How to pass the AP English Literature and Composition Exam: The objective test (multiple choice): •The new rules for the AP exam allow for no guessing penalty; therefore, answer every question. If you are unsure of the correct answer, use process of elimination and go with the best possible answer. Should you run out of time before finishing, any answer is better than none. •Look for wrong answers. Remember that part of the answer may be correct, but only one part has to be false to make it an incorrect response.Read all the answers, and use process of elimination when appropriate. •Scan the stems of questions, and treat each like a paragraph—look for key words—this will give you a focus —especially pay attention to verbs, e.g. suggests, convey, stand for, etc. •If the question seems too easy, don’t worry. Some easy questions, especially the first question, appear on all the exams. •Other questions on the same section may give you clues on how to interpret the passage, which in turn will help you understand other questions. •Use a strategy: Answer questions that relate to meanings of words and word order first;then move on to figures of speech and imagery; lastly, answer questions pertaining to theme and tone (since these are the hardest, this will give you time to think and re-examine the passage). Multiple Choice Prose passage questions are on the following: Situation and content Meanings of words and phrases Grammar Diction Figurative Language Structure Literary Techniques Rhetoric Tone Multiple choice Poetry passage questions are on the following: Dramatic Situation Structure Theme Grammar and the meanings of words Images Figurative Language Diction Tone Literary Devices Metrics •Write on the test—circle words, underline, etc.Do this as you read to go back to important parts. 1
•Take a quick glance at each passage/poem to see where to start—you may wish to save the hardest portion of the exam for the last, in case you are running short on time. •Generally, four-five sections exist on the test (sometimes one is split or doubled):18th or 19th century poetry, 18th or 19th century prose, contemporary poetry, and contemporary prose.Each of these sections contains roughly the same amount of questions.If you know that one of the sections is a weak area for you, you may wish to complete that section last.This way, if you are running short on time, you will miss questions that you may have had a hard time understanding anyway. •Never assume that a pattern may exist in the answers. If five in a row are “C” the next one has the same probability of being “C” as any other answer. •There is generally onlyoneinterpretation of the passage/poem on the exam.There is little room for unusual views of passages/poems. •If you omit questions or skip around, be sure to mark the appropriate number—it is too easy to get one question off.
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