AP Literature Exam Prep Notes

Thursday, May 10th 8:00 am Competition Gym

What to bring: picture ID pencils / erasers blue or black ink pens a watch water a snack tissues a jacket or sweater mints or cough drops

Length of Exam: 3 Hours 2 Sections: multiple choice essays

There’s a short breather between sections. Even if you finish early, you must stay in testing room for entire exam.

Section I: MULTIPLE CHOICE 60 minutes 50-60 questions over 5-6 pieces of poetry & prose 45% of final score

Answer ALL multiple choice questions. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

Suggestions: Mark the ones you can’t answer and move on. Your objective is to get through all of the questions so you don’t miss any you can answer. Then… go back and work the ones you skipped. Educated guessing is good strategy.

Section II: ESSAY 120 minutes (2 hours) 3 essays: 1 literary (prose) analysis 1 poetry (verse) analysis 1 student choice analysis 55% of overall final score

Write at the top of each essay: Start Time: _____ Stop Time: _____ The proctor MAY say, “Forty minutes have passed. You may want to move on to the next essay.” Divide the 120 MINUTES as you see fit. You may do the essays in any order.

Diction Patterns Imagery Shifts Figurative Language Organization Remember your mnemonic device and all the literary strategies you know that fall into these categories and beyond. D I F S R P S D O P T Diction Imagery Figurative Language Sounds Rhythm/Pace Patterns Shifts Organization Details Point-of-View Tone

Question #3: Student Choice Analysis Essay You may select which book to write about, even if it’s not on the suggested list. Criteria: it is of literary merit you are very familiar with it

Prompt may be about “the meaning of the work as a whole.” Explicitly state what the meaning is in your thesis. Meaning = theme. This is a story about ______ and how _________________________.

Novels: Store in your mind… two 20th century novels one pre-20th century novel You must be able to recall: author plot points characters conflicts themes what distinguishes the author’s style opening and closing paragraphs anything that makes the work unique

Plays: Store in your mind… two Shakespearean plays two plays by other playwrights You must to be able to recall: the setting (place, time, social mores) major characters themes rising and falling action climax opening and closing scenes

Additional Review: Go to my website under “AP Exam Prep” There are copies of handouts and websites to help you review. Most important: Literary Analysis – STYLISTIC ELEMENTS Terms

Don’t let wording confuse you or make you feel unsure. show how… analyze the techniques… discuss the strategies… what devices are employed… These are all ways of asking how does the author use words?

Don’t be intimidated by older pieces or by Shakespeare. The passages and poetry will be from different time periods and will be of varying length and degree of difficulty. Don’t be intimidated by older pieces or by Shakespeare. It’s all English  Begin with what you understand and move forward.

Reading poetry and/or Shakespeare: Let the punctuation guide you. Chunk it up and paraphrase. Begin with what you understand and move forward. Look for patterns: words, images, sounds, etc. that seem to go together. What could these mean as a whole? Notice SHIFTS (words like but and yet are indicators) Remember: IMAGERY = MEANING!

Suggested Essay Timing: 2-3 minutes: work the question; underline all key parts 10-20 minutes: read, re-read, annotate, pre-write 20-25 minutes: write the essay proofread

Am I ready for this? Absolutely! Approach the exam with healthy respect and confidence. The exam asks you to work, but the payoff is worth it!

Dear Seniors, I want you to know that I am delighted that you have chosen to take the AP Lit Exam. There is no doubt in my mind that if you give it your best, you will do well. I have watched each of you work this year with diligence and joy, and I am honored to point to you and say that you are a Phoenix student. ~ Mrs. C

Should I .. READ ANOTHER NOVEL?

NOW IS THE TIME FOR SPARKNOTES  good news: NOW IS THE TIME FOR SPARKNOTES 

Analyzing poetry a la’ The Scientific Method: OBSERVE QUESTION HYPOTHESIZE EXPERIMENT SHARE RESULTS Notice details of the text. Interact with and annotate the text. Address questions of how and why. Test your thinking against the thinking of others. Conclude and reflect.