Free Response Section - WordPress.com
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Free Response Section
• Prompts
– Analysis of a prose passage
– Analysis of a poem
– Open-ended question, usually related to a
literary element – will always focus on theme
MOWAW (meaning of the work as a whole)
• Time limit: 120 minutes to write all three
essays
• Weight: 55% of total score
AP SCORE QUALIFICATION
5 Extremely well qualified
4 Well qualified
3 Qualified
2 Possibly qualified
1 No recommendation
AP Exam scores of 5 are equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college course.
AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to grades of A–, B+ and B in college. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to grades of B–, C+ and C in college.
Free Response
• Q1 = Poetry
• Q2 = Prose
• Q3 = Open-ended
Q1 - Poetry
• Poetry could be anything from the 1600’s
to poets writing today.
Question 1
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question
counts as one-third of the total essay section
score.)
Read carefully the following poem by Marilyn
Nelson Waniek. Then write an essay analyzing
how Waniek employs literary techniques to
develop the complex meanings that the speaker
attributes to The Century Quilt. You may wish to
consider such elements as structure, imagery,
and tone.
Q2 - Prose
• Excerpt or cutting from a novel or short
story
Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
In the following passage from Maria Edgeworth’s 1801 novel, Belinda, the narrator provides a description of Clarence Hervey, one of the suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman. Mrs. Stanhope, Belinda’s aunt, hopes to improve her niece’s social prospects and therefore has arranged to have Belinda stay with the fashionable Lady Delacour.
Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze Clarence Hervey’s complex character as Edgeworth develops it through such literary techniques as tone, point of view, and language.
Q3 – Open-ended
• Broad question that applies to many
novels and plays.
• Choose a work of literary merit
Question 3
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place,between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience.
Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Those who read and score AP essays are
trained to reward students for what they do
well, rather than look for the little “missing
pieces.” They recognize that essays are
unrevised, first drafts. They also realize
students are under great pressure (for
example a student might mix character names in
an otherwise solid essay and not be graded
down.) Don’t worry about perfection. It’s okay
to have cross outs, added sentences, etc. If
you have time, you can reread your essays
and do some editing.
– Show your ability to argue a point
The essay should demonstrate what a student might do at the end of a college freshman course. Work to develop an idea and to show command of the material. Content is primary. Most AP essay questions ask you to analyze on a two level system--what did the author do (in terms of main idea, central attitude, or basic emotion evoked from the reader) and how did s/he do it (examining such elements as imagery, figurative language, diction, syntax, structure, or style)? Jot notes in the test booklet to generate ideas. – Q1 and Q2 write about lit techniques
– Q3 will focus on theme (MOWAW)
In a 40-minute situation, you should study the
problem (identify the focus of the question), read
the selection, and start writing within 7 to 10
minutes. Be sure to focus on the question
asked. Don’t bother with a “pretty” introduction,
but do try to make a strong first impression. A
strong opening states the focus of the question
by offering a definitive observation which
emerges from your own thinking. It answers
the entire prompt in one or two sentences. If
you don't know how to start, you can always
parrot the prompt, but do this only if you must.
Try to finish strong with a solid ending. If
you are running short of time, leave
something out of the body and move on to
the conclusion. Always deal with
conclusions; it’s your last impression
on the reader.
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In responding to the prose and poetry
selections, write one body paragraph
for each major section of the work.
Sections are determined by shifts in
setting, action, or time.
Organize around factors of the piece of
literature itself; show how the speaker’s
thoughts change and move. (If you are
unable to do this, organize around
techniques or devices on which the
questions ask you to focus, items like
diction, figurative language, etc.).
• Readers are not looking for a standard five-paragraph essay.
– You might miss the movement of the piece
• Q1 and Q2 – start at the beginning of the selection and work your way through to the end.
– It’s okay to skip around, but keep coming back to your main point (thesis)
– Better to use short paragraphs
Quote words and phrases so they
are integrated within your piece. A
quote of more than one line from the
text is too much. If you need to
reference more than one line, cite
the line numbers.
In writing about the poetry question, direct
your attention to certain elements
addressed in the question. You should
be able to discuss tone, point of view,
imagery, figurative language, structure,
syntax, who the speaker is, and poem’s
impact on the reader.
– Never say “the author felt” or “the author
said.” Instead, refer to the speaker.
• The author is not necessarily the speaker
In writing about prose, you are asked to deal with some of the same items as in #7. Sometimes, contrasting passages are presented. Avoid the traps of rephrasing or retelling the passage with quotes, or listing, but not explaining. Show your thinking.
– Don’t paraphrase – EXPLAIN
– Don’t just retell – EXPLAIN
– Remember, the person reading your essay will be very familiar with the passage. You don’t need to tell her what it’s about.
On question #3 (the open-ended
question), be sure to follow the explicit
directions. Note whether you are to
write about a novel, a play, or either.
Never write about a short story for #3.
– Always choose a work of literary merit
• Not Twilight
• Books you’ve read in your English classes at
MVHS will work
– Have six books in mind when you walk
into the test that you can write about
for Q3
Remember, you are writing for
someone who is familiar with the
piece of literature.
– They find three people who know your
book well. They score it and take the
average score.
– Don’t worry about the reader. Think
that whoever reads your essay knows
the book as well as you do.
• Don’t write Brave New World is a book
about. . .”
Mechanical difficulties reduce the score
only if they hamper communication.
However, something VERY badly written
can only be scored in the bottom half (no
more than 4).
– Watch spelling so you’re communicating in
the English language
– Don’t sweat commas, but try to use them as
correctly as possible
– Do sweat periods. Make sure they are dark.
Be sure to budget your time and write on
all three questions. You may write them in
any order. Remember, you don’t have
time to do rough drafts. Instead, use
some time to generate material (make
notes or an outline) in the test booklet
itself.
– Budget 40 minutes per question
• Wear a watch!
• Use all 120 minutes – you can always go back
and edit
– You can work in whatever order you want
The length of your answer is no
guarantee of quality.
– QUALITY NOT QUANTITY
– However, aim to write at least two
pages because the prompts are
complex enough to merit this
length of response.
Work for good penmanship. They can’t
score it if they can’t read it.
– Students have had their essays disqualified
because scorers couldn’t read their writing
Freudian and religious interpretations usually don’t score well. Don’t be cynical or demeaning, be too clever, or write around the question. Don’t start to preach or offer applications of the passage’s idea to the world in general. – NO: Elizabeth Bennett is really in love with her father.
– NO: If this question weren’t so ridiculous, it might actually be worth discussing the symbolic elements in The Scarlet Letter.
– NO: Jake really needs to find God.
– NO: If everyone was more like Hester Prynne, the world would be a better place.
• Don't write "pity me" notes (such as "I was up all night" or "My grandma just died.") – You’ll just end up entertaining the readers
Write to express, not impress.
Keep vocabulary and syntax
within your zone of competence.
Students who inflate their writing
often inadvertently entertain, but
seldom explain.
– Use your academic voice
• Do not use what you think should
be your academic voice VIP: Very Important Point
Rubric: How are essays graded?
• Well-supported interpretation of the
book/passage/poem
– Make sure to prove your point
– If it’s in the book/passage you don’t have to prove it
– If it’s your assumption, then prove it
• Darcy is arrogant – if Austen writes this it’s good. If she
doesn’t, then prove it.
• Good content, well-written
• Both parts of the question answered
– Essays that answer only one part can only score 4 or
below