Multiple ChoiceTOP TEN MULTIPLE CHOICE TIPS
1. Try to get an overall impression by using a “fast eye” 2. Summarize main ideas as you go and jot down brief words and ideas in the margin to track and to process meaning. 3. Mark any devices you spot as you read, especially those that contribute to main points. 4. “Chunk” for difficult sections. 5. Worry about the words you know, and don’t spend time on those you absolutely do not (unless you must). 6. To clarify meaning, find the subject and the verb. 7. You do not have to do the questions in order; work the detail questions, then the “big picture” questions. 8. For antecedent and word in context questions, check your choice with substitution. 9. Treat Roman numeral questions like a group of True/False questions, and try to eliminate at least one. 10. Broaden your vocabulary at every opportunity: learn at least two words from The New York Times, Washington Post, or Wall Street Journal every day; add to the Word Wall in class; learn roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Research has shown the only guaranteed way to increase your vocabulary is through increased reading. Read something you enjoy! Types of Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Comprehension (level 1) --understanding vocabulary/ words in context --syntactical and grammatical questions --meaning of lines/details 2. Technique and Purpose/Effect (level 2) --“functions to do…”/ “serves to”/ “serves primarily to” type questions --identify rhetorical strategies (or “contains all of the following except…”) --form/structure questions --other organizational techniques (contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) 3. Inference/Deduction (level 3) --tone --attitude --purpose |
Free ResponseStandardized Rubric AP English Language and Composition
Three Major Divisions 1. Effective (8-9) 2. Adequate (5-7) 3. Inadequate (1-4) Two Major Components 1. Argument 2. Expression Subunits of major components 1. Argument (RhetoricalAnalysis) a. Recognition of the writer’s argument/purpose/intended effect b. Use of evidence c. Commentary 2. Argument (Argumentation) a. Establishing a clear argumentative thesis b. Use of evidence c. Commentary 3. Argument (Synthesis) a. Establishing a clear, argumentative thesis b. Use of documented evidence c. Commentary 4. Expression a. Precision b. Fluency c. Voice Scoring Guidelines 1. Scoring is relative, not absolute: Each question in any given year is independently assessed; great consistency occurs anyway 2. Holistic scoring is grounded in observable data, not generalized opinion 3. Special circumstances of language are not taken into account. 4. The selected “anchor sets” define the terms effective, adequate,and inadequate for a given essay |
Test Prep at College Board |