PREPARING FOR SUCCESS

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition

Test

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 timeMultiple choice passages broken up in two

ways Prose Poetry

Multiple Choice - Prose

Read actively and visually – underline and circleExamine organizational patternIdentify transitional words and phrasesAcknowledge point of viewEvaluate tone through diction and sentence structure

Be especially watchful for irony and satireWatch for odd words that may shift the languagePay attention to punctuation for changes in toneUse context clues to identify any unknown vocabularyNotice 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 structureIdentify any enjambmentDiscriminate between literal and figurative elementsScansion – handout from earlierInferred attitude from author

Note the difference between author and speakerNotice literary devices

Simile, metaphor, personificationNotice 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

Meter Foot

Monometer 1Dimeter 2Trimeter 3Tetrameter 4Pentamter5Hexameter 6Heptameter 7Octameter 8

Iamb U/Trochee /UAnapest UU/Dactyl /UU

Multiple Choice - Poetry

Free Response Questions

Three prompts– poetry, prose, open-endedUse about 40 minutes per question (2 hours total)Most questions ask you to analyze

Analyze – to break something into smaller piecesYou can do some prewritingDevelop a working thesis that requires proof

Full introduction not necessaryDo not need to list the items of analysis in thesisIt is okay to scratch something out – reader should

only read what is intended to be readUnderstand 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 languageKnow 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 promptDo not analyze the quality of a text unless

you are asked to do soUnderstand the language of prose

Specifically, be able to describe and analyze tone

Free Response – Open-Ended

Discuss specific elements – don’t generalizeDo not merely summarize plot

Analyze, analyze, analyzeDevelop strong and varied sentencesChoose 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

passagesAsk me questions if you have any

jvanengen@sfcss.org – @j_man_v – (605) 759-3914