Transcript AP Language and Composition
Final Review
Makin’ a Five
Event: AP Language and Composition Exam Date: Friday, May 9, 2014 Time: 7:30 am SHARP
7:00 am if you are eating tacos with us
Place: Small Gym (Abad-Madden)
Large Gym (Manion-Veith) Room B1202 (Zentner)
Plenty of sharpened #2 pencils.
Dark blue and/or black pens.
A watch to keep time.
A bottle of water if you wish.
A sealed snack for break time if you wish. (Food cannot be at your seat).
A sweater or jacket in case the room is cold.
Backpacks Purses Cell phones Highlighters (not allowed) Any electronic device
Get good rest the night before the exam. Eat a healthy breakfast, but don’t overdo.
Make sure you know where to go for testing.
Leave your house earlier than you think you should.
Have your materials ready, gas in your car, etc. to avoid undue stress in the morning.
Test begins with the APMC – one hour.
Budget your time between passages.
Remember to move on from difficult questions, but leave nothing blank.
Keep engaged by marking the passages and the questions.
Pay attention to time warnings. You will NOT have time to bubble when time is called.
Purpose/main idea Tone/attitude Organization Strategies Grammar Vocabulary in Context Inference Footnotes Miscellaneous content Double Answer
Identify the purpose of the entire passage.
Identify the purpose of each paragraph in a passage.
Note any devices as you see them.
Read before and after a line reference before answering a question.
For double answers, concentrate on one word at a time.
Do not “camp out” on any one question.
Watch your time and get to all passages.
After the APMC, you will have a short break to stretch your legs, grab a snack (if you brought one) and use the restroom.
Next, you will have 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the essay portion of the exam.
15 minutes of reading time 2 hours to write three essays Three essays will likely be: Synthesis – Analysis - Argument
Read the introductory page very carefully to establish your task.
Think of your initial position on the topic.
Read through the sources.
Mark the claims and useful evidence in each Respond – agree with a difference, disagree with a reason Look for claims for concession, rebuttal, and counterargument Generate your own evidence Organize your thoughts
Don’t ride the fence!
Whether your prompt is formulated as a “Yes/No” question or as a “What Should be Considered?” question, you will still need to take a position.
Write a position statement on the specific topic. Remembering to avoid the extreme edges or the neutral middle. Draw your line in the sand and
explain.
Identify two to three claims to support your position.
You must use THREE different sources from the packet.
Do not simply choose all sources that agree with you.
Also use the claims with which you disagree for rebuttal and counterargument.
Don’t forget to make a concession to the other side.
Avoid absolute language like “all,” “always,” “none,” and “never.”
Don’t forget that YOU must direct the conversation on the topic. (You are the moderator of the debate).
If you simply report what the sources say, then you are writing an informative rather than a persuasive essay.
YOUR position is key. The sources are there for your use [not vice versa].
It is advisable to add evidence and/or discussion from beyond the source packet.
Before you move on, reread your introduction and conclusion to make sure that your position is articulated clearly and not just a restatement of the prompt.
Green living (practices that promote the conservation and wise use of natural resources) has become a topic of discussion in many parts of the world today. With changes in the availability and cost of natural resources, many people are discussing whether conservation should be required of
all citizens.
Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source. Then synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-written essay that
develops a position on the extent to which government should be responsible for fostering green practices.
Much attention has been given lately to the ubiquitous presence of information technologies. Our daily lives seem to be saturated with television, computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and MP3 players, to name just a few of the most common technologies. Many people extol the ability of such technologies to provide easy access to information and facilitate research and learning. At the same time, however, some critics worry that the widespread use of information technologies forces our lives to move too quickly. We encounter images and information from the Internet and other sources faster than we can process or evaluate them, and even though electronic communication has been enhanced, both the quality and quantity of face-to-face interaction is changing.
Read the following sources (including the introductory information) carefully. Then,
in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, evaluate the most important factors that a school should consider before using particular technologies in curriculum and instruction.
Take a look at your synthesis essay and the comments on the essay and/or rubric.
Underline your position statement and all claims in pink.
Underline your use of evidence from the sources in green. Underline evidence from beyond the sources in blue.
Underline your discussion and commentary in yellow. In the space on the rubric, comment on your performance in each of the areas – thesis, discussion of claims, incorporation of sources, response to sources, organization and control.
Predict your score on the essay.
Write observations and notes for improvement.
Your second or third essay will likely be an analysis essay; however, make sure you read the prompt very carefully to know your task.
Analysis prompts have a
BIG
question related to meaning and a
little
question related to method.
Your job is to connect the meaning to the method.
Carefully read and mark the prompt.
Pay attention to every word and any important background information.
Carefully read and mark the passage.
Identify the purpose of the passage and keep your focus primarily on the
BIG
question.
Include context and a clear thesis in your introduction.
Remember all the strategies you have in your “pocket.” Let’s review some!!!
For analyzing arguments: word choice, syntax, tone, analogies, claims, evidence, organization, rhetorical appeals [logical, emotional, ethical], rebuttal, counterargument, concession, etc.
For analyzing satire: word choice, syntax, tone, organization, hyperbole, understatement, wit, verbal irony, sarcasm, etc.
For analyzing literary passages: word choice, imagery, figurative language, syntax, organization, tone, etc.
The letter below was written by Samuel Johnson in response to a woman who had asked him to obtain the archbishop of Canterbury’s patronage to have her son sent to the university. Read the letter carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Johnson crafts his denial of the
woman’s request.
Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, was a farmer, astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, and author. In 1791 he wrote to Thomas Jefferson, framer of the Declaration of Independence and secretary of state to President George Washington. Read the following excerpt from the letter and write an essay that analyzes how Banneker uses rhetorical strategies to argue against slavery.
Review your analysis essays from The Final Four… Underline your answer to the BIG question in pink.
Underline references to strategies in blue.
Underline quotations from the passage in green.
Underline explanations and connections in yellow.
Write observations and notes for improvement.
The final type of essay you will likely write is an argument. Like the synthesis, you must take a position on the issue introduced in the prompt.
Unlike the synthesis, you will have to produce all of the evidence from your own reading, observation, and experience.
Passage-based argument Read the prompt carefully to make sure your task is to argue and not analyze.
Read the passage carefully and identify the author’s position and major claims.
Establish your own position – DRAW YOUR LINE IN THE
SAND.
The passage to which you are responding will likely be from an expert, a published author, or a scholar; therefore, you should keep a respectful tone in your response.
Use quotations from the passage and respond directly to the author’s claims.
Include specific evidence (face and a name) to support your argument.
The following passage is from Rights of Man, a
book written by the pamphleteer Thomas Paine
in 1791. Born in England, Paine was an intellectual, a revolutionary, and a supporter of American independence from England. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay that
examines the extent to which Paine’s characterization of America holds true today.
Use appropriate evidence to support your argument.
Open-ended Argument This prompt will be very short so every word counts.
Begin by establishing your position: ▪
YES
▪
NO
▪
IT DEPENDS
Generate evidence that is appropriate for the topic (dress for the party).
American essayist and social critic H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) wrote, “The average
man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.”
In a well-written essay, examine the extent to
which Mencken’s observation applies to
contemporary society, supporting your position with appropriate evidence.
Review your argument essays from The Final Four.
Underline your position and claims in pink.
Underline any references or key words from the prompt in blue.
Underline the evidence your specific evidence in green.
Underline your discussion and elaboration in yellow.
Write observations and notes for improvement.