1. AP Literature Exam Prep Notes

2. Thursday, May 10th
8:00 am
Competition Gym

3. 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

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

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

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

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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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 _________________________.

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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?

18. 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.

19. 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!

20. 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

21. 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!

22. 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

23. Should I ..
READ
ANOTHER
NOVEL?

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

25. 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.