Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Test Preparing for Success

Format of the Test Test is broken into two major sections Section 1 – Multiple Choice Allowed 1 hour Section 2 – Writing Allowed 2 hours

Multiple Choice Typically there are 55 questions asked on the test Try to find a half way point If there are 60 questions, try to be at question 30 halfway through the allotted time Multiple choice passages broken up in two ways Prose Poetry

Multiple Choice - Prose Read actively and visually – underline and circle Examine organizational pattern Identify transitional words and phrases Acknowledge point of view Evaluate tone through diction and sentence structure Be especially watchful for irony and satire Watch for odd words that may shift the language Pay attention to punctuation for changes in tone Use context clues to identify any unknown vocabulary Notice and mark SOAPStone Speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone

Multiple Choice - Prose Question Categories Rhetoric How does language work in the passage? Author’s meaning and purpose Why does the author choose a specific wording? To what effect? Main Idea What is the author’s thesis, attitude and tone? Organization and Structure How is the passage organized? Comparison/Contrast, definition, specific to general

Multiple Choice - Poetry Pay attention to punctuation, looking for complete sentences indicated by periods, semi-colons, etc. Watch for shifts in tone, point of view, verb tense, and time Consider repetitions Parallel syntax, imagery, simile/metaphor What is the logic? Asking – then answering questions Developing an argument Story with a conflict and climax Series of analogies and comparisons to prove a point

Multiple Choice - Poetry Dramatic situation Analyze for speaker Note sentence structure Identify any enjambment Discriminate between literal and figurative elements Scansion – handout from earlier Inferred attitude from author Note the difference between author and speaker Notice literary devices Simile, metaphor, personification Notice sound devices Alliteration, assonance, internal and external rhyme

Multiple Choice - Poetry Question Categories Dramatic Situation (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose) Structure and form Universal theme Definitions of words in context Images and figurative language Diction and connotations Tone Literary devices Sound devices Scansion

Multiple Choice - Poetry Meter Foot Monometer 1 Dimeter 2 Trimeter 3 Tetrameter 4 Pentamter 5 Hexameter 6 Heptameter 7 Octameter 8 Iamb U/ Trochee /U Anapest UU/ Dactyl /UU

Free Response Questions Three prompts– poetry, prose, open-ended Use about 40 minutes per question (2 hours total) Most questions ask you to analyze Analyze – to break something into smaller pieces You can do some prewriting Develop a working thesis that requires proof Full introduction not necessary Do not need to list the items of analysis in thesis It is okay to scratch something out – reader should only read what is intended to be read Understand punctuation of poems, novels, plays, short stories

Free Response - Poetry When utilizing poetic devices, do not list rhyme scheme as a device – pointless Show a working knowledge of poetic language Know the difference between the following: Sonnet – 14 lined poem, often about love Ode – long, serious, meditative lyric poem Elegy – serious, reflective; often love poetry Epic – narrative poem, recounts adventure of a hero Dramatic monologue – speaker addresses silent listener, revealing himself in a dramatic situation Mock heroic poem – lengthy poem about a trivial subject written in the manner of an epic

Free Response - Prose Make sure you carefully answer the prompt given Sometimes individuals have the tendency to wander Specific textual examples are helpful to mention when you identify ideas Be sure not to simply repeat the prompt Do not analyze the quality of a text unless you are asked to do so Understand the language of prose Specifically, be able to describe and analyze tone

Free Response – Open-Ended Discuss specific elements – don’t generalize Do not merely summarize plot Analyze, analyze, analyze Develop strong and varied sentences Choose a work from the list or an appropriate literary work for the prompt Do not use Hamlet Write about a work you feel comfortable and knowledgeable Refresh yourself with works from past school years What works have you read in high school?

A few last thoughts… Come prepared Get plenty of rest the night before Eat a good breakfast the morning of the test Be sure you are hydrated Test fatigue can set in, so be patient and mindful Everything we have learned this year has been review for this test Novels, discussions, writing prompts, essays, practice passages Ask me questions if you have any jvanengen@sfcss.org