PRE-EXAM REMINDERS

Eye on the prize...

Bring:  A black ink pen (Pencil is harder to read – don’t make your reader’s task more difficult if you don’t have to.)  Pencils with fresh erasers  A watch (a clock in the room may be difficult to view)

Appropriate titles for Essay Question 3 (from your readings this year)  Pride and Prejudice  Hamlet  Heart of Darkness  Any of your British Classics Selections: Jane Eyre Wuthering Heights Portrait of the Artist Frankenstein Passage to India Great Expectations)

Apt titles cont.  These titles from your independent reading choices: The Kite Runner Sense and Sensibility Brave New World The Picture of Dorian Gray Remains of the Day The Hours The Road Atonement

Inside the mind of AP Readers  The AP reader will seek to reward you for what you do well. Know your strengths, and strive to push these to the front in your essays.  They don’t want to know your personal experience or the extent of your knowledge base – just your understanding of what the author has to say, and how they say it.  Write legibly – readers will resent having to slow down in order to re-read your words.

What to Review  Absolutely carefully review your Trail Guide directives.  Literary terms.  Novel cards. Dwell upon two you like best.

Last Minute, Misc. Tips  When you need to correct an error, draw a single line through it. Do not scribble over it!  Take care with these stumbles:  The author “uses diction”- Of course the author uses diction! What kind of diction?  “Want” is not the same as “desire” - want is a state of deprivation. Synonyms: dearth, absence. For example, “Crops are dwindling in California for want of rain”.  The pretentious “utilize” when serviceable “use” will do. Save unique, attention-grabbing words for important purposes. Utilize is just too big for its little britches of meaning.

Misc. Tips Cont.  Avoid sexism in language. Here are some alternatives to the awkward “he or she”:  Use plurals A lawyer Lawyers must pass the bar exam before he they can practice.  Change the verb form A lawyer must pass the bar exam before he can practice practicing.

Avoiding sexism You decide: Each applicant must complete his or her credential by the end of the month. Each applicant must complete their credential by the end of the month. * * This is a controversial topic among grammarians. The use of “they/their” as singular, to include both sexes, goes back to the time of Chaucer!