AP English Language & Composition For Dummies

AP English Language & Composition For Dummies......Page 5
Table of Contents......Page 13
Introduction......Page 21
Part I Preparation without Perspiration......Page 27
What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Take the AP English Language and Composition Exam......Page 29
Getting Up Close and Personal with Exam Questions......Page 30
Knowing the Score: Grades and Reports......Page 36
Getting Practical......Page 39
On Your Mark, Get Set...: Preparing for the Exam......Page 43
Go! Surviving Exam Day......Page 46
After the Exam......Page 49
Keeping Track: Annotating and Note-Taking......Page 51
Closing In on Close Reading......Page 53
Pumping Up Your Vocabulary......Page 56
Writing: Process Makes Perfect......Page 57
No Lab Required: Research for English Class......Page 61
The Eyes Have It: Visual Sources......Page 64
Part II The Writer’s Toolkit......Page 65
Going beyond the Dictionary: Grasping Connotation......Page 67
Listen up! Examining Diction, Tone, and Attitude......Page 69
Figuring Out Figurative Language......Page 73
Identifying Imagery......Page 74
Unlocking the Secret of Syntax......Page 77
(Para) graphing without a Calculator......Page 82
Seeing the Author’s Point of View......Page 86
Cause and Effect......Page 89
Compare and Contrast......Page 91
Anecdote and Example......Page 93
Classification and Definition......Page 95
Process and Chronology......Page 97
Building a Solid Base: Elements of a Sentence......Page 101
Fine-Tuning Verb Usage......Page 103
Turning Pro with Pronouns......Page 106
No Math, but Plenty of Parallels......Page 108
Modifying Habits......Page 109
Punctuating Your Way to a Five......Page 110
Interpreting What You See, Step by Step......Page 113
Decoding a Cartoon......Page 115
Finding Meaning in a Photo......Page 116
Cracking the Advertisement Code......Page 117
Data Mining: How to Read Charts, Tables, and Graphs......Page 120
Part III Meeting the Major Players: Types of Writing Found on the Exam......Page 125
Tell Me a Story: Narrative Passages......Page 127
Painting a Picture: Descriptive Passages......Page 129
You Win: Argument Passages......Page 131
Information, Please: Expository Passages......Page 134
Defining Essay Essentials......Page 137
Housing Thoughts: Essay Structure......Page 138
Analyzing Sample Essays......Page 141
Relating a Life with Rhetorical Devices......Page 147
I Did It My Way: Autobiography......Page 149
Turning Other Lives into Literature: Biography......Page 152
Grasping the Essential Elements of Letters and Speeches......Page 157
You’ve Got Mail: Letters......Page 159
As I Was Saying: Speeches......Page 163
Scoring Three Easy Points: Citation Questions......Page 167
Locating Essential Elements of Citations......Page 168
Picking Apart Parenthetical Citations......Page 169
Moving Past the Basics: Some Strange Citation Cases......Page 171
Part IV That Is the Question: Multiple-Choice and Essay Strategy and Practice......Page 175
Gone in 60 Minutes: Multiple-Choice Section Timing......Page 177
Dealing with Types of Multiple-Choice Questions......Page 181
Practice Passage One: Francis Bacon......Page 193
Practice Passage Two: A Letter to Punch......Page 197
Practice Passage Three: Richard Henry Dana......Page 200
Practice Passage Four: Columbian Exposition......Page 204
Practice Passage Five: Japan in 1800......Page 208
Getting the Logistics Down Pat......Page 213
Adapting Your Writing Process to the AP Exam......Page 215
Handling Evidence......Page 220
Selecting a Sturdy Structure for Your Essay......Page 224
Examining Each Type of Essay......Page 225
Writing and Scoring a Practice Essay......Page 229
Analysis of a Single Passage......Page 230
Paired Passages......Page 235
Essay Based on a Quotation......Page 238
An Opinion Piece......Page 239
The Synthesis Essay......Page 241
Part V Testing, One, Two . . . Practice Exams......Page 255
Practice Exam 1 Answer Sheet......Page 257
Gearing Up to Take the Exam......Page 259
The AP Language and Composition Test......Page 260
Section One: Multiple Choice......Page 261
Section Two: Essay Questions......Page 274
Planning Your Attack......Page 283
Slurping Alphabet Soup: Rating the Multiple-Choice Section......Page 284
Going Pro: Grading Essay Responses Like an AP Expert......Page 291
Scoring Essay One: Synthesis Essay on the Internet and Society......Page 293
Scoring Essay Two: Analytical Essay on Paul Robeson......Page 299
Scoring Essay Three: Leadership......Page 303
Exam Conversion Chart......Page 308
Practice Exam 2 Answer Sheet......Page 311
The AP Language and Composition Test......Page 313
Section One: Multiple Choice......Page 314
Section Two: Essay Questions......Page 326
Checking the Multiple-Choice Section......Page 333
Scoring Essay One: Synthesis Essay on Regulating the Media......Page 341
Scoring Essay Two: Paired Passages......Page 347
Scoring Essay Three: Friendship......Page 353
Exam Conversion Chart......Page 357
Part VI The Part of Tens......Page 359
Skipping an Essay......Page 361
Not Citing Sources......Page 362
Playing for Laughs......Page 363
Ignoring the Passage......Page 364
Reading the Writer’s Way......Page 365
Watching Television......Page 366
Solving Crossword Puzzles......Page 367
Becoming an Activist......Page 368
Index......Page 369