Tackling Reading Passages (RPs) and the Writing Prompts

(WPs)

What does AP always want you to think about when you read?

• The major features of an RP: topic, main idea, purpose, tone, theme, and logic.

• The use of rhetorical devices and literary techniques, including: hyperbole, repetition, imagery and figurative language, sound patterns, rhetorical questions, idioms and clichés, irony, foreshadowing, and motif.

• Decoding unfamiliar words from context. • Finding informational details (facts) in the

passage. • Identifying cause and effect and follow the logic

of arguments. • Comparing and contrasting arguments.

Efficient Reading• First Read only the first and last sentences in

paragraphs—get a sense of the major arguments

• Circle or underline signpost words or key terms. The idea is to identify some important terms/words of the argument.

• Read quickly. Use your pencil to help you break the habit of reading every word. Move the tip across the lines of text quickly enough to make it impossible for you to read every word. If you are not understanding, you are moving your pencil too fast.

• Don’t be afraid to reread a paragraph.

SOAPStone

Build the THESIS in your head

S: Subject—identify the main argument

O: Occasion—what are the conditions

A: Attitude—identify the author’s perspective

P: Purpose—identify why it is written

S: Speaker—use the author’s name and how they use their reputation or experience

DIDLS

What are major devices in each paragraph?• Diction—word choice/word play/word use• Imagery—use of the 5 senses• Description—use of facts and examples• Language Devices—simile, metaphor, etc.• Syntax—parallelism, juxtaposition, anaphora,

etc.

Make a note in the margin—esp. for essays on analyzing rhetorical devices

Present your Best Self

• Indent• Write Neatly• Write Perfectly. . . At least have a brilliant

beginning. Give the reader two or three main points.

• Write with pizzazz—TAKE RISKS—even if you fall flat

• ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!• BUDGET YOUR TIME!!• Write in the present tense as much as possible

How much do I need to write?• Do not waste time on a formal outline—make

quick decisions on 3 main points• You should be able to substantially develop a

well-organized discussion of two to three pages of the essay booklet for each essay

• Don’t write an overly long introduction• Body paragraphs can be given power with

strong topic sentences that set up the argument, clinchers that drive the point home, and transitions that lead the reader into the next paragraph

• The Conclusion—make sure the AP reader knows that you have one final idea that joins your previous points.

Write your own Argument

• State your thesis—take your cues from the prompt. Remember the Graff template

• Identify two to four—preferably three—ideas that will allow you to prove your thesis.

• Wrap up your essay with some final thoughts of intellectual depth.

Write about Rhetorical Strategies

• Identify the key information from the prompt to use in your thesis

• Determine what SOAPS and DIDLS relate to the specific term

i.e. How does the author prove his point-of-view?tone, appeal to pathos, use of allegory or metaphor, scare tactics, deductive reasoning

The Synthesis Essay

• Read the prompt—what is the argument that they want you to make: “support, refute, or qualify the assertion”—the Graff template can also be useful here.

• What is the specific historical focus of the documents? Think about what you already know about the topic

• Decide which documents which you will use as evidence to build your argument—do not just provide a summary of the documents

• Incorporate references and use of the documents fluidly into your paper.

Building Examples: Illustrating your Point

• Use examples the AP reader can identify with and understand

• Draw your examples from “real life,” “real” culture, and well-known folklore and literature.

• Only use examples that support your point. Quality versus Quantity.

• A single example can sometimes sustain an entire essay, while a series of short, less-perfect but relevant examples can illustrate your point through cumulative effect.

• Discard examples that disprove your point—you don’t have time to be fair to all sides of the issue—PROVE YOUR POINT!

Classifying your Main Point

• Make sure you have a central idea (thesis) and you relate the categories to the main argument

• Sort your information into meaningful groups—is there enough for a convincing paragraph

Incorrect: The author’s Diction is strongCorrect: Upton Sinclair amplifies his horror at the conditions

of the food packing industry through his word choice.• Have a manageable number of categories—three or four• Modify your thesis to fit your main groups to have a

strong introduction.• Set up clearly for your readers the groups.• Argue your thesis, not just your categories.

Comparison and Contrast

• Stronger essays build from common elements in multiple sources—Synthesis Essay

• Do not write about A in one paragraph and B in the other paragraph—this doesn’t require the level of sophistication an AP reader is looking for.

For example—women’s rights—rather than dividing into pro and con—examine the common themes—role in the work place, impact of children, role in the family

• Combine common elements into 3 groups if possible• Don’t justify your examples, use them to discuss the

common element.