Q.O.D. FAVORITE PHOENIX BOOK YOU’VE

READ UP TO THIS POINT

WELCOME!

AP LITERATURE EXAM PREP NOTES

7:45 amCompetition

Gym

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH

picture ID pencils / erasers

blue or black ink pens watch water snack tissues

jacket or sweater mints or cough drops

WHAT TO BRING:

LENGTH OF EXAM: 3 HOURS

2 SECTIONS:

MULTIPLE CHOICE& ESSAY

(WITH A SHORT BREAK BETWEEN)

60 minutes

4-6 pieces of poetry and prose

50-60 questions

SECTION 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE(45 % OF FINAL SCORE)

• There is no penalty for incorrect answers. YAY!

• Your objective is to get through all of the questions; you don’t want to miss any you will get right.

• Mark the ones you can’t answer and move on. Go back and work the ones you skipped.

• Educated guessing is good strategy!!

ANSWER ALL MULTIPLE CHOICE

QUESTIONS.

• 120 minutes (2 hours)• 3 essays:

1 poetry (verse) analysis 1 literary (prose) analysis 1 student choice analysis

SECTION 2: ESSAY(55 % OF FINAL SCORE)

Diction Imagery

Figurative Language

Sounds/RhymeRhythm/Pace

• Patterns• Shifts• Organization/Structure• Details• Point-of-View• Tone

WHAT TO ANALYZE

•ethos• logos•pathos

This year, not “rhetorical”

- instead it’s…

• “literary” devices

• “poetic” devices

NO, NOT THIS YEAR!

You get to choose which book you write about, even if it’s not on the suggested list. Criteria….

it is of literary merit you are very familiar with it you haven’t simply watched a movie version of it!

ESSAY #3: STUDENT CHOICE ANALYSIS

• Explicitly say what the meaning is in your thesis.

• Meaning = Theme

• This is a story about _______________ and how _____________________________________.

ESSAY 3 MAY BE ABOUT “THE MEANING OF THE WORK AS A WHOLE.”

• Divide the 120 MINUTES as you see fit.

•Tackle the essays in any order.

Keep track of your own time.

Start Time: _____Stop Time: _____

SUGGESTED TIMING:

2-3 MINUTES: UNDERLINE KEY WORDS

IN THE PROMPT

10-15 MINUTES: READ, RE-READ,

ANNOTATE, PRE-WRITE

25-35 MINUTES: WRITE THE ESSAY

2-3 MINUTES: PROOFREAD

HOW TO PREP…

SHOULD I READ ANOTHER BOOK?

Option 1:Re-read any novel or play from 9th-12th grade assigned reading lists.

Option 2:Read The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (a play; a comedy)

COFFEE TALK REWIND!!

• 2 novels written in 20th or 21st centuries

• 2 novels written pre-20th centuryBe able to recall:

author plot points characters conflicts themes what distinguishes the author’s style opening and closing paragraphs what makes the work unique

… STORE IN YOUR MIND…

• 2 plays by Shakespeare• 2 plays by other playwrights

Be prepared to recall:•the setting (place, time, social mores)•major characters•themes•rising and falling action•climax•opening and closing scenes

…STORE IN YOUR MIND…

NOW IS THE TIME

FOR SPARKNOTES

SOME GOOD NEWS…

•Go to my website under “AP Exam

Prep”

• handouts and websites will help you

review

Most important:

• Literary Analysis

• Terms

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO REVIEW …

• “show how…”• “analyze the techniques…”• “discuss the strategies…”• “what devices are employed…”

These are all asking the same thing: How does the author use words?

DON’T LET THE WORDING OF THE PROMPT CONFUSE YOU OR CAUSE YOU UNCERTAINTY.

THE PASSAGES AND POETRY WILL BE FROM DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS AND WILL BE OF VARYING LENGTH

AND DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY.

If you read a passage or poem that you think is “hard” don’t panic. Take a breath, tell

yourself, “Oh, here’s the hard one” and then give it your best!

Let punctuation guide you as you read.Chunk it up and paraphrase. Begin with what you understand.Look for patterns: words, images, sounds, etc. that seem to go

together. What could these mean as a whole?Notice SHIFTS (words like but and yet are indicators)Remember: IMAGERY = MEANING!

READING POETRY & SHAKESPEA

RE

Don’t be intimidated by older pieces or by Shakespeare.

Remember, it’s all English! Begin with what you understand

and move forward.

HEY, AM I READY FOR THIS?

ABSOLUTELY!!

Approach the exam with

healthy respect and confidence.

You’re going to have to work for it, but you can

do it!

Dearest Seniors, I want you to know how delighted I am

that you have chosen to take the AP Lit Exam. There is no doubt in my mind that when you bring your A-game, you will do well. You have worked with earnestness and diligence this year, and I am honored to point at you and say, “THAT is my Phoenix student!”

~ Mrs. C

OBSERVE

QUESTION

HYPOTHESIZE

EXPERIMENT

SHARE RESULTS

•Notice details of the text.• Interact with and annotate the text.•Address questions of how and why.•Test your thinking against the thinking of others.•Conclude and reflect.

ANALYZING POETRY A LA’ THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD: