Transcript Slide 1

February 7, 2010
Today’s Agenda
1.
Tackling the AP Multiple Choice?
2.
Exam Follow up
3.
MC CHALLENGE
Homework: practice MC questions
“The American Football Game”
Tackling the AP Multiple Choice?
“The multiple-choice sections of the AP English
Language and AP English Literature Exams are often
the most challenging for both teachers and students.
The multiple-choice section focuses more on the process
than the product. It is hard to provide measures that
guarantee success, and students are often frustrated
with their lack of improvement. I have tried a number
of strategies to improve my students' scores, but
unfortunately, there is no "magic bullet" for success. It
really comes down to frequent practice and in-depth
discussions about what works and what does not for
students and teachers alike.”
Tackling the AP Multiple Choice?
“Don't think too hard. There are easy
questions and there are hard questions.
Don't let the easy questions mislead you.
If you come across what seems like an
easy question, it probably is. Don't suspect
everything to be a trick question.”
“Guess if you have to. Part of pacing is
moving on when you come to a question
that stumps you.”
Remember that you are only looking
for the best answer, not merely a
correct one
The 5 Most Common AP MC Patterns
1. The straightforward question.
“The passage is an example of”
C. Compare/contrast essay
“The pronoun “it” refers to”
B. his gait
2. The question that refers you to
specific lines and asks you to draw a
conclusion or to interpret.
“Lines 52-57 serve to”
2. A. Reinforce the author’s thesis
The 5 Most Common AP MC Patterns
3. The ALL… EXCEPT question requires more
time, because it demands that you consider
every possibility
“The AP English Language and Composition exam is
all of the following except
A. It is given in May of each year
B. It is open to high school seniors
C. It is published in the New York Times
D. It is used as a qualifier for college credit
E. It is a 3-hour test
The 5 Most Common AP MC Patterns
4. The question that asks you to make an
inference or to abstract a concept not directly
stated in the passage
“In ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail,’ the reader
can infer that the speaker is
A. religious
The 5 Most Common AP MC Patterns
5. The killer question! It even uses Roman
Numerals! This question is problematic and time
consuming. You can be certain that each exam will
have a couple of these questions lurking within!!!
“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.
B.
C.
D.
E.
I only
I and II
I and III
II and III
I, II, and III
Parallel Structure
Parallel structure means using the same pattern of
words to show that two or more ideas have the same
level of importance. This can happen at the word,
phrase, or clause level.
-Mary likes hiking, swimming, and biking
-Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride her bicycle.
Not parallel: The production manager was asked to
write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed
manner.
Parallel: The coach told the players that they should
get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and
that they should do some warm-up exercises before the
game.
Parallel Structure
Exam #4
Near the end of the third paragraph, Dillard states,
“The essayist does what we do with our lives; the essayist
thinks about actual things. He can make sense of them
analytically or artistically.” The most probable reason
for the author choosing to write two separate
sentences rather than constructing a single
longer sentence using a listing, is
A. To reinforce cause and effect
B. Both subjects are of equal importance, although
separate processes
C. To create a parallel situation
D. To contrast the two ideas
E. To highlight the criticism of fictional writing
Parallel Structure
Exam #8
An example of parallel structure is found in which of the
following lines taken from the passage?
A. “But eschewing it serves to limit fiction’s materials a little
further, and likely contributed to our being left with the
short story of scant idea.”
B. “The essay may deal in metaphor better than the poem
can, in someway because prose may expand what the lyric
poem must compress.”
C. “The elements in any nonfiction should be true not only
artistically… the connections must hold base…”
D. “…that is the convention and the covenant between the
nonfiction writer and his reader.”
E. “In either case he renders the real world coherent and
meaningful; even if only a bit of it, and even if that
coherence and meaning reside only inside small texts.”
Parallel Structure
Exam # 18
In the middle of the passage, the sentence, “’Enjoy it as
it deserves,’ I should say to him; ‘take possession of it,
explore it to its utmost extent, publish it, rejoice in it,’ “
includes an example of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A complex sentence
Parallel structure
An analogy
Inversion
Passive voice
Antithesis
Rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel
arrangement s of words, clauses, or sentences.
Exam # 16
In the seventh sentence, “the danger that he has in
mind is rather, I imagine, that of particularizing,” the
word “rather” is used to establish
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A paradox
An analogy
An ambiguity
A syllogism
An antithesis
"We must learn to live together as brothers
or perish together as fools."
(MLK, Jr., speech at St. Louis, 1964)
"You're easy on the eyes
Hard on the heart."
(Terri Clark)
Author’s Attitude = TONE
The more familiar you are with TONE WORDS
the easier it will be to identify them... Especially
when tone words, often times, are similar.
** Remember it’s the authors attitude toward
his/her SUBJECT = TONE
Exam # 12 (Henry James responds to a critic)
From the opening of the passage, it is clear that
the author’s attitude toward the creation
of a work of art is
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Democratic
Indifferent
Superficial
Reverent- deeply respectful/awe
Elitist-pride in belonging to a select/favored
group
“No good novel will ever
proceed from a superficial
mind.”
“I should remind the
ingenuous student first of
the …”
“This freedom is a splendid
privilege, and the first lesson
of the young novelist is to
learn to be worthy of it.”
Author’s Attitude = TONE
Exam # 21 (Henry James responds to literary critic)
The over-all tone of the passage can best be described
as
A. Informal and sarcastic
When identifying TONE- BOTH
casual & sneering/cutting
words must be a match!!
B. Condescending and sardonic
patronizing & bitter/scornful sneering
Remember, not only a correct
C. Didactic and exhortative
answer BUT THE BEST ONE!
instructive & encouraging/advising
D. Reverential and laudatory
showing deep respect & expressing praise
E. Indignant and contemptuous
anger cause from unfairness & disdainful/scornful
Author’s Attitude = TONE
Exam # 36 (A Disappointed Woman)
The tone of the passage can best be described as
A. Pedantic and cynical
overly concerned w/ details & bitterly sneering
B. Flippant and irreverent
frivolous/lacking seriousness & not respectful
C. Reverent and somber
respectful & dull/gloomy
D. Indignant and argumentative
anger characterize by unfairness & disputatious
E. Ambivalent and resigned
uncertainty & submission
MC CHALLENGE
CORRECT JUSTIFICATIONS: For Transc.
test, I am going to give you the correct MC
answers. Disregard the other options- you
will JUSTIFY the correct answer. (For only
the ones you got incorrect)
AP TEST WRITER: You get to be College
Board! Read the passage “from a Southern
woman’s diary written during the Civil War”
and create 5 AP Multiple Choice questionsuse one of each of the 5 patterns.
February 7, 2010
Today’s Agenda
1.
Tackling the AP Multiple Choice?
2.
Exam Follow up
3.
MC CHALLENGE
Homework: practice MC questions
“The American Football Game”