose
• Common, understand why the author chose certain words, how they
lead to the theme and reason
• “Which of the following best describes the author’s purpose in the last
sentence?”
3. Questions about main idea
• Frequent, paraphrase the author’s ideas, attitude, and tone
• “The theme of the second paragraph is…”
4. Questions about organization and structure
• Less frequent, how the passage is structured, how ideas relate, how
the details are organized
• “The type of argument employed by the author is most similar to
which of he following?”
5. Questions about rhetorical modes
• Rare, analyze why an author used a given rhetorical strategy to
convey the ideas
• “The author’s use of description is appropriate because…”
Practice
• Cliff’s MC Questions
• Pages 18 - 20
Answering MC Questions
Skim the or Read the
questions which passage as
follow the quickly as
passage possible without
losing
comprehension
Read and annotate the passage
Answer the questions. Take guesses when you can
eliminate two wrong answers
Mark difficult questions in the margin of the
test booklet so you can return to them
Repeat this process for each MC passage
Practice
• Cliffs MC sample test #2
• Pages 22-23
The Essay Section
• Also called free response section
• Write three essays:
– synthesis, argumentation, analysis of rhetorical
strategies
• 2 hours and 15 minute time limit
• No alternative choices
• Each essay is one-third of the total essay score
• The essay section counts for 55% of the total
score
The Essays
• The Synthesis Essay:
– 6-7 passages on the same subject
– Synthesize the various authors’ points while intelligently
discussing their validity
– Purpose: Present an intelligent and thoughtful discussion of
subject while acknowledging various viewpoints and your own
knowledge of the world
• The Argument Essay:
– One passage to read and formulate an essay on
– Must discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the
author
– You should present multiple sides of the issue, persuasively
explore evidence from the passage, and discuss you own
knowledge of the world
• The Rhetorical Analysis Essay:
– Read a passage and analyze how the author uses rhetorical
strategies to communicate meaning
– Focus on how the devices create meaning
– Refer to the passage and quote main ideas also incorporate your
own ideas
The Synthesis Essay
• New for 2007
• Given 6-7 sources between 200 – 300 words
each
• At least one source will be a visual document (a
political cartoon, chart, graph, etc)
• You must present an argument that uses at least
three of the sources given
• AP has added 15 minutes of reading time to
allow you to read all of the source information
What AP Is Looking For
• Demonstrate an understanding of:
– How language works
– How to communicate ideas effectively in an essay
– Discussion of tone, attitude, persuasive techniques
– Writing a good thesis
– Using concrete examples to prove it
– Creating well developed paragraphs
– Great essay organization
– Demonstration of deep thought
Scoring
• Each essay is read by an exterienced AP
teacher or a college professor
• They are scored from 0 – 9
• The reader scores based on what the essay
does well
• AP readers ask:
1. Is the essay on topic?
2. Is it well organized?
3. Are the paragraphs thoroughly developed?
4. Are the mechanics and style sophisticated?
High Scoring Essays (8-9)
• Thoroughly address all of the tasks
• Very well organized
• Stylistic sophistication
• Control over all elements of effective
writing
• Not necessarily flawless
Medium Scoring Essays (6-7)
• Complete the tasks of the essay topic well
• Show some insight but usually with less
precision
• Lapses in clarity
• Gaps in correct diction or sophistication of
language
• Generally well written
Medium Scoring Essays (5)
• Complete the essay task
• No special insights
• Analysis lacks depth and states the
obvious
• The ideas are predictable and the
paragraph development is weak
• Ideas are presented simplistically and may
contain lapses in diction or syntax
Medium-Low Scoring Essays (3-4)
• Writer overlooks or misreds the important
ideas
• Too much summarizing and little analysis
• Limited control of language, immature
sounding
Low Scoring Essays (1-2)
• Minimal understanding or the topic or
passage
• No analysis
• May be unfinished
• No evidence for student’s ideas
• Weak sentence structure and
unimaginative content
Taking the Essay Test
• Spend 10 minutes reading the essay topic and
planning the essay:
– While Reading the question:
• Understand and critique the author’s points
• Relate the passage to the essay question
• Gather evidence to support you topic
• Look for nuances in style
– While Writing:
• Create an effective thesis
• List support
• Focus on the order of the evidence chosen
• Divide ideas logically into paragraphs
• Your commentary on the author’s points
• Take 25 minutes to write the essay
• Save 5 minutes for proofreading
The Body Paragraphs
• Students who notice details and nuances in the
prompt receive higher scores
• Students who present their ideas in thoughtful
prose also do better than students who state
their opinions simplistically
• Use examples from the prompt implicitly and
explicitly while writing
• Also, show relationships between the examples
from the prompt and your own ideas
How A Writer Appeals to the
Audience
• Understand how the writer connects to the
audience is essential:
– Logos:
• Logical connection to the audience by combining
clear ideas with well thought out examples
– Ethos:
• Establishes the speaker’s credibility showing
common attitudes, beliefs and characteristics
which sets up believability in the writer
– Pathos:
• Plays on the reader’s emotions or interests to
develop a sympathetic audience
Argumentation and Synthesis
Advice
• Clarify the claim that the author makes
• Examine the data and evidence that the author
uses
• Show an understanding of the underlying
assumptions behind the argument
• Civil Discourse:
– A discussion that thoroughly understands all sides
before taking a stand (impresses AP readers)
• “Judgment Stops Discussion”:
– Be sure to let the reader watch your argument grow,
don’t state your point up front
The Rhetorical Essay
• Accurately identify the rhetorical strategies used
• Examine how the effects of these strategies
builds the author’s point
• Explore the depth of the author’s point and how
the presentation of ideas enhances the point
• Embed author’s phrases implicitly or explicitly
into your natural language:
– DO NOT simply quote long sentences word for word
– This goes for all essays!
Satire
• Difficult for students: nuances go unnoticed
• Two types:
– Horatian Satire:
• Gentle and aims to correct through laughter
• “To hold up a mirror” so people can see the foolishness,
superficiality, meaninglessness, or bareness of values in their
lives
• Uses hyperbole, wit, sarcasm, allusion, irony, and
juxtaposition
– Juvenalian Satire:
• Biting, bitter, and angry while it points out corruption in
human beings and sees the world as vile. Uses the
strategies listed above but focuses on a lot of irony and
sarcasm.
Style
• Your goal is to produce college-level writing
• As you practice ask yourself:
– How long are your sentences? (have a variety)
– What words do you use to begin sentences? (use a variety)
– Does every word help your essay? (avoid bland words)
– How many linking verbs do you use? (eliminate them)
– What sentence patterns do you use? (use a variety)
– Are all compound sentences joined in the same way? (use a variety)
– How many prepositional phrases do you use? (eliminate some of them)
– Do you use parallel construction? (use it)
– Do you use any figures of speech? (use some)
– What does the essay sound like?
Assignment
• Read and grade first packet of student
sample essays