Cracking the AP English language & composition exam

375 Pages·2012·10.28 MB·English

by  Richard A Hartzell

Editorial
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Random House Publishing Group
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Copyright © 2011 by Princeton Review Publishing
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eISBN: 978-0-30794442-9
ISSN: 1558-9676
Editor: Anya Yurchyshyn
Production Editor: Stephanie Tantum
2012 Edition
v3.1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Even though there is only one author, a team of people contributed to
the creation of this book.
First of all, I want to thank Paul Tipton for his sage counsel and
Kamilla Khaydarov and Rachel Newman, who wrote the student essays.
Also, thanks go to my assistant, Kathryn Lee. Her cheerful manner and
professional support proved invaluable; I could not have completed the
text without her help.
Thanks to Dawn Shepherd Wolfe and Jeff Soules, who updated and
reviewed this book.
I cannot fail to mention both my wife, Susana, and Laura, who for
months on end allowed me to replace them with my computer screen
and tolerated the very, very occasional bouts of bad humor that resulted
from my sequestration.
And finally I’d like to thank my colleague and friend Robb Cutler for
suggesting that I take on this project; I have forgiven him.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I: WELCOME TO THE EXAM
1 A Brief Introduction to the AP English Language and
Composition Exam
Why Do You Need This Book?
A Bit of History You May Want to Know
So Who Writes the AP English Exam–and What Does It Look Like?
What Your Final Score Will Mean
How to Register to Take the Exam (and Other Useful Information)
How to Use This Book
PART II: CRACKING THE SYSTEM: THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE SECTION
2 Cracking the Multiple-Choice Questions
Relax!
Sample Passage #1–Here’s How It’s Done
Further Practice
Explanations
To Sum Up
PART III: CRACKING THE SYSTEM: THE ESSAYS
3 Basic Principles of the Essay Section
The Format and Content of the Essay Section
The Importance of the Essay Section to Your Score
Ready, Set, Write!
All About AP Essay Scoring
How to Make It Easy for the Reader to Give You a High Score
For and Against the Five-Paragraph Essay
Summary
4 The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Is This A Rhetorical Question?
Sample Essay #1–Here’s How It’s Done
Sample Essay #2–Giving It Another Try
Key Terms
5 The Argumentative Essay
First, A Word
Sample Essay #1–Here’s How It’s Done
Sample Essay #2–Giving It Another Try
Most of All, Have Fun
Key Terms
6 The Synthesis Essay
Why Are They Doing This to Me?
Sample Essay #1–Here’s How It’s Done
Moving On…
Key Terms
PART IV: AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
7 Words and Their Use
The Good News and the Bad News About the AP English Language and Composition Exam
Diction
Rhetoric and Figurative Language
Irony and Satire
Key Terms
8 The Hit Parade—Words, Words, Words
The Hit Parade
PART V: AP ENGLISH COMPOSITION
9 Rhetorical Fallacies
Avoiding the Fatal Fallacy
Common Rhetorical Fallacies
Sample Questions
Key Terms
10 Basic Rhetorical Modes
What Are Rhetorical Modes?
Example or Illustration
Classification
Comparison and Contrast
Analogy
Moving On…
Key Terms
11 Complex Rhetorical Modes
Process Analysis
Cause and Effect
Definition
Description
Narration
Induction and Deduction
Key Terms
PART VI: THE PRINCETON REVIEW AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
PRACTICE TESTS AND EXPLANATIONS
12 Practice Test 1
Section I
Section II
13 Practice Test 1: Answers and Explanations
14 Practice Test 2
Section I
Section II
15 Practice Test 2: Answers and Explanations
Introduction
WHAT IS THE PRINCETON REVIEW?
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Within five years, The Princeton Review had become the largest SAT
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Our phenomenal success in improving students’ scores on standardized
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The Princeton Review has found that its methods work not just for
Cracking the SAT, but for any standardized test. We’ve already
successfully applied our system to the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, and GRE, to
name just a few. Obviously you need to be well versed in language and
grammar to do well on the AP English Language and Composition Exam,
but you should remember that any standardized test is partly a measure
of your ability to think like the people who write standardized tests. This
book will help you to brush up on your AP English Language and
Composition skills and to prepare for the exam using our time-tested
principle: Crack the system based on how the test is created.
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