Part I: Multiple Choice (45%)
- 55 questions; 60 minutes
- no penalty for guessing
- different levels of questions: ranges from simple “1 level” comprehension questions to “5 level” interpretation questions
- practice questions/more information: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-english-course-description.pdf(note that this is also a link to general information about the AP test—see bottom)
Part II: Free Response (55%)
- 3 essays; 120 minutes
- 2 closed essays; 1 open essay
- *MOST IMPORTANT THING = FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
- Answer the sometimes hidden “So what?” question; to analyze = to show how the parts contribute to the functioning of the whole
- must NAME the literary technique (in other words, must become very familiar with all literary terms)
- a good way to get organized is to draw out an outline PRIOR to writing; sample outline of Compare/Contrast prompt:
A+B share similarities…
support claim with evidence
BUT, A really focuses on…
support claim with evidence
WHILE, B really focuses on…
support claim with evidence
- sample Free Response questions: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit
thorough outline of the AP test: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-english-course-description.pdf
Perrine Chapters 8 and 9:
allusion: reference to something in history or previous literature
- richly connotative word or symbol
- in order to use allusions, authors must assume the universality of some ideas
- example: Robert Frost alludes to Macbeth’s famous speech in his poem “Out, out—”
- common fund of literary experience includes: classical mythology (Edith Hamilton!), Shakespeare, Bible (King James version)
example of Shakespearean allusions in “Wise Children”: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_English/Wise_Children/Allusions_to_Shakespeare
mythological allusions: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7156365/Mythological-Allusions-Ppt
Biblical allusions: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/biblical-allusions.html
total meaning: experience a poem communicates (can be communicated in no other way)
- value and worth of a poem are determined by total meaning, not by the truth or nobility of any one idea
- “suspension of disbelief”-in order to enjoy the poem for what it is, readers may sometimes have to temporarily discard the “reality” they’re used to
- a poem becomes more persuasive when the author can communicate that he/she truly believes in the idea he/she is trying to convince the reader of
- it is the reader’s obligation to at least make an effort to try to understand the ideas being presented
prose meaning: ingredient that can be separated out in the form of a prose paraphrase
more detailed information on “prose paraphrase:” http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~tpuckpan/paraphrase.htm
- there may not be a meaning or grand, philosophical idea to figure out
- only part of the total meaning
- not necessarily an idea
- can be story, description, statement of emotion, presentation of human character, or a combination
example of description: “The Eagle”
example of statement of emotion: “The Widow’s Lament in Springtime”
example of presentation of human character: “My Last Duchess”
application of these two ideas to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:” http://www.freewebs.com/english-brain/poetry3.htm
Overall Connections:
This week, in particular while I was reading Chapter 8 in Perrine, I started realizing the importance of our summer assignments, especially Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and the Bible. In addition, I can see more clearly now that the AP test is simply an application of all the techniques we’ve learned/will be learning this year.
*critical approaches: review wikis from time to time
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