1. Strategies for Multiple Choice Section

2. Before you do anything Count how many passages there are.
Do some math:
3 passages = 20 minutes per passage
4 passages = 15 minutes per passage
5 passages = 12 minutes per passage
Write down what time you need to stop EACH passage

3. Tips for reading the passage
1. annotate the passage as if you were being asked to write a rhetorical analysis on it
2. If there’s a sentence or section you don’t understand, mark it. If there’s a question that corresponds to that section, skip it and come back later if you have time.
3. If the passage is pre-20th century, do the following:
Read the 1st paragraph. Replace semicolons with periods. (Don’t forget that “want” means “lack of.”)
Reread the 1st paragraph.
Repeat these steps for the entire passage.

4. Read the question carefully
Pressured for time, many students make the mistake of reading the questions too quickly or merely skim them.
By reading a question carefully, you may already have some idea about the correct answer. You can then look for it in the responses.
Careful reading is especially important in EXCEPT questions.

5. Now you’ve arrived at the questions

6. Eliminate any answer you know is wrong
You can write on the multiple-choice questions in the test book.
As you read through the responses, draw a line through any answer you know is wrong.

7. Read all of the remaining possible answers, then choose the most accurate response
AP exams are written to test your precise knowledge of a subject. Sometimes there are a few probable answers but one of them is more specific.

8. Avoid absolute responses
These answers often include the words “always” or “never”.

9. Mark and skip tough questions
If you are hung up on a question mark it in the margin of the question book. You can come back to it later if you have time. Make sure you skip that question on your answer sheet too.

10. Types of Multiple-Choice Questions
There are various kinds of multiple choice questions. Here are some suggestions for how to approach each kind.

11. Classic/Best Answer Questions
This is the most common type of multiple-choice question. It simply requires you to read the question and select the most correct answer. For example:
1. All money bills originate in
a. the executive branch
b. the Senate
c. the House of Representatives
d. the judicial branch
e. the State Department

12. EXCEPT Questions
In the EXCEPT question, all of the answers are correct but one. The best way to approach these questions is as true/false. Mark a T or F in the margin next to each possible answer. There should be only one false answer, and that is the one you should select. For example:
1. All of the following were advantages of the Union in the Civil War EXCEPT
a. It needed only to fight a defensive war
b. It was more industrialized than the South
c. It had a larger population
d. It had a more developed railway system than the South
e. It had a stronger navy than the South

13. List and Group Questions
In this type of question, there is a list of possible answers, and you must select the answer that contains the correct group of responses. These questions look hard, but you can simplify them by crossing out items from the list and then eliminating them in the answers below.
For example:

14. According to the Constitution, as amended, which of the following is directly elected by the people?
To approach the question, draw a line through choice I, because the president and vice president are not elected directly but are chosen by the Electoral College. Then cross out any response that contains choice I.
I. The president and the vice president
II. Members of the House of Representatives
III. Justices of the Supreme Court
IV. Senators
A. I and II
B. II and III
C. I,II, and III
D. I and IV
E. II and IV
Continue to cross out items that are wrong and the responses that contain them.

15. Don’t forget the two most popular types:
Meaning questions:
These determine whether you understand the text itself (also known as comprehension questions).
Will likely have to do with:
Main idea
Summarizing specific lines
Looking back at specific quotes from the text to determine meaning
Rhetorical Analysis questions:
These determine whether you can understand the author’s purpose and intended effect
Structure
Purpose
Rhetorical strategies