The AP EXAM!!!!!
here're the basics: ( (download me, i'm helpful!) )
you get sixty minutes to do 55 multiple choice questions,
120 minutes to write three essays.
the multiple choice consists of reading and analyzing texts. WARNING! though they won't say it, vocabulary is a huge part of the test! one must be rather well versed in english vocabulary before attempting.
^ this became painfully aware to me while we did practice AP questions in class; there were so many questions that contained words that were completely foreign to me-- this could be detrimental on the test!
*always read the passage before reading the questions! it is very helpful to have a running paraphrase going on in your head- take wordy passages and hash them out in your mind as you read; i've found this extremely helpful with retaining and comprehending information!
answer easy questions first, and trust your instincts.
the easy questions are like comprehension, i.e. what happened after this? what color was that? obvious, in-text answers. harder questions incorporate some interpretation; they are a little trickier. but the hardest ones determine a 4 from a 5; these questions are pretty much completely interpretation. if you gathered all the literature professors from around the world to answers these level 5 questions, their answers could differ greatly!
the essays!
make SURE you understand the prompt! you could write the most amazing and wonderful and awesome paper, but if you don't follow the prompt exactly, how can it be scored? remember: a question may not always ask "so what?", but it is usually implied. for instance, if they ask what literary techniques are being used, do list the techniques, but also explain- why are they there? what are they accomplishing?
there's time to make an outline! organization is important!
use proper english words and proper literary terms too! quizlet.com is a good place to practice!
COLLEGE BOARD WEBSITE ON THE AP ENGLISH LITERATURE EXAM. lots of helpful tips and practice suggestions!
ALLUSIONS.
definition: an allusion is a reference to another work of literature, or an event in history. it helps reinforce an authors point, and, because a one-word allusion can have a whole story of connotations attached to it, it can pack a lot of meaning into a very small space.
the bible is a very common place that writers look to for allusions; it's filled with stories containing different characters and morals, and as it is one of the oldest accounts of literature, it's pretty well known.
just like foster said in How to Read Literature Like a Professor! i'm sure we'll be running into lots of biblical allusions throughout the year, so that summer studying we did will pay off!
MEANING AND IDEA.
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said 'What a good boy am I!
this poem is relevant!! it can be compared to the ideas and meaning within a poem- the separate plums (ideas) in a story meld together to make a pie, and you can't simply stick your thumb in and take out an idea, it has become one. however, one rotten idea/plum can ruin an otherwise delicious story/christmas dessert! this pie is the
total meaning, the overall experience that a poem gives, and the plums are the
prose meanings, the meanings that can be taken from separate paragraphs.
an effective reader can determine prose meanings and total meanings- even when they don't agree with them. one wants to feel and experience what the poet did when he wrote; one wants to broaden their experiences through fully attempting to understand those of others!
No comments:
Post a Comment