AP Language MULTIPLE CHOICE Test Strategy

1. AP Language MULTIPLE CHOICE Test Strategy Olson and Bailey

2. Annotate the Passage • Clear statement of Argument or Thesis • Identify the kind of argument being made • Vivid Language or vivid Metaphors • Shifts in point of view or tone • Parallel syntax • Underline unknown words with context clues • Bold claims or false arguments CONTROL THE PASSAGE

3. General Guidelines • Answer every question in which you can eliminate at least one or two answers • Leave blank the answers you don’t have time to finish • Context clues • Often times the unknown word will be placed with a passage with a certain image, that should be enough to give you a clue as to the answer, • Questions are sequential from the beginning of the passage to the end, not from easiest to hardest

4. Advice for Certain Questions • Pronoun Antecedents • “It refers to which of the following nouns?” • To answer this question, substitute each word in its place • Familiar but unfamiliar vocabulary • “In colonial times, it was important to husband the food supply during the winter.” • “Our future would be better insured if we carefully husband our natural resources.” • Best Answer: • To use, to marry, to conserve, to waste, to join

5. Advice for Certain Questions • Roman Numeral Questions • Look at the Roman Numerals first, decide which of these are correct then move to the A, B, C choices OR Find the Roman numeral you know is wrong then eliminate those answers. • Figures of Speech • Questions clarify an unknown with something that is known and add a layer of meaning • “The new CEO entered the boardroom with the flair of a matador.” • This analogy makes all the following inferences EXCEPT: • The new CEO is the center of attention • The new CEO is in high risk profession • The new CEO faces substantial opposition from others • The new CEO exudes power and strategy • The new CEO is and effective delegator of responsibility

6. Advice for Certain Questions • Main Idea Stem Questions • “the author’s primary focus” • “the intent of the passage” • “the anticipated outcome of the argument” • Don’t be fooled by the partial idea distractor • Tone or Mood Questions • Defined by the connotation or imagery • Know your tone words

7. Footnote Questions • Footnotes can • Identify sources • Define Terms • Add facts or details • Clarify confusion • Set the Record Straight READ FOOTNOTES!

8. Syntax Questions • Parallel Syntax • Provides good momentum, gives drive and energy • Rhetorical Question • The reader is being manipulated into giving the answer the writer wants • Function as transitions • Organizational techniques from discussion to solution

9. Syntax Questions • Clauses and Phrases • Clauses are either Independent or Dependent • Phrases do not have verbs • Think about what the clause and phrase is doing for the writer to the reader • Loose Sentence • Ind. Clause followed by Dependent Clauses • Periodic • Dependent clause followed by the Ind. Clause

10. Attacking the Questions • Read and annotate the question stem • Underline words like “except, best, primarily” • Make sure you know what each question is asking • Your Answer • Think of the answer before looking at the distractors • POE: Rule out certain answers • “x” words/phrases/clauses that make answers wrong • “” Possible answers