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AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO COVER?

• Overall structure of the test• Multiple Choice Strategies Review• Rhetorical Terms (most important ones!)• Rhetorical Analysis Essay Review• Argument Structures review (esp. counter)• Raising Fluency Through Mature Syntactical

Structures• Quotation/Evidence Integration

OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE TEST

• First: 60 minute multiple choice (50-55 questions; most likely 4 passages)• Second: 10 minute break• Third: 15 minute synthesis reading period• Fourth: 120 minutes to write all three essays;

suggested 40 minutes for each one• Remember: Your proctor might not remind you of

the 40 minute sections; bring a watch or silent timer (not on your phone)

MULTIPLE CHOICE STRATEGIES

Chunking

• Read through the questions

• Chunk (bracket) the portion of the passage the question refers to

• Read only that portion of the reading selection to answer the question

• Note: this doesn’t work for all passages; best for struggling readers!

Question Stems

• Read/annotate the passage• Read just the question

portion of the MC question (Not the A-E options)

• Write your instinctual response

• Go back through the questions; match your instinctual response to the best A-E options

MULTIPLE CHOICE CONTINUED

• There are no penalties for incorrect responses on the multiple choice!

• If you aren’t sure, use your best guess

• If you’re running out of time, you can choose a letter response for each question (unfortunately, unlike the GRE, SAT, and other high-stakes multiple choice tests, there isn’t a letter that is better than others) I personally would use B

RHETORICAL TERMS REVIEW

• The following list is not exhaustive.• The connotation of

“most important,” in this context, is “most used” and “most easily recognized”.

• I would still recommend that you look at the lists provided earlier in the school year (they are still posted on ClarkChargers.org!).

RHETORICAL TERMS LIST PART 1

• paradox irony euphemism• connotation/denotation conceit• Aphorism ellipses zeugma• periodic sentence loose sentence• didactic litotes• epistrophe apostrophe

malapropism • exemplificationmetonymy/synecdoche• polysyndeton anecdote anaphora

RHETORICAL TERMS LIST PART 2

• chiasmus/antimetabole antithesis• asyndeton hyperbole alliteration

• epigraph metaphor/simile• rhetorical question hypophora• Diction understatement• parallelism oxymoron

juxtaposition• allusion tone

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS REVIEW

• What’s the point?• The point is to read

what someone else wrote, figure out why they wrote it, and describe how they got their point across.

• Seems simple, right?

• Bare Minimum?• Bare minimum is

analyzing how syntax, diction, and tone show the author’s purpose.

**Remember that the bare minimum isn’t enough analysis! See if you can locate those other rhetorical terms and describe how they lead the reader to the author’s purpose, too!

ARGUMENT/SYNTHESIS REVIEW

• Remember: you must pick a side! Saying, essentially, that there isn’t a solution or that you agree with both sides of the argument or that you don’t care about this particular issue is unacceptable. • You can argue, defend, or qualify, but you must

do one of those three things.

ARGUMENT STRUCTURES

Traditional• Introduction • State your case--Clarify your issue.

Give any necessary background for understanding the issues.

• Propostion--State your central proposition or thesis. Present the subtopics or supportive points to forecast your argument for your reader.

• Refutation--Analyze the opposition's argument and summarize it; refute or address the points; point out faulty reasoning and inappropriate appeals.

• Substantiation and Proof--Develop your own case. Use ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to make your case. Use good evidence such as examples.

• Conclusion

Other options?

• Yes! You can organize your argument any way you want to, as long as all of the essential information is present!

• How else could we organize this information?

COUNTER ARGUMENT REVIEW

• Remember that the counter argument isn’t just to admit that the other side of the argument has good points. Of course they do! There are two sides (or more) to every argument!• So…what is the counter argument for? To admit

there are good points against your argument AND to REFUTE them with evidence.

RAISING FLUENCY THROUGH MATURE SYNTACTICAL STRUCTURES

• Organization of an essay refers not only to the structure of the paragraphs, but also of the sentence.

• There are many ways to organize sentences properly, and when done well, the writing is much more mature and fluid.

EVIDENCE INTEGRATION

• Integrating evidence (quotes or paraphrasing) smoothly into our sentences aids in raising the level of maturity in our writing.

LAST MINUTE TIPS?

• Do you have any other questions that need clarification before you take your test? • Remember: don’t second guess yourself! Do your

best!• The night before, get a full night’s rest! Eat

breakfast! Chew peppermint gum or suck on peppermint candies! • Do not waste time! Use available time to review

your questions or writing!