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AP-Master The AP English Language and Composition PDF
AP-Master The AP English Language and Composition PDF
M ASTER AP
ENG LISH LANG UAG E
& C O M PO SITIO N
2nd Ed ition
M a rg a re t C . M ora n
W. Fra nc e s Hold e r
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Previously published as Petersons AP English Language & Composition 2005
Editor: Wallie Walker Hammond; Production Editor: Susan W. Dilts;
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ISBN-13: 978-0-7689-2474-9
ISBN-10: 0-7689-2474-X
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07
Second Edition
Petersons.com/publishing
Check out our Web site at www.petersons.com/publishing to see if there is any new information regarding the test and
any revisions or corrections to the content of this book. Weve made sure the information in this book is accurate and
up-to-date; however, the test format or content may have changed since the time of publication.
OTHER RECOMMENDED TITLES
Petersons Master AP Calculus AB & BC
Petersons Master AP Chemistry
Petersons Master AP English Literature& Composition
Petersons Master AP U.S. Government & Politics
Petersons Master AP U.S. History
Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Before You Begin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
How This Book Is Organized. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Special Study Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Youre Well on Your Way to Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Give Us Your Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Table of Literary Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Top 10 Strategies to Raise Your Score. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
PART I AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE &
COMPOSITION BASICS
1 All About the AP English Language &
Composition Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
10 Facts About the AP English Language & Composition
Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Scoring the AP English Language & Composition Test . . . . . 5
Suggested Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Practice Plans for Studying for the AP English Language &
Composition Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Summing It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
PART II DIAGNOSING STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES
2 Practice Test 1: Diagnostic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Section I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Section II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Free Response Essays . . . . . . . 66
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Synthesis Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PART III AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION
STRATEGIES
3 About the Multiple-Choice Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Basic Information About Section I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Acing the Multiple-Choice Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Analyzing the Question Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Attacking the Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
A Final Word of Advice: Educated Guessing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Practicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Exercise 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Exercise 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Exercise 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Exercise 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Exercise 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Summing It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
4 About the Free Response and Synthesis Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Basic Information About Section II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Types of Essays on the Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Strategies for Acing the Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
The Essay: A Quick Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
A Final Word of Advice on Writing Your Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Analyzing Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Practicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Exercise 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Suggestions for Exercise 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Exercise 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Suggestions for Exercise 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Exercise 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Suggestions for Exercise 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Exercise 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Suggestions for Exercise 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Exercise 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Suggestions for Exercise 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Free Response Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Synthesis Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Summing It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
vi C onte nts
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PART IV: ENGLISH USAGE AND GRAMMAR REVIEW
5 Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Grammar for the Multiple-Choice Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
More Practical Advice on Writing Your Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
98 Common Usage Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Summing It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
PART V: TWO PRACTICE TESTS
Practice Test 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Section I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Section II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Free Response Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Synthesis Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Practice Test 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Section I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Section II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Answer Key and Explanations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Free Response Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Synthesis Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
APPENDIXES
Appendix A: College-by-College Guide to AP Credit and
Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Appendix B: A Quick Review of Literary and Rhetorical Terms. . . 287
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C onte nts vii
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Acknowledgments
Text from the Preface of Modern American Poetry, 5th Revi sed Edi ti on, by
Loui s Untermeyer. Copyri ght 1919, 1921, 1925, 1930, 1936 by Harcourt, Brace
& Co, I nc. Repri nted by permi ssi on of Professi onal Publ i shi ng Servi ce.
Text excerpt from Pol i ti cs and the Engl i sh Language from Shooting an
Elephant and Other Essays by George Orwel l . Copyri ght 1946 by Soni a
Brownel l Orwel l and renewed 1974 by Soni a Orwel l . Repri nted by permi ssi on
of Harcourt, I nc., and A. M. Heath & Company, Ltd.
Addressi ng the Graduati ng Cl ass from Essays, Speeches & Public Letters by
William Faulkner, ed. by James B. Meri weather. Copyri ght 1951 by Wi l l i am
Faul kner. Repri nted by permi ssi on of Random House, I nc., and Chatto &
Wi ndus, Ltd.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ix
Before You Begin
HO W THIS BO O K IS O RG ANIZED
Whether you have fi ve months, ni ne weeks, or just two short weeks to prepare
for the exam, Petersons Master AP English Language& Composition wi l l hel p
you devel op a study pl an that caters to your i ndi vi dual needs and ti metabl e.
These step-by-step pl ans are easy to fol l ow and are remarkabl y effecti ve.
Top 10 Strategies to Raise Your Score gi ves you tri ed and true
test-taki ng strategi es
Part I i ncl udes the basi c i nformati on about the AP Engl i sh
Language & Composi ti on test that you need to know.
Part II provi des a di agnosti c test to determi ne your strengths and
weaknesses. Use the di agnosti c test as a tool to i mprove your
test-taki ng ski l l s.
Parts III and IV provi de the revi ew and strategi es for answeri ng
the di fferent ki nds of mul ti pl e-choi ce and essay questi ons and gi ve
you numerous opportuni ti es to practi ce what you are l earni ng. I t i s a
good i dea to read the answer expl anati ons to al l of the questi ons
because you may fi nd i deas or ti ps that wi l l hel p you better anal yze
the answers to questi ons i n the next practi ce test you take. You wi l l
al so fi nd revi ews of grammar, mechani cs, and usage.
Part V i ncl udes two addi ti onal practi ce tests. Remember to appl y
the test-taki ng system careful l y, work the system to get more correct
responses, and be careful of your ti me i n order to answer more
questi ons i n the ti me peri od.
The Appendixes provi de you wi th the new Petersons Col l ege-by-
Col l ege Gui de to AP Credi t and Pl acement (for more than 400
sel ecti ve col l eges and uni versi ti es) as wel l as a revi ew of l i terary and
rhetori cal terms you may encounter on the test.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
xi
SPEC IAL STUDY FEATURES
Petersons Master AP English Language& Composition was desi gned to be as user-fri endl y as
i t i s compl ete. I t i ncl udes several features to make your preparati on easi er.
O ve rvie w
Each chapter begi ns wi th a bul l eted overvi ew l i sti ng the topi cs that wi l l be covered i n the
chapter. You know i mmedi atel y where to l ook for a topi c that you need to work on.
Sum m ing It Up
Each strategy chapter ends wi th a poi nt-by-poi nt summary that captures the most i mportant
poi nts. The summari es are a conveni ent way to revi ew the content of these strategy chapters.
Bonus Inform a tion
Be sure to l ook i n the page margi ns for the fol l owi ng test-prep tool s:
NO TE
Notes hi ghl i ght cri ti cal i nformati on about the test.
TIP
Tips draw your attenti on to val uabl e concepts, advi ce, and shortcuts for tackl i ng the exam. By
readi ng the ti ps, you wi l l l earn how to approach di fferent questi on types, pace yoursel f, and
remember what was di scussed previ ousl y i n the book.
ALERT!
Whenever you need to be careful of a common pi tfal l , youl l fi nd an Alert! Thi s i nformati on
reveal s and el i mi nates the mi spercepti ons and wrong turns many peopl e take on the exam.
By taki ng ful l advantage of al l features presented i n Petersons Master AP English Language
& Composition, you wi l l become much more comfortabl e wi th the exam and consi derabl y more
confi dent about getti ng a hi gh score.
APPENDIXES
Petersons College-by-CollegeGuidetoAP Credit andPlacement, Appendi x A, gi ves you
the equi val ent cl asses, scores, and credi t awarded at more than 400 col l eges and uni versi ti es.
Use thi s gui de to fi nd your possi bl e pl acement status, credi t, and/or exempti on based on your
AP Engl i sh Language & Composi ti on score. Appendi x B provi des a revi ew of l i terary and
rhetori cal terms you may encounter on the test.
xii Be fore You Be g in
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YO URE WELL O N YO UR WAY TO SUC C ESS
Remember that knowl edge i s power. You wi l l be studyi ng the most comprehensi ve gui de
avai l abl e and you wi l l become extremel y knowl edgeabl e about the exam. We l ook forward to
hel pi ng you rai se your score.
G IVE US YO UR FEEDBAC K
Petersons, a Nel net company, publ i shes a ful l l i ne of resources to hel p gui de you through the
col l ege admi ssi on process. Petersons publ i cati ons can be found at your l ocal bookstore,
l i brary, and hi gh school gui dance offi ce, and you can access us onl i ne at www.petersons.com.
We wel come any comments or suggesti ons you may have about thi s publ i cati on and i nvi te you
to compl ete our onl i ne survey at www.petersons.com/booksurvey. Or you can fi l l out the
survey at the back of thi s book, tear i t out, and mai l i t to us at:
Publ i shi ng Department
Petersons
2000 Lenox Dri ve
Lawrencevi l l e, NJ 08648
Your feedback wi l l hel p us to provi de personal i zed sol uti ons for your educati onal
advancement.
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Be fore You Be g in xiii
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TABLE O F LITERARY WO RKS
The fol l owi ng l i st represents al l the works di scussed i n thi s book, broken out by chapter.
Pra c tic e Te st 1: Dia g nostic
Excerpt from the Nati onal Endowment for the Arts Web si te. Readi ng at Ri sk,
Research Di vi si on Report #46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Wal t Whi tman, from Preface to the 1855 Edi ti on of Leaves of Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
George Orwel l , from Politics and theEnglish Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Mark Twai n, from Roughing I t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Wi l l i am Faul kner, Addressi ng the Graduati ng Cl ass, Uni versi ty Hi gh School , Oxford,
Mi ssi ssi ppi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Andrew Carnegi e, from Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
C ha p te r 1
Hector St. John de Crvecoeur, from the thi rd essay of Letters froman American
Farmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
From The Law of the Great Peace from the I roquoi s Confederacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
El i zabeth Cady Stanton, from the Decl arati on of Senti ments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
New York Herald, Assassi nati on of Presi dent Li ncol n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
L.H. Hel l er, from Exti nct Ani mal s i n Americana, 1908 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
C ha p te r 2
Ral ph Wal do Emerson, from Self-Reliance, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
James Boswel l , from Feel i ngs i n TheLifeof Samuel J ohnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Mark Twai n, Advi ce to Li ttl e Gi rl s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Pra c tic e Te st 2
Loui s Untermeyer, from the Preface of Modern American Poetry,
a Critical Anthology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Benjami n Frankl i n, from Di al ogue Between Gout and Mr. Frankl i n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Adam Smi th, from TheWealth of Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Mary Shel l ey, from I ntroduction to Frankenstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Ral ph Wal do Emerson, from The Ameri can Schol ar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Pra c tic e Te st 3
El i zabeth I , Speech to Her Last Parl i ament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Ri chard Steel e, Duel i ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Si mon E. Bal dwi n, L.L.D., from TheAmerican J udiciary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Frederi ck Dougl ass, from My Bondageand My Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Henry Davi d Thoreau, from Civil Disobedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Woodrow Wi l son, Appeal for Neutral i ty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
xiv Be fore You Be g in
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www.petersons.com
TO P 10 STRATEG IES TO RAISE YO UR SC O RE
When i t comes to taki ng an AP, some test-taki ng ski l l s wi l l do you more good than
others. There are concepts you can l earn and techni ques you can fol l ow that wi l l hel p
you do your best. Here are our pi cks for the top 10 strategi es to rai se your AP Engl i sh
Language & Composi ti on score:
1. Create or choose a study plan from this book and follow it. The ri ght
study pl an wi l l hel p you get the most out of thi s book i n whatever ti me you have.
2. Choosea placeand timeto study every day, and sti ck to your routi ne and
your pl an.
3. Complete the diagnostic and practice tests in this book. They wi l l gi ve
you just what they promi se: practi cepracti ce i n readi ng and fol l owi ng the
di recti ons, practi ce i n paci ng yoursel f, practi ce i n understandi ng and
answeri ng mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons, and practi ce i n wri ti ng ti med essays.
4. Complete all of your assignments for your regular AP English
Language& Composition class. Ask questi ons i n cl ass, tal k about what you
read and wri te, and enjoy what you are doi ng. The test i s supposed to measure
your devel opment as an educated and thi nki ng reader.
5. Highlight the key words in the question so you wi l l know what you are
l ooki ng for i n the answer choi ces.
6. For a tiered or multi-step question, deci de what the correct answer i s and
then determi ne whi ch answer choi ce contai ns ONLY that answer.
7. All elementsin an answer must becorrect for theanswer tobecorrect.
8. With not/except questions, ask yourself if an answer choice is true
about the selection. I f i t i s, cross i t out, and keep checki ng answers.
9. If you arent sure about an answer but know something about the
question, eliminate what you know is wrong and make an educated
guess. I gnore the answers that are absol utel y wrong, el i mi nate choi ces i n
whi ch part of the answer i s i ncorrect, check the ti me peri od of the questi on and
of the answer choi ces, check the key words i n the questi on agai n, and revi si t
remai ni ng answers to di scover whi ch seems more correct.
10. Finally, dont cramthe night before the exam. Rel ax. Go to a movi e, vi si t
a fri endbut not one who i s taki ng the test wi th you. Get a good ni ghts sl eep.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Be fore You Be g in xv
www.petersons.com
P
ART I
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AP ENG LISH LANG UAG E
& C O M PO SITIO N BASIC S
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER 1 All About the AP English
Language & Composition Test
All About the AP
English Language &
Composition Test
O VERVIEW
10 fa c ts a b out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st
Sc oring the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st
Sug g e ste d re a d ing
Pra c tic e p la ns for stud ying for the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e &
C om p osition Te st
Sum m ing it up
10 FAC TS ABO UT THE AP ENG LISH LANG UAG E &
C O M PO SITIO N TEST
The Ad va nc e d Pla c e m e nt Prog ra m O ffe rs Hig h Sc hool
Stud e nts a n O p p ortunity to Re c e ive C olle g e C re d it for
C ourse s The y Ta ke in Hig h Sc hool.
The AP program i s a col l aborati ve effort of secondary school s, col l eges and
uni versi ti es, and the Col l ege Board through whi ch students who are enrol l ed
i n AP or honors courses i n any one or more of thi rty-ei ght subject areas may
recei ve credi t or advanced pl acement for col l ege-l evel work compl eted i n hi gh
school . Whi l e the Col l ege Board makes recommendati ons about course
content, i t does not prescri be content. As a resul t, the annual testi ng program
ensures a degree of comparabi l i ty among courses i n the same subject.
Thousa nd s of C olle g e s a nd Unive rsitie s in the Unite d
Sta te s Pa rtic ip a te in the AP Prog ra m .
Nei ther the Col l ege Board nor your hi gh school awards AP credi t. You need to
fi nd out from the col l eges to whi ch you are pl anni ng to appl y whether they
grant credi t and/or use AP scores for pl acement. I t i s I MPORTANT that you
obtai n each school s pol i cy I N WRI TI NG so that when you actual l y choose one
col l ege and regi ster, you wi l l have proof of what you were tol d.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c
h
a
p
t
e
r
1
3
The AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st M e a sure s Your Ab ility to
Ana lyze the Rhe toric of Prose Pa ssa g e s a nd to Write Essa ys in Va rious
Rhe toric a l M od e s.
Accordi ng to the Col l ege Boards course descri pti on, an AP course i n l anguage and
composi ti on wi l l enabl e students to devel op and refi ne thei r wri ti ng styl es by wri ti ng
extensi vel y. The course wi l l al so provi de extensi ve opportuni ti es for students to read a vari ety
of rhetori cal modes to anal yze how wri ters choi ces affect styl e.
The AP Eng lish La ng ua g e a nd C om p osition Te st Ha s Two Pa rts:
M ultip le C hoic e a nd Essa ys.
Secti on I , Mul ti pl e Choi ce, typi cal l y has between 50 and 60 questi ons di vi ded among fi ve or
si x prose passages. Thi s secti on counts for 45 percent of your total score, and you have 60
mi nutes to compl ete i t. I n Secti on I I , you have three essays to wri te. The questi ons usual l y
consi st of two essays that requi re anal ysi s of rhetori cal and styl i sti c strategi es i n sel ected
prose passages and one that requi res a synthesi s of sources to support an argumenta
persuasi ve essay based on an anal ysi s and eval uati on of sources. The essays count for 55
percent of your total score. You have 40 mi nutes to wri te each essay, 120 mi nutes total wri ti ng
ti me. You wi l l al so have 15 mi nutes to read the sources for the synthesi s essay.
The Prose Pa ssa g e s Are Ta ke n from a Va rie ty of Sub je c t Are a s.
Accordi ng to the i nformati on from the Col l ege Board, you mi ght fi nd sel ecti ons on the AP
exam wri tten by autobi ographers, bi ographers, di ari sts, hi stori ans, cri ti cs, essayi sts,
journal i sts, pol i ti cal wri ters and commentators, and sci ence and nature wri ters. You may al so
fi nd l etters. Wi thi n the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, you wi l l fi nd one sel ecti on that has footnotes.
One of the essay questi ons wi l l be based on several , possi bl y as many as si x, passages that you
wi l l need to synthesi ze for your answer. The styl es wi l l vary as the subject matter vari es.
There i s no way you can read every possi bl e pi ece of nonfi cti on, but you can hone your ski l l s
of rhetori cal and styl i sti c anal ysi s and argumentati on and work on refi ni ng your own wri ti ng
styl e.
The re Is No Re q uire d Le ng th for Your Essa ys.
I t i s the qual i ty, not the quanti ty, that counts. Real i sti cal l y, a one-paragraph essay i s not goi ng
to garner you a hi gh mark because you cannot devel op a wel l -reasoned anal ysi s or argument
and present i t effecti vel y i n one paragraph. An essay of fi ve paragraphs i s a good goal . By
fol l owi ng thi s model , you can set out your i deas wi th an i nteresti ng i ntroducti on, devel op a
reasoned body, and provi de a sol i d endi ng.
4 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NOTE
See Chapter 3 for
multiple-choice
questions. See
Chapter 4 for
strategies for
writing essays.
NOTE
See Suggested
Reading, p. 8.
www.petersons.com
You Will G e t a C om p osite Sc ore for Your Te st.
The Col l ege Board reports a si ngl e score from 1 to 5 for the two-part test, wi th 5 bei ng the
hi ghest. By understandi ng how you can bal ance the number of correct answers i n the
mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on and the essay score you need i n order to recei ve at l east a 3, you can
rel i eve some of your anxi ety about passi ng the test.
Ed uc a te d G ue ssing C a n He lp .
No poi nts are deducted for questi ons that go unanswered on the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, and
dont expect to have ti me to answer them al l . A quarter of a poi nt i s deducted for each wrong
answer. The Col l ege Board suggests guessi ng I F you know somethi ng about a questi on and
can el i mi nate a coupl e of the answer choi ces. Cal l i t educated guessi ng.
The Te st Is G ive n in M id - M a y.
Most l i kel y, the test wi l l be gi ven at your school , so you do not have to worry about fi ndi ng a
strange school bui l di ng i n a strange ci ty. You wi l l be i n fami l i ar surroundi ngsthat shoul d
reduce your anxi ety a bi t. I f the test i s gi ven i n another school , be sure to take i denti fi cati on
wi th you.
Pl an your route to the other school and actual l y take the tri p once before test daydri ve or
take publ i c transportati on, whi chever way you wi l l go on test dayto be sure you wont get
l ost the morni ng of the test. Add extra ti me because you may be goi ng duri ng the morni ng
rush hour.
Stud ying for the Te st C a n M a ke a Diffe re nc e .
The fi rst step i s to fami l i ari ze yoursel f wi th the format and di recti ons for both parts of the
test. Then, you wi l l not waste ti me on the day of the test tryi ng to understand what you are
supposed to do. The second step i s to put those anal yti cal ski l l s you have been l earni ng to
work, di ssecti ng and understandi ng the ki nds of questi ons you wi l l be asked. The thi rd step i s
to practi ce wri ti ng-on-demand for the essays.
SC O RING THE AP ENG LISH LANG UAG E & C O M PO SITIO N TEST
Around earl y Jul y, you and the col l eges you desi gnate wi l l recei ve a score from 1 to 5, wi th 5
bei ng the hi ghest, for your AP Engl i sh Language & Composi ti on Test, and your hi gh school
wi l l recei ve i ts report a l i ttl e l ater. The mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on i s graded by machi ne, and your
essays are graded duri ng a marathon readi ng sessi on by hi gh school and col l ege teachers.
A di fferent reader grades each of your essays. None of the readers knows who you are (thats
why you fi l l i n i denti fi cati on i nformati on on your pi nk Secti on I I bookl et and then seal i t) or
how the others scored your other essays. Each reader i s fami l i ar wi th the work or works
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NOTE
See Scoring the
AP English
Language and
Composition
Test, below.
C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 5
www.petersons.com
di scussed i n the essay questi on she or he i s readi ng. The gradi ng i s done on a hol i sti c system;
that i s, the overal l essay i s scored, not just the devel opment of your i deas, your spel l i ng, or
your punctuati on. For each essay, the Col l ege Board works out gradi ng cri teri a for the readers
to use, much as your teacher uses a rubri c to eval uate your wri ti ng.
Wha t the C om p osite Sc ore M e a ns
The Col l ege Board refers to the composi te score as wei ghted because a factor of about 1.3
(the exact number vari es from year to year) for the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons and a factor of
3.0556 for the essay questi ons are used to determi ne a raw score for each secti on. That i s, the
actual score you get on the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi onssay 35i s mul ti pl i ed by about 1.3
(1.2273 for 55 questi ons i n a recent year). The actual score that you get on the essay testsay
21i s mul ti pl i ed by 3.0556. Those two numbers, your raw scores, are then added and the
resul ti ng scoresomewhere between 0 and 150 (107, based on the above exampl e)i s then
equated to a number from 5 to 1.
A score of 107 woul d have been good enough to get you a 4 for the test i n a recent year. But
5 more poi nts112woul d have gotten you a 5. The range i n a recent year was 112 to 150
for a 5.
Wha t Doe s All This M e a n to You?
You can l eave bl ank or answer i ncorrectl y some combi nati on of 20 questi ons on a 55-questi on
mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, get a 7 for each of your three essays, and sti l l get a 5. I t i s not as
easy as i t may seem, or the majori ty of students woul d not fal l i nto the 3 range, al though a
3 may be good enough to get you col l ege credi t or advanced pl acement. A score of 4
certai nl y wi l l .
Take a l ook at the charts bel ow. I t takes work, but rai si ng your score may not be that
POSSIBLE SCORE DISTRIBUTION FOR A55-QUESTION
MULTIPLE-CHOICE SECTION
SCORE 5 5 SCORE 5 4 SCORE 5 3
MC Essays(3) MC Essays(3) MC Essays(3)
25 25 (8.33 ) 25 21 (7) 25 14 (4.66)
30 23 (7.66) 30 19 (6.33) 30 12 (4)
35 21 (7) 35 17 (5.66) 35 10 (3.33)
40 19 (6.33) 40 15 (5) 40 8 (2.66)
45 17 (5.66) 45 13 (4.33) 45 6 (2)
6 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
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www.petersons.com
i mpossi bl e. Someti mes, the di fference between a 3 and a 4 or a 4 and a 5 i s onl y a coupl e of
poi nts.
The hi ghest score you can recei ve on an essay i s a 9, so the hi ghest total essay score i s 27. I t
i s possi bl e to get a vari ety of scores on your essays7, 5, and 5, for exampl e. The chances are
that you wi l l not get a wi de range of i ndi vi dual essay scores l i ke 6, 2, and 5. Even i f you di d,
you coul d sti l l get at l east a 3 and possi bl y a 4, dependi ng on how many correct answers you
have i n the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on wei ghed agai nst how many wrong answers you have.
Accordi ng to the Col l ege Board, about 62 percent of the students who took the test i n a recent
year recei ved a 3 or better. The cut-off poi nt for passi ng grades may change from year to year,
but i t remai ns around thi s range. Thi s chart shows the actual conversi on scal e i n a recent
year. What i t means i s that you nei ther have to answer al l the questi ons, nor do you have to
answer them al l correctl y, nor wri te three 9 essays to recei ve your AP credi t.
Five Thing s to Re m e m b e r
The 50 to 60 questi on mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on i s worth 45 percent of your total score.
Students who perform acceptabl y on the essays can recei ve a 3 i f they answer correctl y
50 to 60 percent of the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons.
There i s no deducti on for unanswered questi ons.
There i s a quarter-poi nt deducti on for wrong answers.
The three essays together account for 55 percent of your total score.
Why Are We Te lling You The se Fa c ts?
Because you can use them to your advantage.
I t i s i mportant to spend ti me practi ci ng the ki nds of questi ons that you wi l l fi nd i n
the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, because 45 percent of your score comes from that
secti on. You do not have to put al l your emphasi s on the essay questi ons.
AP
Grade AP Qualifier
Composite
Scores
Probability of
ReceivingCredit
5 Extremel y Wel l Qual i fi ed 112150 Yes
4 Wel l Qual i fi ed 95111 Yes
3 Qual i fi ed 7694 Probabl y
2 Possi bl y Qual i fi ed 4875 Rarel y
1 No Recommendati on 047 No
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 7
www.petersons.com
You can l eave some questi ons unanswered and sti l l do wel l . Even though you wi l l
be practi ci ng paci ng yoursel f as you use thi s book, you may not be abl e to compl ete
al l 50-odd questi ons on the day of the test. I f you come across a real l y i ncompre-
hensi bl e passage, you can ski p i t and come back to i t l ater and sti l l feel that you are
not doomed to a l ow score.
There i s a guessi ng penal ty. I f you do not know anythi ng about the questi on or the
choi ces, do not take a chance. However, I F you know somethi ng about the questi on
and can el i mi nate one or more of the answer choi ces, then i t i s probabl y worth your
whi l e to choose one of the other answers. You woul d need to answer four questi ons
i ncorrectl y to l ose one poi nt, but answeri ng even one questi on correctl y woul d gai n
you another poi nt. Rather than cal l i ng i t guessi ng, cal l i t EDUCATED GUESSI NG.
Even the Col l ege Board suggests thi s strategy.
I n wri ti ng the essays, you need to pace yoursel f so that you spend approxi matel y
the same amount of ti me pl anni ng and wri ti ng each one. Remember that you wi l l
get an addi ti onal 15 mi nutes to read the sources for the synthesi s essay. You are not
expected to wri te perfect essays. As the Col l ege Board cauti ons i ts readers for the
synthesi s essay, . . . the essay i s not a fi ni shed product and shoul d not be judged by
standards that are appropri ate for out-of-cl ass wri ti ng assi gnments. I nstead, eval u-
ate the essay as a draft, maki ng certai n to reward students for what they do wel l .
Al l essays, even those scored an 8 or a 9, may contai n occasi onal fl aws i n anal ysi s,
prose styl e, or mechani cs.
SUG G ESTED READING
The fol l owi ng l i st of autobi ographers, di ari sts, bi ographers, wri ters of hi story, cri ti cs,
essayi sts, journal i sts, pol i ti cal wri ters and commentators, and sci ence and nature wri ters
draws heavi l y from the sel ecti on of wri ters that the Col l ege Board suggests students read
duri ng an AP Engl i sh l anguage and composi ti on course. The works have been chosen from a
vari ety of sources to provi de a representati ve l i st. There are al so suggesti ons for books on
composi ti on and cri ti cal anal ysi s. Readi ng essays i n magazi nes l i ke TheNew Yorker and the
New Republic and col umni sts on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times wi l l i ntroduce you to
wri ters l i ke Cynthi a Ozi ck, Gary Wi l l s, Thomas Fri edman, and Maureen Dowd. I n studyi ng
for the test, use thi s l i st as wel l as wri ters you are i ntroduced to i n cl ass to practi ce devel opi ng
essay responses. I f you are l ooki ng for model s of anal ysi s, check page xi v for a l i st of al l works
di scussed and anal yzed i n thi s book.
8 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NOTE
The Diagnostic
and Practice Tests
will help you
pace yourself in
the exam.
NOTE
See Chapter 3 for
strategies on
educated
guessing.
www.petersons.com
Autob iog ra p he rs a nd Dia rists
Angel ou, Maya, I Know Why theCaged Bird Sings, TheHeart of a Woman
Cofer, Judi th Orti z, The Myth of the Lati n Ameri can Woman, Woman in Front of theSun:
On Becoming a Writer
Dana, Charl es, Reminiscences of theCivil War, Notes of Travel
De Qui ncey, Thomas, Autobiographical Sketches
Dougl ass, Frederi ck, Narrativeof theLifeof Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
Frankl i n, Benjami n, TheAutobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Hel l man, Li l l i an, An Unfinished Woman, Scoundrel Time
Hurston, Zora Neal e, Dust Tracks on a Road
Kel l er, Hel en, TheStory of My Life, Helen Kellers J ournal
Ki ngston, Maxi ne Hong, No Name Woman
Lawrence, T. E., Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Mal col m X, TheAutobiography of MalcolmX
Newman, John Henry, Apologia Pro Vita Sua
Pepys, Samuel , TheDiary of Samuel Pepys
Wel ty, Eudora, OneWriters Beginnings
Wri ght, Ri chard, Black Boy
Yezi erska, Anzi a, Bread Givers, Red Ribbon on a WhiteHorse: My Story
Biog ra p he rs a nd Historia ns
Bates, Wal ter Jackson, TheAchievement of Samuel J ohnson, J ohn Keats
Boswel l , James, Lifeof Samuel J ohnson
Carl yl e, Thomas, On Heroes, Hero-Worship and theHeroic in History
Catton, Bruce, Mr. Lincolns Army, A Stillness at Appomattox
Churchi l l , Wi nston, My Early Life
DeLori a, Vi ne, Jr., Custer Died for Your Sins
Edel , Leon, 5-vol ume bi ography of Henry James, J ames J oyce: TheLast J ourney
El l mann, Ri chard, J ames J oyce
Foote, Shel by, TheCivil War i n three vol umes, Chickamauga and Other Stories
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 9
www.petersons.com
Frankl i n, John Hope, FromSlavery to Freedom, Raceand History
Fraser, Antoni a, TheWeaker Vessel
Gi bbon, Edward, TheHistory of theDeclineand Fall of theRoman Empire
Hol mes, Ri chard, Firing Line, Redcoat
Lerner, Gerda, TheMajority Finds I ts Past, TheCreation of Feminist Consciousness
Macaul ay, Thomas, Mi l ton, History of England
Mori son, Samuel El i ot, Admiral of theOcean Sea, J ohn Paul J ones
Parkman, Franci s, TheOregon Trail
Schama, Si mon, Landscapeand Memory, Rembrandts Eyes
Schl esi nger, Arthur M., TheAgeof J ackson, A Thousand Days
Takaki , Ronal d, A Different Mirror
Trevel yan, George, American Revolution
Tuchman, Barbara, TheGuns of August, Practising History (col l ecti on)
C ritic s
Al l en, Paul a Gunn, Studies in American I ndian Literature: Critical Essays, The Sacred
Hoop
Anzal dua, Gl ori a, Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Making Face, Making
Soul/ Haciendo Caras: Creativeand Critical Perspectives of Feminists of Color
Arnol d, Matthew, Essays in Criticism, Cultureand Anarchy
Cl ark, Kenneth, Civilisation
Croce, Arl ene, Afterimages, Going to theDance
Emerson, Ral ph Wal do, Sel f-Rel i ance, The Over-Soul
Gates, Henry Loui s, Jr., Toward a Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism, LooseCanons:
Notes on theCultureWars
Hazl i tt, Wi l l i am, Sketches and Essays
hooks, bel l , Teaching to Transgress
Johnson, Samuel , TheRambler, TheI dler
Kael , Paul i ne, 5001 Nights at theMovies
Oates, Joyce Carol , Where I ve Been, And Where I m Going: Essays, Reviews, and Prose;
Contraries: Essays
10 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
Pater, Wal ter, TheRenaissance, Appreciations
Ruski n, John, Modern Painters, TheStones of Venice
Santayana, George, TheSenseof Beauty
Sontag, Susan, Against I nterpretation
West, Cornel , RaceMatters, Keeping Faith: Philosophy and Racein America, TheAfrican-
American Century
Wi l son, Edmund, Axels Castle
Essa yists
Addi son, Joseph, TheTatler, TheSpectator
Agee, James, Let Us Now PraiseFamous Men
Angel ou, Maya, Wouldnt TakeNothing for My J ourney Now
Bacon, Franci s, Essays, Colours of Good and Evil
Bal dwi n, James, Notes of a NativeSon
Chesterton, G.K., Tremendous Trifles
Di di on, Joan, Mi ami : The Cuban Presence, The Li qui d Ci ty
Fussel l , Paul , Poetic Meter and Poetic Form
Gal l ant, Mavi s, Paris J ournals: Selected Essays and Reviews
Gordi mer, Nadi ne, TheEssential Gesture, Writing and Being
Hoagl and, Edward, TheCircleHome, TheCourageof Turtles
Lamb, Charl es, Essays of Elia
Mai l er, Norman, TheArmies of theNight, A Fireon theMoon, TheExecutioners Song
Mai rs, Nancy, On Bei ng a Sci enti fi c Booby
Mrquez, Gabri el Garc a, Eye of a Bl ue Day
McCarthy, Mary, I deas and theNovel, How I Grew
Montai gne, TheEssays
Nai paul , V.S., TheReturn of Eva Peron: With theKillings in Trinidad
Ol sen, Ti l l i e, Silences
Orwel l , George, Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays
Ozi ck, Cynthi a, Metaphor and Memory, A Cynthia Ozick Reader
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 11
www.petersons.com
Reed, I shmael , Shrovetide in Old New Orleans: Essays, God Made Alaska for the I ndians:
Selected Essays
Ri ch, Adri enne, What I s Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics,
Ri chl er, Mordecai , HuntingTigers Under Glass: Essays and Reports, Notes on an Endangered
Species and Others
Sel zer, Ri chard, Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, The Masked Marvel s Last
Toehol d
Steel e, Ri chard, TheTatler, TheSpectator
Thoreau, Henry Davi d, Walden, Resi stance to Ci vi l Government
Updi ke, John, Picked-Up Pieces, Still Looking: Essays on American Art
Wal ker, Al i ce, I n Search of Our Mothers Gardens, Beauty: When the Other Dancer I s the Sel f
Whi te, E.B., The Ri ng of Ti me
Wi l l i ams, Terry Tempest, Great and Peculiar Beauty: a Utah Centennial Reader
Wool f, Vi rgi ni a, A Roomof Ones Own, Ol d Mrs. Grey
Journa lists
Angel l , Roger, TheSummer Game, OnceMoreAround thePark
Baker, Russel l , Growing Up
Dowd, Maureen, AreMen Necessary?
Drew, El i zabeth, Washington J ournal
Ephron, Nora, Crazy Salad
Fi tzgeral d, Frances, America Revised
Goodman, El l en, Turning Points, Paper Trail
Hal berstam, Davi d, TheMaking of a Quagmire, TheBreaks of theGame, TheChildren
Logan, Andy, TheMan Who Robbed theRobber Barons
Mencken, H.L., Prejudices, The Femi ni ne Mi nd
Morri s, Jan, Pax Britannica Tri l ogy
Smi th, Red, Views of Sports, TheRed Smith Reader, Red Smith on Baseball
Steffens, Li ncol n, TheShameof theCities
Tri l l i n, Cal vi n, American Fried: Adventures of a Happy Eater, An Education in Georgia
Wol fe, Tom, TheRight Stuff
12 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
Politic a l Write rs a nd C om m e nta tors
Arendt, Hannah, TheOrigins of Totalitarianism
de Beauvoi r, Si mone, TheSecond Sex
Buckl ey, Wi l l i am F., Up fromLiberalism
de Crvecoeur, J. Hector St. John, Letters froman American Farmer
Du Boi s, W. E. B., TheSouls of Black Folk
Ful l er, Margaret, Woman in theNineteenth Century
Gal brai th, John Kenneth, TheAffluent Society
Gi l man, Charl otte Perki ns, Women and Economics
Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan
Jefferson, Thomas, The Decl arati on of I ndependence
Kennan, George, Memoirs
Ki ng, Marti n Luther, Jr., Letter from a Bi rmi ngham Jai l
Lapham, Lewi s H., Money and Class in America, Waiting for theBarbarians
Locke, John, TheSecond Treatiseon Civil Government
Machi avel l i , Ni ccol , ThePrince
Mi l l , John Stuart, On Liberty
Mi l ton, John, Areopagitica
More, Thomas, Utopia
Pai ne, Thomas, Common Sense, TheCrisis
Schrei ner, Ol i ve, Women and Labour
Swi ft, Jonathan, A Modest Proposal
de Tocquevi l l e, Al exi s, Democracy in America
Vi dal , Gore, Matters of Fact and Fiction, Decline and Fall of the American Empire, The
American Presidency
Wi l l , George, TheMorning After: American Successes and Excesses, Suddently: TheAmerican
I dea Abroad and at Home
Wi l l s, Garry, Nixon Agonistes, Explaining America: TheFederalist, Lincoln at Gettysburg
Wol l stonecraft, Mary, A Vindication of theRights of Woman
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 13
www.petersons.com
Sc ie nc e a nd Na ture Write rs
Abbey, Edward, TheMonkey Wrench Gang
Berry, Wendel l , A Continuous Harmony: Essays Cultural and Agricultural, Standing on
Earth, LateHarvest: Rural American Writing
Bronowski , Jacob, TheAscent of Man
Carson, Rachel , Silent Spring
Darwi n, Charl es, Origin of Species, TheDescent of Man
Di l l ard, Anni e, Teaching a Stoneto Talk
Ehrl i ch, Gretel , TheSolaceof Open Spaces
Ei sel ey, Loren, The Brown Wasps
Goul d, Stephen Jay, Ever SinceDarwin, Hens Teeth and Horses Toes, TheHedgehog, theFox,
and theMagisters Pox: Mending theGap Between Scienceand theHumanities
Kel l er, Evel yn Fox, Making Senseof Life, Refiguring Life
Lopez, Barry, Of Wolves and Men, Crossing Open Ground
Matthi essen, Peter, Wildlife in America, Under the Mountain Wall: A Chronicle of Two
Seasons in theStoneAge, Tigers in theSnow
McPhee, John, Annals of theFormer World
Mead, Margaret, Coming of Agein Samoa, Growing Up in New Guinea
Mui r, John, J ohn Muir: NatureWritings, Essays, My First Summer in theSierra
Sagan, Carl , TheDragons of Eden, Cosmos
Thomas, Lewi s, TheLives of Cells, TheYoungest Science: Notes of a Medicine-Watcher
Wei ner, Jonathan, Planet Earth, TheBeak of theFinch
Works on C om p osition a nd Ana lysis
Axel rod, Ri se B., and Charl es R. Cooper, TheSt. Martins Guideto Writing
Barzun, Jacques, Simpleand Direct: A Rhetoric for Writers
Berthoff, Ann E., TheMakingof Meaning: Metaphors, Models and Maxims for WritingTeachers
Cool ey, Thomas, TheNorton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition
Corbett, Edward P. J., Classical Rhetoric for theModern Student
Costel l o, Kari n Bergstrom, Gendered Voices: Readings fromtheAmerican Experience
Cox, Don Ri chard and El i zabeth Gi ddnes, Crafting Prose
14 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
Di Yanni , Robert, and Pat C. Hoy I I , TheScribner Handbook for Writers
El bow, Peter, Writing with Power
Gi bson, Wal ker, Persona: A StyleStudy for Readers and Writers
Hal l , Donal d, ed., TheContemporary Essay
Lanham, Ri chard, Analyzing Prose; The Electronic Word: Democracy, Technology, and the
Arts; Revising Prose
Murray, Donal d, TheCraft of Revision
Strunk, W., Jr., and E. B. Whi te, TheElements of Style
Warri ner, John E., English Composition and Grammar: CompleteCourse
Zi nsser, Wi l l i am K., On Writing Well: An I nformal Guideto Writing Nonfiction
PRAC TIC E PLANS FO R STUDYING FO R THE AP ENG LISH
LANG UAG E & C O M PO SITIO N TEST
The fol l owi ng pl an i s worked out for ni ne weeks. The best study pl an i s one that conti nues
through a ful l semester so you have ti me to thi nk about i deas, and to tal k wi th your teacher
and other students about what you are l earni ng, and you wi l l not feel rushed. Stayi ng rel axed
about the test i s i mportant. A ful l -semester study pl an al so means that you can appl y what
you are l earni ng here to cl ass work (your essay wri ti ng) and appl y your cl ass work to test
preparati on. The pl an i s worked out so that you shoul d spend about 3 hours on each l esson.
Nine - We e k Pra c tic e Pla n
WEEK 1
First: Take the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic, pp. 3368, and compl ete the sel f-scori ng process.
Li st the areas that you had di ffi cul ty wi th such as ti mi ng, questi on types, and wri ti ng
on demand.
Then: Reread Chapter 1 about the basi c facts of the test and i ts scori ng.
WEEK 2
Le sson 1
Reread Scoring the AP Language &Composition Test on pp. 58 to remi nd yoursel f that at
l east a 3 i s achi evabl e.
Read Chapter 3, About theMultiple-ChoiceQuestions, pp. 71104.
Practi ce by compl eti ng Exercise1.
Correct the acti vi ti es wi th the Answer Key and Explanations for the exerci se.
Note areas that need i mprovement.
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 15
www.petersons.com
Le sson 2
Read Grammar for the Mul ti pl e-Choi ce Questi ons i n Chapter 5 and Appendi x B, A Quick
Review of Literary and Rhetorical Terms.
Practi ce answeri ng mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons by compl eti ng Exercises 2 and 3 i n Chapter 3.
Correct the acti vi ti es wi th the Answer Key and and Explanations for the exerci ses.
Note those areas where you have i mproved and those areas that sti l l need work.
WEEK 3
Le sson 1
Revi ew Chapter 3, About theMultiple-ChoiceQuestions, pp. 71104; Chapter 5 for grammar,
pp. 147150; and Appendi x B, A Quick Reviewof Literary and Rhetorical Terms, pp. 287293.
Practi ce answeri ng mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons by compl eti ng Exercise4 i n Chapter 3.
Correct the acti vi ti es wi th the Answer Key and Explanations for the exerci se.
Note those areas where you have i mproved and those areas that sti l l need work.
Le sson 2
Read Chapter 4, About theFreeResponseand Synthesis Essays.
Do Exercise 1. Ti me yoursel f to see how wel l -devel oped and compl ete an essay you can pl an
and wri te i n 40 mi nutes.
Compl ete the sel f-eval uati on and ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to
eval uate your essay agai nst the scori ng gui de.
Wi th your eval uators and your comments i n mi nd, revi se your essay.
WEEK 4
Le sson 1
Reread Chapter 4, pp. 105144, as needed. Do Exercise2 i n 40 mi nutes.
Compl ete the sel f-eval uati on and ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to
eval uate your essay agai nst the scori ng gui de.
Wi th your and your eval uators comments i n mi nd, revi se your essay.
Le sson 2
Reread Chapter 4, pp. 105144, as needed. Do Exercise3 i n 40 mi nutes.
Compl ete the sel f-eval uati on and ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to
eval uate your essay agai nst the scori ng gui de.
Wi th your eval uators and your comments i n mi nd, revi se your essay.
16 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
WEEK 5
Le sson 1
Revi ew the l i st you made after you took the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic to see what you need
to revi ew about the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on.
Wi th these areas i n mi nd, reread Chapter 3, About theMultiple-ChoiceQuestions.
Revi ew the Exercises i n the chapter and the Answer Key and Explanations. Pay parti cul ar
attenti on to the strategi es for answeri ng the questi ons.
Determi ne i f there are areas that you are sti l l unsure of.
Le sson 2
Revi ew the l i st you made after you took the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic to see what you need
to revi ew about the essay secti on of the AP exam.
Reread Chapter 4, pp. 105144.
Revi se the fi rst two essays on the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic.
Use the Self-Evaluation Rubric for the Free Response Essays to assess how much you have
i mproved si nce you ori gi nal l y wrote the two essays.
Note any areas that you thi nk you sti l l need to i mprove.
Revi se the remai ni ng essay i f necessary.
WEEK 6
Le sson 1
Take PracticeTest 2.
Score your answers agai nst the Answer Key and eval uate your essay agai nst the rubri c.
Ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to eval uate your essay agai nst the
scori ng gui de.
Read the Answer Key and Explanations for al l the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons, i ncl udi ng the
ones you answered correctl y.
Compare your scores on PracticeTest 2 to the scores on the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic. Where
di d you i mprove? What do you sti l l need to work on?
Le sson 2
Choose a sel ecti on that i s used for one of the essay questi ons i n the Diagnostic Test and
anal yze i t as though you were goi ng to create your own mul ti pl e-choi ce test. Be sure to ask
yoursel f about the mode of the pi ece, any l i terary devi ces that are empl oyed, and the theme of
the pi ece.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 17
www.petersons.com
Choose one of the sel ecti ons i n the DiagnosticTest that i s used as the basi s for mul ti pl e-choi ce
questi ons and turn i t i nto a practi ce essay acti vi ty. Devel op a questi on and then answer i t i n
an essay.
WEEK 7
Le sson 1
Take PracticeTest 3.
Score your answers agai nst the Answer Key and eval uate your essay agai nst the rubri c.
Ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to eval uate your essay agai nst the
scori ng gui de.
Read the expl anati ons for al l the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons, i ncl udi ng the ones you answered
correctl y.
Compare your scores on Practice Test 3 to the scores on the Practice Test 1: Diagnostic and
PracticeTest 2. Where di d you i mprove? What do you sti l l need to work on?
Le sson 2
Choose a sel ecti on that i s used for one of the essay questi ons i n the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic
and anal yze i t as though you were goi ng to create your own mul ti pl e-choi ce test. Be sure to
ask yoursel f about the mode of the pi ece, any l i terary devi ces that are empl oyed, and the
theme of the pi ece.
Choose one of the sel ecti ons i n the Practice Test 1: Diagnostic that i s used as the basi s for
mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons and turn i t i nto a practi ce essay acti vi ty. Devel op a questi on and
then answer i t i n an essay.
WEEK 8
Le sson 1
Choose a sel ecti on that i s used for one of the essay questi ons i n the Diagnostic Test and
anal yze i t as though you were goi ng to create your own mul ti pl e-choi ce test. Be sure to ask
yoursel f about the mode of the pi ece, any l i terary devi ces that are empl oyed, and the theme of
the pi ece.
Choose one of the sel ecti ons i n the Practice Test 1: Diagnostic that i s used as the basi s for
mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons and turn i t i nto a practi ce essay acti vi ty. Devel op a questi on and
then answer i t i n an essay.
Le sson 2
Read and anal yze fi ve arti cl es i n magazi nes such as The New Yorker and sel ecti ons i n
anthol ogi es to practi ce your ski l l s. Be sure to ask yoursel f about the mode of each pi ece, any
rhetori cal devi ces that are used, and the theme of the pi ece.
18 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
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www.petersons.com
Appl y an essay questi on from one of the tests i n thi s book to two of the arti cl es and wri te a
practi ce essay for each. Use the scori ng gui de to assess your answer.
WEEK 9
Le sson 1
Read and anal yze arti cl es i n magazi nes such as TheNewYorker and sel ecti ons i n anthol ogi es
to practi ce your ski l l s.
Revi ew Chapters 3 and 4.
Revi ew Chapter 5.
Le sson 2
Randoml y choose sel ecti ons from Secti on I of the Practice Test 1: Diagnostic and the other
Practice Tests and revi ew the Answer Key and Explanations to remi nd yoursel f of the
strategi es you can use to unl ock the answers.
Reread Scoring theAP English Language& Composition Test, pp. 58.
Assembl e al l materi al s you wi l l need on test day: pens, penci l s, a watch, and your regi strati on
i nformati on.
The Pa nic Pla n
Ei ghteen weeks, ni ne weeks, how about two weeks? I f you are the ki nd of person who puts
everythi ng off unti l the l ast possi bl e mi nute, here i s a two-week Pani c Pl an. I ts objecti ves are
to make you fami l i ar wi th the test format and di recti ons, to hel p you get as many correct
answers as possi bl e, and to wri te the best essays you can.
WEEK 1
Read and Scoring theAP English Language& Composition Test, pp. 58.
Take Practice Test 1: Diagnostic: Read the di recti ons careful l y and use a ti mer for each
secti on.
Compl ete the sel f-scori ng process. You can l earn a l ot about the types of questi ons i n the
mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on by worki ng through the answers.
Read Chapters 3 and 4 and compl ete the Exercises.
M ultip le C hoic e
Answer the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on on PracticeTest 2.
Compl ete the sel f-scori ng process, and see where you may sti l l be havi ng probl ems wi th
questi on types.
Read al l the answer expl anati ons, i ncl udi ng those you i denti fi ed correctl y.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 19
www.petersons.com
Essa ys
Compl ete the essay secti on on PracticeTest 2.
Score your essays agai nst the rubri c, noti ng areas for i mprovement.
Ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to eval uate your essays agai nst the
scori ng gui de as wel l . Compare your scores to those on the PracticeTest 1: Diagnostic.
WEEK 2
Reread Scoring the AP English Language & Composition Test, pp. 58, and Chapters 3, 4,
and 5.
Assembl e al l materi al s you wi l l need on test day: pens, penci l s, a watch, and your regi strati on
materi al .
M ultip le C hoic e
Answer the mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons i n PracticeTest 3.
Compl ete the sel f-scori ng process.
Reread Chapters 1 and 3 i f you are sti l l unsure of any of the strategi es or i nformati on about
answeri ng mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons.
Essa ys
Wri te the essays from PracticeTest 3, worki ng on strengtheni ng your areas of weakness.
Score the essays agai nst the rubri c.
Ask a responsi bl e fri end, an AP cl assmate, or a teacher to eval uate your essays agai nst the
scori ng gui de. Choose one essay to revi se.
20 PART I: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Ba sic s
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www.petersons.com
SUM M ING IT UP
The AP Program offers an opportuni ty to recei ve col l ege credi t for courses taken i n
hi gh school .
The AP Engl i sh Language & Composi ti on Test measures your abi l i ty to anal yze the
rhetori c of prose passages and to wri te essays i n vari ous rhetori cal modes.
Secti on I , Mul ti pl e Choi ce, contai ns about 50 questi ons on poetry and prose passages;
Secti on I I requi res wri ti ng 3 essays.
The mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons i ncl ude the fol l owi ng types:
mai n i dea
detai l
i nference
defi ni ti on
tone and purpose
form
factual knowl edge
The mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on i s graded by machi ne and the essays are graded duri ng a
readi ng sessi on by hi gh school and col l ege teachers.
Secti on I I i ncl udes three essays. Two of the essays usual l y requi re anal ysi s of rhetori cal
and styl i sti c strategi es i n sel ected prose passages and one requi res a synthesi s of sources
to support an argumenta persuasi ve essay based on an anal ysi s and eval uati on
of sources.
The hi ghest score you can recei ve on an essay i s a 9, so the hi ghest total essay score i s 27.
The three essays together account for 55 percent of the total score
The suggested readi ng l i st draws heavi l y from the sel ecti on of wri ters that the Col l ege
Board suggests students read duri ng thei r AP Engl i sh Language & Composi ti on course.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 1: All Ab out the AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Te st 21
www.petersons.com
P
ART II
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIAG NO SING STRENG THS
AND WEAKNESSES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER 2 Practice Test 1: Diagnostic
ANSWER SHEET PRAC TIC E TEST 1: DIAG NO STIC
SEC TIO N I
1. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
2. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
3. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
4. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
5. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
6. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
7. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
8. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
9. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
10. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
11. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
12. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
13. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
14. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
15. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
16. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
17. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
18. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
19. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
20. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
21. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
22. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
23. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
24. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
25. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
26. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
27. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
28. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
29. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
30. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
31. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
32. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
33. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
34. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
35. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
36. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
37. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
38. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
39. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
40. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
41. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
42. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
43. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
44. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
45. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
46. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
47. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
48. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
49. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
50. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
51. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
52. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
53. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
54. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
a
n
s
w
e
r
s
h
e
e
t
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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C ha p te r 2: Pra c tic e Te st 1: Dia g nostic 25
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Practice Test 1:
Diagnostic
SEC TIO N I
54 Q UESTIO NS 60 M INUTES
Directions: Thi s secti on consi sts of sel ecti ons of l i terature and
questi ons on thei r content, styl e, and form. After you have read each
passage, sel ect the response that best answers the questi on and mark
the correspondi ng space on the answer sheet.
Q UESTIO NS 111 REFER TO THE FO LLO WING SELEC TIO N. READ THE PASSAG E
C AREFULLY, AND THEN C HO O SE THE ANSWERS TO THE Q UESTIO NS.
This p a ssa g e is ta ke n from a re p ort on na tionwid e lite ra c y p re p a re d b y
the Na tiona l End owm e nt for the Arts.
Line I n a recent essay, What use i s l i terature? Myron Magnet stated that
data are meani ngl ess unti l we can arti cul ate a story that makes sense
out of them, and l i terature makes sense out of the data of human
experi ence.
46
Data from the 2002 Survey of Publ i c Parti ci pati on i n the Arts
(SPPA) demonstrate that many peopl e enjoy l i terature. Novel s, short
stori es, poetry, and pl ays attract al most one-hal f of those 18 or ol der
(47 percent or about 96 mi l l i on peopl e). Each part of the l i terary puzzl e
exami ned i n thi s monographnovel s, short stori es, poetry, and pl ays
attracts a si gni fi cant number of peopl e. Poetry (read by 25 mi l l i on
adul ts) i s about as popul ar as attendance at jazz performances or at
cl assi cal musi c events. About as many peopl e read pl ays (7 mi l l i on) as
attend l i ve opera or bal l et. Novel s and short stori es have an audi ence
(93 mi l l i on) that i s l arger than al most any other cul tural or l ei sure
pursui t. A number of peopl e have a parti cul arl y strong attachment to
books; about one i n si x l i terary readers (17 percent) read 12 or more
books i n 2002. Ameri cans parti ci pate i n l i terature i n a vari ety of other
ways. Al most one i n ten (9 percent) l i stened to l i ve or recorded read-
i ngs of novel s or books, and 6 percent l i stened to poetry readi ngs
duri ng the survey year. About 7 percent wrote creati ve works of thei r
own, and 9 percent used the I nternet to l earn about, read, or di scuss
topi cs rel ated to l i terature. Most l i terary readers are acti ve i n a wi de
range of other cul tural and l ei sure pursui ts. . . .
46
I n City J ournal, Summer 2003, www.ci ty-journal .org
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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5
10
15
20
33
I t i s not cl ear from the SPPA data how much i nfl uence TV watchi ng has on l i terary
readi ng. Not surpri si ngl y, a stati sti cal model created to anal yze frequent readers
found that watchi ng four hours or more of TV per day had a negati ve i mpact on the
chances of someone readi ng 12 books or more per year.
47
Watchi ng no TV had a
posi ti ve i mpact on the probabi l i ty of someone readi ng 12 books or more. Li terary
readers watch sl i ghtl y l ess TV each day than non-readers, and frequent readers watch
onl y sl i ghtl y l ess TV per day than i nfrequent readers. The SPPA resul ts cannot show
whether non-readers woul d read more i f they watched l ess TV, or whether they woul d
use thi s extra ti me i n other ways. . . . The percentage of U.S. adul ts readi ng l i terature
dropped from 56.4 percent i n 1982 to 46.7 percent i n 2002a decl i ne of al most 10
percentage poi nts. Thi s may i ndi cate a downward trend over the past two decades, but
i t i s i mportant to note that the SPPA i s not conducted on a yearl y basi s. Thi s mono-
graph l ooks at the surveys hel d i n 1982, 1992, and 2002ten-year snapshots. No
i nformati on i s avai l abl e for non-SPPA years, and i t i s possi bl e that the 2002 drop i s a
short, one-year change. I f the 2002 data represent a decl i ni ng trend, i t i s tempti ng to
suggest that fewer peopl e are readi ng l i terature and now prefer vi sual and audi o
entertai nment. Agai n, the databoth from SPPA and other sourcesdo not readi l y
quanti fy thi s expl anati on. As di scussed i n Chapter 3, tel evi si on does not seem to be
the cul pri t. I n 2002, those who do read and those who do not read l i terature watched
about the same amount of TV per daythree hours worth. The I nternet, however,
coul d have pl ayed a rol e. Duri ng the ti me peri od when the l i terature parti ci pati on
rates decl i ned, home I nternet use soared. Accordi ng to a 2000 Census Bureau report,
42 percent of househol ds used the I nternet at homeup dramati cal l y from 26 percent
i n 1998, one of the earl i est years of the Bureaus tracki ng.
48
By contrast, l i terary
readi ng rates reported i n 1982 and 1992 were vi rtual l y i denti cal i n a peri od before the
I nternet was wi del y avai l abl e. I t was not unti l 2002 that the reported percentage of
adul ts readi ng l i terature dropped consi derabl y.
1. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng most accu-
ratel y states the subject of the
passage?
(A) The readi ng habi ts of Ameri -
cans
(B) The effects of tel evi si on on
readi ng
(C) How the I nternet makes peopl e
read l ess
(D) The popul ari ty of poetry and
novel s
(E) The decl i ni ng i mportance of
l i terature
2. The source l i sted i n whi ch footnote
woul d be the best source for
i nformati on on stati sti cs of home
computer use?
(A) 46
(B) 47
(C) 48
(D) None of the above
(E) Any of the above
3. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng i s cl osest to
the meani ng of arti cul ate as used
i n the fi rst sentence?
(A) Enunci ate
(B) Convey
(C) Cl ear up
(D) Pronounce
(E) Decry
47
The detai l s of the stati sti cal model s created for thi s report are i ncl uded i n Appendi x C.
48
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Home Computers and I nternet Use i n the
Uni ted States: August 2000. Current Population Report, P23-207, September 2001.
34 PART II: Dia g nosing Stre ng ths a nd We a kne sse s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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25
30
35
40
45
www.petersons.com
4. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng i s the best
descri pti on of the tone of thi s
passage?
(A) I nformati ve and unbi ased
(B) Opi ni onated and persuasi ve
(C) Appeal s to emoti ons
(D) Accurate and hopeful
(E) Creati ve and i nformati onal
5. The purpose of footnote 48 i s to
i nform the reader that the i nforma-
ti on i n l i nes 4547
(A) i s about the U.S. Department of
Commerce
(B) was fi rst publ i shed i n 2000
(C) appears i n Current Population
Report, P23-207
(D) was wri tten by the U.S. Census
Bureau and edi ted by the U.S.
Department of Commerce
(E) appears i n a book cal l ed Home
Computers and I nternet Use
6. Wi th whi ch statement woul d the
authors of thi s arti cl e most l i kel y
agree?
(A) Li terary readers watch as
much, i f not more, tel evi si on
than most non-readers.
(B) Onl y l i terary readers are
i mportant i n determi ni ng
readi ng stati sti cs for U.S.
ci ti zens; non-fi cti on readers do
not count.
(C) I nternet use has had a very
detri mental effect on the
percentage of U.S. ci ti zens who
are l i terary readers.
(D) Al l data must have a story to
accompany them.
(E) A decl i ne i n l i terary readers
mi ght be attri buted to a
growi ng preference for audi o
and vi sual entertai nment, but
there i s no hard data to support
thi s fact.
7. The phrase about one i n si x l i terary
readers (17 percent) read 12 or more
books i n 2002 i n l i nes 1617, i s used
to support the asserti on that
(A) as many peopl e read poetry as
attend jazz performances or
cl assi cal musi c events
(B) many peopl e have a parti cul arl y
strong attachment to books
(C) a smal l percentage of the
popul ati on wrote thei r own
creati ve works
(D) most l i terary readers read at
l east 12 books i n a cal endar
year
(E) si nce 2002, l i terary readers
read l ess books per year than
before 2002
8. The sentence Most l i terary readers
are acti ve i n a wi de range of other
cul tural and l ei sure pursui ts . . . at
the end of the second paragraph i s
most l i kel y
(A) an opi ni on based i n anecdotal
evi dence not i ncl uded i n the
report
(B) i ncl uded to convi nce peopl e who
read the arti cl e to be more
cul tured
(C) a concl usi on drawn from resul ts
of surveys on whi ch the report
i s based
(D) the authors wi shes for a more
cul tural soci ety
(E) untrue based on the i nforma-
ti on i n the passage
9. Thi s monograph l ooks at the surveys
hel d i n 1982, 1992, and 2002ten-
year snapshots. What type of
l i terary devi ce i s represented by the
use of the worl d snapshot i n thi s
sentence?
(A) Personi fi cati on
(B) Si mi l e
(C) Onomatopoei a
(D) I ambi c pentameter
(E) Metaphor
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C ha p te r 2: Pra c tic e Te st 1: Dia g nostic 35
s
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Table E.
Reasons for Not Registering by Selected Characteristics: 2004
(Numbers i n Thousands)
Percent distribution of reasons for not registering
Characteristic Total
1
Not
interested
in the
election
or not
involved
in politics
Did not
meet
registration
deadlines
Not
eligible
to
vote
Dont
know
or
refused
Permanent
illness
or
disability Other
Did not
know
where
or
how
to
register
Did not
meet
residency
requirements
My vote
would
not
make a
difference
Total, 18 years
and older
32,432 46.6 17.4 6.7 6.2 5.6 4.7 4.5 3.7 3.7
Age
18 to 24 years 6,888 44.0 24.0 5.8 8.2 1.8 3.1 6.2 3.9 2.6
25 to 44 years 13,284 45.7 19.0 8.5 5.5 2.8 5.0 4.8 4.4 3.5
45 to 64 years 8,508 50.4 13.4 6.6 6.7 5.9 4.6 3.2 3.0 4.6
65 years and older 3,751 45.6 9.1 2.3 3.8 21.6 6.3 3.1 2.2 3.8
1
I ncl udes onl y those respondents who answered no to the questi on Were you regi stered i n the el ecti on of November 2004?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Popul ati on Survey, November 2004.
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SO URC E D
Al l en, Mari o. Voti ng Ri ghts i n Ameri ca. TheMagazine, August 25, 2005.
The following is e xc e rp te d from a n a rtic le tha t d isc usse s the history of voting rig hts
in Am e ric a .
Voti ng ri ghts i n Ameri ca have come a l ong way si nce the nati ons foundi ng. I n the earl y years
of our nati on, onl y whi te, l and-owni ng men coul d vote. By 1830, i n most states requi rements
of property ownershi p or rel i gi ous tests were abol i shed, but sti l l , onl y whi te men coul d vote.
Women began to fi ght for the ri ght to vote i n the years before the Ci vi l War, but i t was not
unti l 1920 that the 19
th
Amendment was rati fi ed, gi vi ng women the ri ght to vote.
After the Ci vi l War, the passage of the 15
th
Amendment gave al l Afri can Ameri can mal es
the ri ght to vote. However, thi s ri ght was i n practi ce deni ed to Afri can Ameri cans i n the South
i n many ways, i ncl udi ng the use of pol l taxes and the grandfather cl ause. The 24
th
Amendment woul d el i mi nate pol l taxes i n federal el ecti ons i n 1964.
I n 1965, the Voti ng Ri ghts Act was passed. Thi s act el i mi nated l i teracy tests to vote. I t al so
sent federal representati ves to the south to oversee voti ng regi strati on. Thi s act i ncreased
voter regi strati on and parti ci pati on for southern Afri can Ameri cans. Voti ng parti ci pati on was
extended to 18 year-ol ds wi th the passage of the 26
th
Amendment. Thi s i ncreased regi strati on
and parti ci pati on, as wel l , al though those 1824 have the l owest regi strati on and turnout
rates of any age group. Fi nal l y, the passage of the Motor Voter act i n 1993 i ncreased voter
regi strati on by mi l l i ons.
52 PART II: Dia g nosing Stre ng ths a nd We a kne sse s
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SO URC E E
Beggens, Al i ci a. Di d the Generati on Z Vote Campai gn Work? Rolling Moss Magazine,
February 2006.
The following is e xc e rp te d from a n a rtic le a b out a c a m p a ig n to g e t p e op le b e twe e n
the a g e s of 18 a nd 24 to vote in the m ost re c e nt p re sid e ntia l e le c tion.
The Generati on Z Vote Campai gn seemed l i ke geni us. The nati ons most popul ar musi c
stati on, coupl ed wi th a huge amount of cel ebri ty support, sought to change the way that
young peopl e parti ci pate i n pol i ti cs today. The i dea was to make pol i ti cs i nteresti ng. I t was
reasoned that because young peopl e l ooked up to cel ebri ti es, that cel ebri ty endorsement
woul d make voti ng, wel l , cool . I n addi ti on, the campai gn had a deci dedl y Democrati c l eani ng,
pushi ng a fai rl y l i beral agenda. Even so, many Republ i cans came out i n support of the
campai gn, reasoni ng that any type of pol i ti cal i nvol vement was better than none at al l .
Whi ch begs the questi on: di d i t work? For al most 18 months, the campai gn seemed to be
everywhere: on col l ege campuses, i n mal l s, al l over TV and radi o. And i t seemed as i f the
targeted group was respondi ng. There was a real feel i ng for a whi l e that thi s ti me, the 18- to
24-year-ol ds woul d make a di fference. They mi ght even swi ng an el ecti on.
Al as, i t seems i t was al l for naught. Al though voter turnout overal l i n the l ast presi denti al
el ecti on seemed to sl i ghtl y i ncrease from the previ ous el ecti on, the 18- to 24-year-ol d turnout
numbers were atroci ous. There was barel y a di fference i n the percentage voti ng from the l ast
el ecti on.
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C ha p te r 2: Pra c tic e Te st 1: Dia g nostic 53
Body Paragraph 1
Supporting Information
Each paragraph within thebody of theessay should develop a subtopic
of themain point by providing strong supporting information.
Body Paragraph 2
Supporting Information
Each paragraph within thebody of theessay should develop a subtopic
of themain point by providing strong supporting information.
Body Paragraph 3
Supporting Information
Each paragraph within thebody of theessay should develop a subtopic
of themain point by providing strong supporting information.
CONCLUSION
Remi nder of Thesi s Statement
Summary or Final Remarks
Theconclusion of an essay should bring theessay
to a satisfactory closeand remind thereader of themain point.
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 117
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on the overal l i mpressi on of your essay. (Our rubri c si ngl es out the vari ous descri ptors so you
can pi npoi nt your weaknesses to work on and i ncrease your overal l score.)
Purp ose
Your purpose i s to get a score of 5 or better. To do that, you need to wri te a uni fi ed, coherent,
and consi stent essay that answers the questi on. A wel l -wri tten essay that mi sses the poi nt of
the questi on wi l l not get you a good score.
Tone
Your tone i s the refl ecti on of your atti tude toward the subject of the essay. A wri ters tone, for
exampl e, may be l i ghthearted, brusque, or seri ous. The safest tone to adopt i s formal and
subjecti ve, si nce you are bei ng asked your opi ni on. You do not want to be stuffy and
pretenti ous by usi ng phrases such as one understands or we can surmi se. On the other
hand, do not be too casual ei ther by wri ti ng thi ngs l i ke you know what I mean. Most
students, however, err on the si de of faux erudi ti on, usi ng bi g words and convol uted
constructi ons. When i s doubt, wri te what you mean si mpl y and di rectl y.
How do you devel op the proper tone? Through styl e. Your styl e shoul d be your own natural
styl e that you use for school essays. That means:
Usi ng proper grammar and punctuati on.
Choosi ng words that convey your meani ng i n an i nteresti ng rather than a
pedestri an or vague way: The author created a dynami c personal i ty i n Tom Jones
versus The mai n character i s i nteresti ng.
Avoi di ng the use of several words when one wi l l do: There are a number of aspects
to the character that are dynami c such as . . . versus Jones i s both a rascal and . . .
Avoi di ng hackneyed phrases and cl i chs such as The wri ter was on cl oud ni ne
versus The wri ters tone showed her enthusi asm.
Your styl e adds i nterest to the paper. I nteresti ng words and phrasi ng, as much as a uni que
poi nt of vi ew about a subject, can make a paper i nteresti ng to read.
Unity
Uni ty i s another word for cl ari ty. Al l of your essays i deas and i nformati on must bel ong
together and be essenti al to the devel opment of the thesi s. The parts of the essaythe
i ntroducti on, the body, and the concl usi onshoul d al l focus on the mai n i dea. Each paragraph
must rel ate to every other, and every paragraph must support the overal l thesi s. I n addi ti on,
each paragraph wi thi n the essay must be uni fi ed. Each paragraph must have a topi c
sentence, and every sentence i n the paragraph must rel ate to every other and add to the
devel opment of the topi c sentence. I n other words, a uni fi ed paper i s one that i s cl earl y
118 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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TIP
Whenever
possible, write in
the active voice.
Your essay will
seem stronger.
www.petersons.com
devel oped. The i ntroducti on and the concl usi on work together to create uni ty. The
i ntroducti on establ i shes the mai n poi nt. Then the concl usi on echoes the i deas or key words of
the i ntroducti on.
Perhaps the most i mportant el ement creati ng uni ty i n an essay i s the cl ari ty of the thesi s
statement. Remember that your thesi s statement contai ns the central i dea that you have
devel oped from brai nstormi ng i deas to respond to the essay prompt. As the HarbraceCollege
Handbook, that venerabl e col l ege Engl i sh manual , states: [Your thesi s statement] i s
basi cal l y a cl ai m statement, that i s, i t i ndi cates what you cl ai m to be true, i nteresti ng, or
val uabl e about your subject.
I f the thesi s statement i s focused and cl ear, i t outl i nes the scope of the essay and the
boundari es separati ng the rel evant from the i rrel evant. I n the same way, the subtopi cs must
l ogi cal l y grow out of the thesi s. When the subtopi cs represent si gni fi cant aspects of the mai n
poi nt and rel ate to each other, i n al l probabi l i ty you wi l l wri te a uni fi ed essay.
Al though you can pl ace your thesi s statement anywhere i n your essay, i t i s probabl y safest to
put i t i n the i ntroducti on, even as the fi rst sentence, so you can refer to i t as you wri te to be
sure that everythi ng you are wri ti ng devel ops and supports i t. Putti ng the thesi s fi rst al so
gets you started wri ti ng.
C ohe re nc e
I n a coherent essay, a reader can move smoothl y and l ogi cal l y from one thought to another. A
coherent essay i s one i n whi ch the i deas wi thi n each paragraph and wi thi n the essay as a
whol e are i n l ogi cal order and thei r connecti ons fl ow. Coherence depends on cl ear, rel evant
orderi ng of i deas and the i ntroducti on of transi ti onal words and phrases. Many methods exi st
for organi zi ng i deas l ogi cal l y. The fol l owi ng chart offers fi ve methods for organi zi ng
your work.
Organization of Supporting Information
Chronological order I nformati on arranged i n ti me sequence
Spatial order I nformati on arranged accordi ng to space rel ati onshi ps
Order of importance I nformati on arranged from l east i mportant to most
i mportant or vi ce versa
Compare and contrast I nformati on arranged accordi ng to si mi l ari ti es and
di fferences between two or more subjects
Developmental order I nformati on arranged so that one poi nt l eads l ogi cal l y
to another
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 119
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Tra nsitions
I n addi ti on to bei ng l ogi cal l y organi zed, a coherent essay moves smoothl y from one thought to
the next because i ts i deas are connected by transi ti ons, repeti ti on of key words, synonyms,
and pronouns. Transi ti ons i ndi cate how one i dea rel ates to another, whi l e repeti ti on of words
ti es i deas together. The fol l owi ng are some transi ti ons that hel p establ i sh l ogi cal order.
Time Relationship
after fi nal l y l ater
before fi rst meanwhi l e
duri ng second next
earl i er thi rd then
Spatial Relationship
above beneath near
ahead beyond outsi de
before here over there
behi nd i nsi de
Comparison or Contrast
al though i ndeed nonethel ess
conversel y i n l i ke manner si mi l arl y
however i nstead whereas
i n contrast l i kewi se yet
Cause and Effect
accordi ngl y i nevi tabl y then
as a resul t on account of therefore
because of si nce thus
consequentl y
Addition
al so furthermore not onl y
as wel l i n addi ti on too
besi des moreover
Emphasis
i ndeed i n other words
i n fact most of al l most si gni fi cantl y
Examples
al so for exampl e speci fi cal l y
as an i l l ustrati on i n parti cul ar that i s
for i nstance namel y
120 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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Ad e q ua te De ve lop m e nt
What i s an adequate devel opment? You have approxi matel y 40 mi nutes to read, pl an, and
devel op your i deasneatl y. I n addi ti on to the thesi s statement, your essay must contai n
enough speci fi c i nformati on to expl ai n your mai n i dea. Support consi sts of exampl es, detai l s,
facts, reasons, or events. The fol l owi ng chart presents fi ve types of supporti ng i nformati on
that you can use to devel op your thesi s.
Kinds of Support
Type of
Support Definition Example
Examples Parti cul ar i nstances of a general
i dea or pri nci pl e
An essay about the best movi es of the
year mi ght i ncl ude a di scussi on of three
or four fi l ms.
Details Smal l i tems or pi eces of
i nformati on that make up
somethi ng l arger
An essay about an author mi ght
descri be detai l s about hi s or her career.
Facts Speci fi c pi eces of i nformati on
that can be veri fi ed
An essay about the tone and styl e of a
sel ecti on mi ght i ncl ude quotati ons.
Reasons Expl anati ons, justi fi cati ons, or
causes, often answeri ng the ques-
ti on why? about the mai n i dea
An essay advocati ng gun control mi ght
i ncl ude an expl anati on of i neffecti ve
current l aws.
Events I nci dents or happeni ngs An essay about a travel memoi r mi ght
i ncl ude one or two amusi ng anecdotes.
A wel l -devel oped essay must contai n enough support to meet the expectati ons establ i shed by
your i ntroducti on and thesi s statement. I n addi ti on, the supporti ng i nformati on must make
the essay seem compl ete. The fi ve types of support wi l l work wi th both synthesi s and
nonsynthesi s essays.
A FINAL WO RD O F ADVIC E O N WRITING YO UR ESSAYS
The fol l owi ng are some suggesti ons to hel p you wri te cl ear, wel l -organi zed, wel l -reasoned,
coherent, and i nteresti ng essays. I f you keep these suggesti ons i n mi nd as you wri te your
practi ce essays, these steps wi l l come natural l y to you on the day of the test.
Begi n wri ti ng your fi rst paragraph by stati ng the thesi s cl earl y. Take a ful l 5
mi nutes to be sure that you are wri ti ng a cl earl y stated and i nteresti ng i ntroducti on.
At the end of the fi rst paragraph, read i t to be sure that your i deas are l ogi cal l y
fol l owi ng each other and supporti ng the thesi s.
Wri te a transi ti on i nto the second paragraph. Check your l i st of i deas.
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NOTE
Do not forget the
simple things such
as capitalization,
punctuation, and
spelling. See
Chapter 5 for a
quick review.
C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 121
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ANALYZING LITERATURE
IDENTIFICATION
Genre/Mode of Discourse
1. What type of prose i s i tfi cti on or nonfi cti on? Exposi ti on, persuasi on, argument,
descri pti on, narrati ve, or drama?
2. Are poi nts devel oped by defi ni ti ons, exampl es, facts, events, or quotati ons and ci ta-
ti ons?
Author
1. Who i s the author?
2. What do you know about the wri ter?
3. What do you know about the ti me peri od or l i terary peri od i n whi ch the passage
was wri tten?
Title
1. I f there i s a ti tl e, what does i t tel l you?
2. What does i t suggest about the subject or the theme (meani ng) of the passage?
Subject
1. What i s the subject of the passage?
2. What i s thi s sel ecti on about?
Theme/Thesis
1. What i s the theme, or central i dea, of the sel ecti on?
2. How i s the theme conveyed?
LITERARY ELEMENTS
Setting
1. Where and when does the sel ecti on take pl ace?
2. What detai l s does the wri ter use to create the setti ng?
3. Does the setti ng create a mood or feel i ng?
4. I s the setti ng a symbol for an i mportant i dea the wri ter wants to convey?
5. Does the setti ng pl ay a rol e i n the central confl i ct?
Point of View
1. I s the passage tol d from the fi rst-person or from the thi rd-person poi nt of vi ew?
2. I s the narrator l i mi ted or omni sci ent?
3. What effect does the poi nt of vi ew have on the way you experi ence the sel ecti on?
Central Conflict
1. I n what struggl e i s the protagoni st i nvol ved?
2. I s the central confl i ct i nternal , wi thi n the mai n characters mi nd, or external , wi th
another character, soci ety, or nature?
3. How i s the confl i ct resol ved?
Development
1. What events take pl ace i n the sel ecti on?
2. Does the pi ece have an i ntroducti on?
3. I f so, what does the reader l earn i n the i ntroducti on?
122 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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4. What i s the i nci ti ng i nci dent?
5. What happens duri ng the devel opment?
6. When does the cl i max occur?
7. What events mark the resol uti on?
8. Does the sel ecti on have a denouement?
9. Are there speci al pl ot devi ces, such as a surpri se endi ng, foreshadowi ng, or fl ash-
backs?
Characterization
1. Who i s the protagoni st or speaker?
2. Who are the other major and mi nor characters?
3. I s there confl i ct among characters?
4. How does the wri ter devel op each of the characters or the speaker?
5. Whi ch characters change and whi ch are fl at?
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
Rhetorical Elements
1. What words does the wri ter choose?
2. Are there denotati ve words, connotati ve words, abstract words, or i ncl usi ve words?
3. What i s the tone?
Organization and Structure
1. What ki nds of sentence structure are present?
2. I s there sentence vari ety?
3. Does sentence l ength vary?
4. How i s the passage organi zed?
5. What type of structure di d the wri ter use?
Literary Devices and Figures of Speech
1. Does the wri ter make use of devi ces such as euphony or al l i terati on?
2. Does the passage contai n any exampl es of fi gurati ve l anguage, such as hyperbol e,
metaphor, or si mi l e?
3. I s there symbol i sm? What i s i t?
Diction
1. I s there a speci al i zed vocabul ary?
2. Does the wri ter empl oy i rony to communi cate meani ng?
3. Are overstatement or understatement used?
4. I s the l anguage i nfl ated by schol arl y, techni cal , or sci enti fi c words or overl y l ong
phrases?
5. Does the sel ecti on contai n jargon or euphemi sms?
6. What are some of the wri ters best-worded phrases?
7. I s the word choi ce col l oqui al , i di omati c, sci enti fi c, formal , i nformal , or concrete?
NOTE: These questi ons are general . You wi l l need to adapt them to the type of prose
you are readi ng. Some questi ons are more appropri ate for fi cti on, whi l e others work bet-
ter wi th nonfi cti on. By usi ng them throughout the chapter, you wi l l become so fami l i ar
wi th the questi ons that you wi l l know automati cal l y whi ch ones to use wi th each prose
passage on the test.
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 123
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Do more than summari ze. I ncl ude your i nsi ghts, reacti ons, and emoti ons.
Keep wri ti ng unti l you have used al l the RELEVANT i deas on your l i st. I f a new
i dea comes from the fl ow of your wri ti ng, use i t i f i t fi ts.
Use transi ti ons.
Peri odi cal l y reread your i ntroductory paragraph to be sure you are stayi ng on track
to prove your thesi s. I f you must change somethi ng, cross i t out neatl y.
Do not be concerned about perfecti on. No essay can be perfect i n just 40 mi nutes.
Al l ow ti me to wri te a sol i d concl udi ng paragraph. There are several ways to
approach the concl usi on: rephrasi ng the thesi s, summari zi ng the mai n poi nts, or
referri ng i n some way back to your openi ng paragraph. Do not l eave the reader
wonderi ng, So what?
PRAC TIC ING
The fol l owi ng questi ons and sel ecti ons are very si mi l ar to those that you wi l l fi nd on the
actual AP test. Appl y the suggesti ons and strategi es you have just read and wri te about the
excerpt from Ral ph Wal do Emersons Self-Reliance. Then check your essay by readi ng the
suggested poi nts of di scussi on that fol l ow. Eval uate yoursel f by usi ng the Self-Evaluation
Rubric for theFreeResponseEssays on p. 140.
124 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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EXERC ISE 1
SUG G ESTED TIM E40 M INUTES
Directions: Read the fol l owi ng passage careful l y. I t was wri tten by Ral ph Wal do
Emerson, one of the most i nfl uenti al of the Transcendental i sts. Di scuss how the authors
styl e contri butes to hi s arguments espousi ng transcendental i deas. Consi der such
el ements as l i terary devi ces, tone, and rhetori c.
From Se lf- Re lia nc e
Line There i s a ti me i n every mans educa-
ti on when he arri ves at the convi cti on
that envy i s i gnorance; that i mi tati on
i s sui ci de; that he must take hi msel f
for better, for worse, as hi s porti on;
that though the wi de uni verse i s ful l of
good, no kernel of nouri shi ng corn can
come to hi m but through hi s toi l
bestowed on that pl ot of ground whi ch
i s gi ven to hi m to ti l l . The power whi ch
resi des i n hi m i s new i n nature, and
none but he knows what that i s whi ch
he can do, nor does he know unti l he
has tri ed. Not for nothi ng one face, one
character, one fact makes much
i mpressi on on hi m, and another none.
Thi s scul pture i n the memory i s not
wi thout preestabl i shed harmony. The
eye was pl aced where one ray shoul d
fal l , that i t mi ght testi fy of that
parti cul ar ray. We but hal f express
oursel ves, and are ashamed of that
di vi ne i dea whi ch each of us repre-
sents. I t may be safel y trusted as
proporti onate and of good i ssues, so i t
be fai thful l y i mparted, but God wi l l not
have hi s work made mani fest by
cowards. A man i s rel i eved and gay
when he has put hi s heart i nto hi s
work and done hi s best; but what he
has sai d or done otherwi se, shal l gi ve
hi m no peace. I t i s a del i verance whi ch
does not del i ver. I n the attempt hi s
geni us deserts hi m; no muse befri ends;
no i nventi on, no hope.
Trust thysel f: every heart vi brates to
that i ron stri ng. Accept the pl ace the
di vi ne provi dence has found for you;
the soci ety of your contemporari es, the
connecti on of events. Great men have
al ways done so and confi ded them-
sel ves chi l dl i ke to the geni us of the
age, betrayi ng thei r percepti on that the
absol utel y trustworthy was sti rri ng at
thei r heart, worki ng through thei r
hands, predomi nati ng i n al l thei r
bei ng. And we are now men, and must
accept i n the hi ghest mi nd the same
transcendent desti ny; and not mi nors
and i nval i ds i n a protected corner, but
gui des, redeemers, and benefactors,
obeyi ng the Al mi ghty effort and
advanci ng on Chaos and the Dark. . . .
Soci ety everywhere i s i n conspi racy
agai nst the manhood of every one of i ts
members. Soci ety i s a joi nt-stock
company i n whi ch the members agree
for the better securi ng of hi s bread to
each sharehol der, to surrender the
l i berty and cul ture of the eater. The
vi rtue i n most request i s conformi ty.
Sel f-rel i ance i s i ts aversi on. I t l oves not
real i ti es and creators, but names
and customs.
Whoso woul d be a man must be a
nonconformi st. He who woul d gather
i mmortal pal ms must not be hi ndered
by the name of goodness, but must
expl ore i f i t be goodness. Nothi ng i s at
l ast sacred but the i ntegri ty of our own
mi nd. Absol ve you to yoursel f, and
you shal l have the suffrage of the
worl d. . . .
A fool i sh consi stency i s the hobgob-
l i n of l i ttl e mi nds, adored by l i ttl e
statesmen and phi l osophers and
di vi nes. Wi th consi stency a great soul
has si mpl y nothi ng to do. He may as
wel l concern hi msel f wi th hi s shadow
on the wal l . Speak what you thi nk now
i n hard words and tomorrow speak
what tomorrow thi nks i n hard words
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agai n, though i t contradi ct everythi ng
you sai d today. Ah, so you shal l be
sure to be mi sunderstood?I s i t so
bad, then, to be mi sunderstood?
Pythagoras was mi sunderstood, and
Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and
Coperni cus, and Gal i l eo, and Newton,
and every pure and wi se spi ri t that
ever took fl esh. To be great i s to be
mi sunderstood. . . .
Ral ph Wal do Emerson
Before you turn the page and read our suggesti ons for an essay on thi s sel ecti on, score
your essay usi ng the Self-Evaluation Rubric for theFreeResponseEssays on p. 140.
126 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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85
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SUG G ESTIO NS FO R EXERC ISE 1
The fol l owi ng are poi nts that you mi ght have chosen to i ncl ude i n your essay on a passage from
Self-Reliance. Consi der them as you perform your sel f-eval uati on. You wi l l noti ce that we di scuss
el ements of l i terature that are not cal l ed for i n the essay questi on. However, by i denti fyi ng the
author, nami ng the type of l i terature, and wri ti ng the ti tl e you have a pl ace to begi n and you gi ve
yoursel f an opportuni ty to i ncl ude i nformati on that shoul d i mpress your readers.
M od e of Disc ourse
Thi s sel ecti on i s a persuasi ve essay, a pi ece of nonfi cti on. Whi l e you were not asked about thi s
poi nt di rectl y i n the questi on, by bei ng speci fi c about what type of l i terature you read, you
appear to know l i terature.
Author
A phi l osopher, poet, orator, and wri ter, Ral ph Wal do Emerson became the most i nfl uenti al
member of the Transcendental i sts, a group of Massachusetts i ntel l ectual s of the
mi d-ni neteenth century. The Transcendental phi l osophy i s one of responsi bl e i ndi vi dual i sm.
Adherents bel i eved that al l forms of bei ng are uni ted through a shared uni versal soul . They
bel i eved that God and the human spi ri t were refl ected i n nature. By studyi ng nature,
Transcendental i sts thought they woul d come to know themsel ves and di scover uni versal
truths. The Transcendental i sts val ued i ntui ti on, i ndi vi dual i ty, and sel f-rel i ance.
Of course, you cannot fi nd thi s i n the sel ecti on, but you mi ght remember some of thi s from your
study of Ameri can l i terature. The i nformati on may hel p you understand the sel ecti on better.
Title
Thi s sel ecti on i s excerpted from Self-Reliance. The ti tl e speaks to one of Emersons core
bel i efs, the i mportance of sel f-rel i ance, whi ch, al ong wi th i ntui ti on and i ndi vi dual i ty, form the
heart of the phi l osophi cal system known as Transcendental i sm.
Sub je c t
The subject, obvi ousl y, i s sel f-rel i ance, Emersons profound convi cti on that each person must
count ones sel f, count for ones sel f, account to ones sel f, and nurture the seeds of greatness
to be found wi thi n. Emerson advi ses each person to trust ones sel f, to accept ones sel f and
ones pl ace i n l i fe, to resi st conformi ty, and to thi nk l i ttl e of soci etys regard; i n fact, many
great and wi se spi ri ts were mi sunderstood.
Lite ra ry De vic e s a nd Fig ure s of Sp e e c h
I n the fi rst paragraph, Emerson uses an anal ogy, kernel of . . . corn, compari ng the effort
needed to produce corn to the effort peopl e must make to reach thei r potenti al . He uses
i magery when he says every heart vi brates to that i ron stri ng. He empl oys a number of
metaphorsSoci ety i s a joi nt-stock company, i mmortal pal ms, and a fool i sh consi stency i s
the hobgobl i n. Emerson makes reference to i ndi vi dual s who made i mportant contri buti ons i n
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 127
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the fi el ds of mathemati cs, phi l osophy, rel i gi on, and sci ence and who were al so nonconformi sts
and mi sunderstood. They were great spi ri ts and sel f-rel i ant, as we must be.
The m e s a nd The se s
Emersons thesi s i s that peopl e (and, therefore, soci ety) woul d be better served by espousi ng a
creed of responsi bl e i ndi vi dual i sm. He has i mmense fai th i n human potenti al , and he
advocates that one must obey i nternal di ctates onl y and that one must resi st the pressures of
soci ety to conform. He conveys these bel i efs di rectl y and cl earl y throughout the essay.
Style
The authors tone i s one of heartfel t emoti on, and yet at the same ti me he wri tes i n a l ogi cal
and erudi te manner, wi th an educated di cti on. He devel ops hi s i deas poi nt by poi nt, i n order
of i mportance. He uses a posi ti ve denotati on for words proposi ng sel f-rel i ance (nourishing,
harmony, trust) and negati ve ones for words descri bi ng conformi ty (dark, conspiracy, foolish).
He uses a vari ety of sentence structures and empl oys a rhetori cal questi on i n the concl usi on
of the l ast paragraph.
Your Style
You have just read some i mportant poi nts that you mi ght have i ncl uded i n your essay. Now
revi ew your i ntroductory paragraph. I f i t seems a l i ttl e dry, consi der tryi ng one of these types
of openi ngs to punch i t up: more forceful or vi vi d l anguage, a quotati on, a rhetori cal questi on,
an anecdote, or perhaps one of Emersons i mages. But whatever you add has to rel ate to
your thesi s.
Look at your concl udi ng paragraph. A si mpl e summary of your major poi nts creates an
effecti ve concl usi on. You can al so end an essay wi th a rel evant quote. A speci fi c suggesti on
works wel l i n a persuasi ve essay. I f you have organi zed your wri ti ng around a
probl em/sol uti on, consi der a vi vi d i mage of the consequences.
Once you have eval uated your essay wi th the Self-Evaluation Rubric on p. 140 and revi ewed
our poi nts, you may choose to revi se your essay usi ng the poi nts suggested here. However, do
not spend a great deal of ti me tryi ng to make i t perfect. Revi se i t si mpl y to see how addi ng
some of our poi nts may make i t stronger. Whether you revi se or not, ask a cl assmate or your
teacher to eval uate your essay for you usi ng the Self-Evaluation Rubric. How does your own
eval uati on match wi th a more objecti ve vi ew? Keep the di fferences i n mi nd as you wri te and
score more essays.
Now that you have a sense of the l ogi c i nvol ved i n aci ng the free response essay
questi ons of Secti on I I , try Exercise 2. Study the poi nts for eval uati on and use the
Self-Evaluation Rubric. I f you are sti l l unsure about wri ti ng free response essays,
conti nue wi th Exercises 3 and 4.
128 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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EXERC ISE 2
SUG G ESTED TIM E40 M INUTES
Directions: James Boswel l stated: to wri te, not hi s panegyri ck, whi ch must be al l
prai se, but hi s Li fe; whi ch, great and good as he was, must not be supposed to be
enti rel y perfect . . . i n every pi cture there shoul d be shade and l i ght. Read the fol l owi ng
passage careful l y. Wri te an essay anal yzi ng how Boswel l s styl e contri buted to success or
fai l ure i n achi evi ng hi s goal . Consi der such l i terary and rhetori cal el ements as di cti on,
poi nt of vi ew, and tone.
From The Life of Sa m ue l
Johnson, Fe e ling s
Line [Sai d Johnson:] Pi ty i s not natural to
man. Chi l dren are al ways cruel .
Savages are al ways cruel . Pi ty i s
acqui red and i mproved by the cul ti va-
ti on of reason. We may have uneasy
sensati ons from seei ng a creature i n
di stress, wi thout pi ty; for we have not
pi ty unl ess we wi sh to rel i eve them.
When I am on my way to di ne wi th a
fri end, and fi ndi ng i t l ate, have bi d the
coachman make haste, i f I happen to
attend when he whi ps hi s horses, I
may feel unpl easantl y that the ani mal s
are put to pai n, but I do not wi sh hi m
to desi st. No, si r, I wi sh hi m to
dri ve on.
Johnsons l ove of l i ttl e chi l dren,
whi ch he di scovered upon al l occasi ons,
cal l i ng them pretty dears, and gi vi ng
them sweetmeats, was an undoubted
proof of the real humani ty and gentl e-
ness of hi s di sposi ti on.
Hi s uncommon ki ndness to hi s
servants, and seri ous concern, not onl y
for thei r comfort i n thi s worl d, but
thei r happi ness i n the next, was
another unquesti onabl e evi dence of
what al l , who were i nti matel y ac-
quai nted wi th hi m, knew to be true.
Nor woul d i t be just, under thi s
head, to omi t the fondness whi ch he
showed for ani mal s whi ch he had
taken under hi s protecti on. I never
shal l forget the i ndul gence wi th whi ch
he treated Hodge, hi s cat; for whom he
hi msel f used to go out and buy oysters,
l est the servants, havi ng that troubl e,
shoul d take a di sl i ke to the poor
creature. I am, unl ucki l y, one of those
who have an anti pathy to a cat, so that
I am uneasy when i n the room wi th
one; and I own I frequentl y suffered a
good deal from the presence of thi s
same Hodge. I recol l ect hi m one day
scrambl i ng up Dr. Johnsons breast,
apparentl y wi th much sati sfacti on,
whi l e my fri end, smi l i ng and hal f-
whi stl i ng, rubbed down hi s back and
pul l ed hi m by the tai l ; and when I
observed he was a fi ne cat, sayi ng,
Why, yes, si r, but I have had cats
whom I l i ked better than thi s; and
then, as i f percei vi ng Hodge to be out
of countenance, addi ng, but he i s a
very fi ne cat, a very fi ne cat i ndeed.
Thi s remi nds me of the l udi crous
account whi ch he gave Mr. Langton of
the despi cabl e state of a young gentl e-
man of good fami l y. Si r, when I heard
of hi m l ast, he was runni ng about town
shooti ng cats. And then, i n a sort of
ki ndl y reveri e, he bethought hi msel f of
hi s own favori te cat, and sai d, But
Hodge shant be shot; no, no, Hodge
shal l not be shot.
James Boswel l
Use the Self-Evaluation Rubricfor theFreeResponseEssays on p. 140 to hel p you assess
your progress i n wri ti ng your essays.
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SUG G ESTIO NS FO R EXERC ISE 2
Ba c kg round Inform a tion
Mode: nonfi cti on; excerpt from bi ography
Author: James Boswel l , mi d- to l ate 1700s
Ti tl e: a bi ography, one of the ful l est records of a mans l i fe ever wri tten; character of
Johnson reveal ed
Subject: atti tude toward ani mal s, characteri zati on of Johnson
Point of Vie w
Fi rst person
Author as narrator
Personal knowl edge and experi ence
Accounts of personal di al ogues
C ha ra c te riza tion
Two characters: Johnson and Boswel l
Boswel l : admi rati on of Johnson, respect, al most i dol atry, consci enti ous record, frank
Exampl es: al l ergy to cats, story of Langton
Johnson: fondness for ani mal s, ki nd feel i ngs, humor, i di osyncrati c
Exampl es: getti ng oysters hi msel f, thi nki ng Hodge coul d understand l anguage
The m e or The sis
Peopl e are made of contradi ctory qual i ti es. A man as great as Johnson has qui rks and
i di osyncraci es just as others do.
Johnson i s a man to be admi red.
Style
Most bi ographers are objecti ve; Boswel l i s not.
Di cti on shows admi rati on: fondness, i ndul gence, ki ndl y reveri e.
Tone: admi rati on, respect, approval , amusement
Sentences: di rect quotes from conversati on, vari ed, compl ex, but cl ear
Exampl es: But Hodge shant be shot; no, no, Hodge shal l not be shot.
Use of speci fi c detai l s: pul l i ng Hodges tai l , hal f-whi stl i ng
Organi zati on: anecdotal
130 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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EXERC ISE 3
SUG G ESTED TIM E40 M INUTES
Directions: Read the fol l owi ng work careful l y. Then wri te a wel l -organi zed essay i n
whi ch you di scuss how the sel ecti on uses humor to comment on human nature and
human conduct. Consi der such l i terary el ements as di cti on, narrati ve pace, sati re, and
poi nt of vi ew.
From Ad vic e to Little G irls
Line Good l i ttl e gi rl s ought not to make
mouths at thei r teachers for every
tri fl i ng offense. Thi s retal i ati on shoul d
onl y be resorted to under pecul i arl y
aggravated ci rcumstances.
I f you have nothi ng but a rag-dol l
stuffed wi th sawdust, whi l e one of your
more fortunate l i ttl e pl aymates has a
costl y Chi na one, you shoul d treat her
wi th a show of ki ndness neverthel ess.
And you ought not to attempt to make
a forci bl e swap wi th her unl ess your
consci ence woul d justi fy you i n i t, and
you know you are abl e to do i t.
You ought never to take your l i ttl e
brothers chewi ng-gum away from
hi m by mai n force; i t i s better to rope
hi m i n wi th the promi se of the fi rst
two dol l ars and a hal f you fi nd fl oati ng
down the ri ver on a gri ndstone. I n the
artl ess si mpl i ci ty natural to hi s ti me of
l i fe, he wi l l regard i t as a perfectl y fai r
transacti on. I n al l ages of the worl d
thi s emi nentl y pl ausi bl e fi cti on has
l ured the obtuse i nfant to fi nanci al
rui n and di saster.
I f at any ti me you fi nd i t necessary
to correct your brother, do not correct
hi m wi th mudnever, on any account,
throw mud at hi m, because i t wi l l spoi l
hi s cl othes. I t i s better to scal d hi m a
l i ttl e, for then you obtai n desi rabl e
resul ts. You secure hi s i mmedi ate
attenti on to the l essons you are
i ncul cati ng, and at the same ti me your
hot water wi l l have a tendency to move
i mpuri ti es from hi s person, and
possi bl y the ski n, i n spots.
I f your mother tel l s you to do a
thi ng, i t i s wrong to repl y that you
wont. I t i s better and more becomi ng
to i nti mate that you wi l l do as she bi ds
you, and then afterward act qui etl y i n
the matter accordi ng to the di ctates of
your best judgment.
You shoul d ever bear i n mi nd that i t
i s to your ki nd parents that you are
i ndebted for your food, and your ni ce
bed, and for your beauti ful cl othes, and
for the pri vi l ege of stayi ng home from
school when you l et on that you are
si ck. Therefore you ought to respect
thei r l i ttl e prejudi ces, and humor thei r
l i ttl e foi bl es unti l they get to crowdi ng
you too much.
Good l i ttl e gi rl s al ways show
marked deference for the aged. You
ought never to sass ol d peopl e unl ess
they sass you fi rst.
Mark Twai n
Use the Self-Evaluation Rubricfor theFreeResponseEssays on p. 140 to hel p you assess
your progress i n wri ti ng
your essays.
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 131
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
www.petersons.com
SUG G ESTIO NS FO R EXERC ISE 3
The fol l owi ng are poi nts you mi ght have chosen to i ncl ude i n your essay on Mark Twai ns
Advi ce to Li ttl e Gi rl s. Consi der them as you perform your sel f-eval uati on. Revi se your essay
usi ng poi nts from thi s l i st to strengthen i t.
Form or M od e
Humorous essay
The m e
Faceti ous advi ce tel l i ng gi rl s how to behave
C ha ra c te rs
Narrator, Mark Twai n
Addressi ng gi rl s i n general
Dia log ue
No speci fi c di al ogue
Chatty and fami l i ar styl e
C onflic t
Gi rl s versus conventi on
Plot/ De ve lop m e nt
Basi cal l y, advi ce on how gi rl s can actual l y do what they want whi l e appeari ng to be ever
so proper
Se tting
Mi d-1800s
Point of Vie w
Wri tten to the second person
Dic tion
Very i nformal
Much humor
And you ought not to attempt to make a forci bl e swap wi th her unl ess your consci ence
woul d justi fy you i n i t, and you know you are abl e to do i t.
Tone: tongue i n cheek
Fol ksy l anguage
132 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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www.petersons.com
EXERC ISE 4
SUG G ESTED TIM E40 M INUTES
Directions: Wri te a persuasi ve essay that ei ther qual i fi es, agrees wi th, or di sagrees
wi th these soci al sci enti sts asserti on.
Many behavi oral sci enti sts and psychol ogi sts have come to bel i eve that success i n school , i n
the workpl ace, on the pl ayi ng fi el d, and el sewhere i n l i fe i s not so much determi ned by
i ntel l ect but by soci al i ntel l i gencethe abi l i ty to work wi th others, l ead and moti vate others,
and i nspi re team spi ri t.
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 133
www.petersons.com
SUG G ESTIO NS FO R EXERC ISE 4
The fol l owi ng are some of the poi nts you mi ght have chosen to i ncl ude i n your persuasi ve
essay. Consi der them as you perform your sel f-eval uati on. Di d you fal l i nto any of the traps of
i l l ogi cal reasoni ng? Revi se your essay usi ng poi nts from thi s l i st to strengthen i t.
A thesi s that states your stand or poi nt of vi ew on the reasons for success. I t must be
supported by val i d evi dence.
Evi dence that the reader shoul d be wi l l i ng to accept as true wi thout further proof
Evi dence compri si ng a major porti on of the essay, especi al l y i f you have created a
controversi al or compl ex thesi s. Bear i n mi nd that the more commonl y
acknowl edged or the more wi del y shared an experi ence, the fewer exampl es
you need.
Evi dence i n the form of stati sti cs, i l l ustrati ons, speci fi c exampl es, personal
experi ence, occurrences reported by authori ti es
Perhaps demonstrati on of proof, showi ng the connecti on between the truth of the
supporti ng evi dence and the truth of the asserti on; often si gnal ed by words because
or as well
Defi ni ti on of any term whose exact meani ng i s essenti al to cl earl y communi cati ng
your posi ti on
Soundl y reasoned wi th no di storti ons of evi dence
Answers to objecti ons from the opposi ti on
Matchi ng of structure to your audi ence and goal
134 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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www.petersons.com
EXERC ISE 5
SUG G ESTED TIM E15 M INUTES FO R READING AND 40 M INUTES FO R WRITING
Directions: The fol l owi ng prompt i s based on the fol l owi ng three sources. Thi s
assi gnment requi res that you synthesi ze a number of sources i nto a coherent,
wel l -wri tten essay. For thi s practi ce exerci se, use al l three sources i n your answer. Refer
to the sources to support your posi ti on. Do not si mpl y paraphrase or summari ze the
sources. Your argument shoul d be the focus of your essay and the sources shoul d support
thi s argument. Remember to attri bute both di rect and i ndi rect ci tati ons.
Introduction: Begi nni ng i n the 1990s, tel evi si on stati ons have i ncreasi ngl y turned to real i ty
TV shows and away from scri pted shows i n an effort to gai n hi gher vi ew rati ngs. Real i ty TV
shows are i nexpensi ve to produce compared to scri pted shows, whi ch transl ates to i ncreased
profi ts for many stati ons. Because they are i nexpensi ve to produce and hi ghl y popul ar wi th
vi ewers, some peopl e bel i eve that real i ty TV mi ght repl ace scri pted TV i n the future.
Assignment: Read the fol l owi ng sources (i ncl udi ng any i ntroductory i nformati on) careful l y.
Then, in an essay that synthesizes all three of the sources for support, take a
position that defends or challenges the claim that reality TV will replace scripted
TV because reality TV is more popular with television viewers today.
You may refer to the sources by thei r ti tl es (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the descri pti ons i n
parentheses.
Source A (TPN press rel ease)
Source B (Chart)
Source C (Tol l y)
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 135
www.petersons.com
SO URC E A
Press Rel ease, The Popul ar Network (TPN), September 2006
The Popul ar Network (TPN) woul d l i ke to announce an exci ti ng new change i n our
programmi ng format. Due to the recent success of The Jones Fami l y, Creati ng the Band,
Castaways, and Col l ege Dorm Days, we have deci ded to del i ver to vi ewers even more
real i ty tel evi si on. Begi nni ng i n October, Tuesday ni ghts on TPN wi l l be Real TV Ni te, an
exci ti ng new format i n whi ch al l shows ai red from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. wi l l be unscri pted,
real -l i fe shows. I n addi ti on to our al ready popul ar shows menti oned previ ousl y, we wi l l be
addi ng four brand-new, hour-l ong real i ty TV shows, begi nni ng at 7 p.m. These hour-l ong
shows have been created i n response to vi ewer-enjoyment surveys taken over the past year, i n
whi ch the chi ef request of vi ewers was addi ti onal l onger-format real i ty shows. The new shows
are Race from Coast to Coast, Dr. Danas Advi ce Hour, Becomi ng a Musi c Star, and
Fi ndi ng True Love. Three of these shows are competi ti ons; survey responses i ndi cated that
vi ewers wanted to see more contests, and here at TPN, we stri ve to pl ease the vi ewers. We
al so stri ve to pl ease our sharehol ders and, due to l ower producti on costs of real i ty TV, our
sharehol ders wi l l noti ce a si gni fi cant i ncrease i n profi t. Real TV Ni te wi l l revol uti oni ze the
tel evi si on i ndustry, so stay tuned for the exci ti ng devel opments!
136 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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SO URC E B
Sel ected resul ts from the NETWORK RATI NGS SYSTEM for June 22, 2006.
Shows/Designation* Time Slot Number of Viewers
Pals (S) 88:30 p.m. 1 mi l l i on
The Beach (R) 88:30 p.m. 1.5 mi l l i on
Singing Star (R) 88:30 p.m. 500,000
For the Defense (S) 910 p.m. 3 mi l l i on
My Nanny (R) 910 p.m. 2 mi l l i on
Doctors in Love (S) 910 p.m. 1 mi l l i on
Finding the Truth (S) 1011 p.m. 2 mi l l i on
Looking for The One(R) 1011 p.m. 3 mi l l i on
Who Did It? (R) 1011 p.m. 2.5 mi l l i on
* (R) denotes a real i ty tel evi si on show. (S) denotes a scri pted show.
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 137
www.petersons.com
SO URC E C
Tol l y, Jenni fer. What do teenagers want to watch? Parents Television Guide Monthly,
Apri l 2006.
What do teenagers want to watch? Thi s i s a questi on that perhaps many teenagers and thei r
parents coul d easi l y answer, but the answer i s not so apparent to many tel evi si on networks.
I t i s a fact that teenagers today watch much more tel evi si on than thei r parents ever di d and,
because of thi s, teenagers have become the new target market for networks. And what have
the networks deci ded? They have deci ded that what teens want i s real i ty TV. The questi on i s:
are they correct, or i s thi s an error i n judgment that wi l l cost many networks a whol e l ot of
money?
The real i ty obsessi on began wi th shows on a popul ar musi c vi deo network, MMV. MMV
began ai ri ng real i ty shows that i nvol ve teenagers and col l ege ki ds i n a vari ety of formats.
Many of these shows were meant to be i nformati ve, such as A Day i n the Li fe, whi ch
attempts to show how teenagers throughout the U.S. are both si mi l ar and di fferent, from
smal l town ki ds to ci ty ki ds. Other real i ty shows on the network seemed to be l ess educati onal
or i nformati ve, such as dati ng shows and make-over shows. However, whether parents l i ked
the shows or not, teenagers were watchi ng them, and network tel evi si on took noti ce.
Begi nni ng l ast year, many network stati ons began ai ri ng more and more real i ty TV shows.
Accordi ng to the networks, thei r rati ngs soared. Networks seemed to bel i eve that they fi nal l y
captured the attenti on of todays teenagers. However, many parents and i ndustry
professi onal s now bel i eve that the spi ke i n network-based (as opposed to cabl e-based) rati ngs
among teenagers wi l l be short l i ved and i s onl y a resul t of the fact that thi s type of
programmi ng i s new and novel . The fear that many networks shoul d have, i f they do not
al ready, i s that the novel ty of real i ty TV wi l l wear off i f real i ty TV i s al l that i s avai l abl e.
Networks shoul d not di scount the fact that vari ety i n programmi ng i s a good thi ng, and
ever-fi ckl e teens can qui ckl y change thei r mi ndreal i ty TV can become un-cool as qui ckl y as
i t became cool .
138 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
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www.petersons.com
SUG G ESTIO NS FO R EXERC ISE 5
Thi s questi on asks for a synthesi s essay that supports, qual i fi es, or di sputes the argument
that real i ty TV wi l l repl ace scri pted TV because real i ty TV i s more popul ar wi th tel evi si on
vi ewers today. I t does not matter whi ch posi ti on you take as l ong as you provi de adequate
support for your argument usi ng your own opi ni ons al ong wi th i nformati on from the sources.
You may argue that real i ty TV wi l l repl ace scri pted TV for reasons other than popul ari ty wi th
vi ewers, as l ong as you can support thi s cl ai m. Consi der the fol l owi ng as you compl ete your
sel f-eval uati on. Revi se your essay usi ng poi nts from the l i st to strengthen i t i f necessary.
Remember to proofread your response and make sure your grammar, syntax, and spel l i ng
are correct.
The sis sta te m e nt/ introd uc tion
Cl ear defi ni ti on of the i ssuei n thi s case, real i ty TV programmi ng repl aci ng scri pted TV
Cl ear statement of your posi ti on on the i ssue: statement of the reason you agree or
di sagree wi th the statement that real i ty TV wi l l repl ace scri pted TV because real i ty TV i s
more popul ar wi th vi ewers
Sup p orting d e ta ils
Support i s based on your own opi ni ons about the posi ti on you take but i nformati on i n the
sources shoul d al so be used
Show a cl ear connecti on between the sources you ci te
Sources are seaml essl y i ntegrated wi th appropri ate transi ti ons
Al l three sources are used
Expl ai n the l ogi c of how you arri ved at the concl usi on you di d, based on the i nformati on
provi ded i n the sources
Acknowl edge opposi ng arguments and refute them
Attri bute both di rect and i ndi rect ci tati ons
C onc lusion
I ncl ude a restatement of your thesi s ti ed i nto the supporti ng evi dence you used. (ex: I n
sum, there can be no other concl usi on drawn from the evi dence except to say that i n the
future peopl e wi l l demand even more real i ty TV than they do today.)
Concl usi on neatl y sums up your argument.
a
n
s
w
e
r
s
e
x
e
r
c
i
s
e
s
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 139
www.petersons.com
SELF- EVALUATIO N RUBRIC FO R THE FREE RESPO NSE ESSAYS
89 67 5 34 12 0
O
v
e
r
a
l
l
I
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
o
n
Demonstrates ex-
cel l ent control of
the l i terature and
outstandi ng wri t-
i ng competence;
thorough and effec-
ti ve; i nci si ve
Demonstrates good
control of the l i t-
erature and good
wri ti ng compe-
tence; l ess thor-
ough and i nci si ve
than the hi ghest
papers
Reveal s si mpl i sti c
thi nki ng and/or
i mmature wri ti ng;
adequate ski l l s
I ncompl ete thi nk-
i ng; fai l s to re-
spond adequatel y
to part or parts of
the questi on; may
paraphrase rather
than anal yze
Unacceptabl y bri ef;
fai l s to respond to
the questi on; l i ttl e
cl ari ty
Lacki ng ski l l and
competence
U
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
o
f
t
h
e
T
e
x
t
Excel l ent under-
standi ng of the
text; exhi bi ts per-
cepti on and cl ari ty;
ori gi nal or uni que
approach; i ncl udes
apt and speci fi c
references
Good understand-
i ng of the text; ex-
hi bi ts percepti on
and cl ari ty; i n-
cl udes speci fi c ref-
erences
Superfi ci al under-
standi ng of the
text; el ements of
l i terature vague,
mechani cal , over-
general i zed
Mi sreadi ngs and
l ack of persuasi ve
evi dence from the
text; meager and
unconvi nci ng
treatment of l i ter-
ary el ements
Seri ous mi sread-
i ngs and l i ttl e sup-
porti ng evi dence
from the text; erro-
neous treatment of
l i terary el ements
A response wi th no
more than a refer-
ence to the l i tera-
ture; bl ank re-
sponse, or one
compl etel y off the
topi c
O
r
g
a
n
i
z
a
t
i
o
n
a
n
d
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
Meti cul ousl y orga-
ni zed and thor-
oughl y devel oped;
coherent and uni -
fi ed
Wel l organi zed and
devel oped; coher-
ent and uni fi ed
Reasonabl y orga-
ni zed and devel -
oped; mostl y coher-
ent and uni fi ed
Somewhat orga-
ni zed and devel -
oped; some i nco-
herence and l ack of
uni ty
Li ttl e or no organi -
zati on and devel op-
ment; i ncoherent
and voi d of uni ty
No apparent orga-
ni zati on or devel -
opment; i ncoherent
U
s
e
o
f
S
e
n
t
e
n
c
e
s
Effecti vel y vari ed
and engagi ng; vi r-
tual l y error free
Vari ed and i nter-
esti ng; a few errors
Adequatel y vari ed;
some errors
Somewhat vari ed
and margi nal l y
i nteresti ng; one or
more major errors
Li ttl e or no vari a-
ti on; dul l and uni n-
teresti ng; some
major errors
Numerous major
errors
W
o
r
d
C
h
o
i
c
e
I nteresti ng and
effecti ve; vi rtual l y
error free
General l y i nterest-
i ng and effecti ve; a
few errors
Occasi onal l y i nter-
esti ng and effec-
ti ve; several errors
Somewhat dul l and
ordi nary; some er-
rors i n di cti on
Mostl y dul l and
conventi onal ; nu-
merous errors
Numerous major
errors; extremel y
i mmature
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
a
n
d
U
s
a
g
e
Vi rtual l y error free Occasi onal mi nor
errors
Several mi nor er-
rors
Some major errors Severel y fl awed;
frequent major
errors
Extremel y fl awed
1
4
0
P
A
R
T
I
I
I
:
A
P
E
n
g
l
i
s
h
L
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
&
C
o
m
p
o
s
i
t
i
o
n
S
t
r
a
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e
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c
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m
SELF- EVALUATIO N RUBRIC FO R THE SYNTHESIS ESSAYS
89 67 5 34 12 0
O
v
e
r
a
l
l
I
m
p
r
e
s
s
i
o
n
Demonstrates excel -
l ent control of effec-
ti ve wr i ti ng tech-
ni ques, sophi sti -
cated ar gumenta-
ti on, and wel l i nte-
grated synthesi s of
source i nformati on;
uses ci tati ons con-
vi nci ngl y
Demonstrates good
control of effecti ve
wri ti ng techni ques;
somewhat
thorough and
i nci si ve; uses
ci tati ons
appropri atel y
Demonstrates
general
competence i n
stati ng and
defendi ng a
posi ti on; some
i nconsi stenci es and
weaknesses i n
argumentati on
Demonstrates
some ski l l but
l acks
understandi ng of
questi on and
sources
Demonstrates l i ttl e
ski l l i n taki ng a
coherent posi ti on
and defendi ng i t or
i n usi ng sources
Lacks ski l l and
competence
U
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
i
n
g
o
f
t
h
e
T
e
x
t
Takes a cl ear
posi ti on that
defends,
chal l enges, or
qual i fi es the
questi on accuratel y
Demonstrates a
somewhat
superfi ci al
understandi ng of
the sources
Di spl ays some
mi sreadi ng of the
sources or some
stretchi ng of
i nformati on to
support the chosen
posi ti on
Takes a posi ti on
that may mi sread
or si mpl i fy the
sources; may
present overl y
si mpl e argument
Mi sreads sources,
or l acks an
argument, or
summari zes the
sources rather
than usi ng them to
support a posi ti on
Posi ti on does not
accuratel y refl ect
the sources; no
more than a l i sti ng
of the sources
O
r
g
a
n
i
z
a
t
i
o
n
a
n
d
D
e
v
e
l
o
p
m
e
n
t
Cl earl y states a po-
si ti on; uses at l east
thr ee sour ces to
suppor t that posi -
ti on convi nci ngl y
and effecti vel y; co-
herent and uni fi ed
Cl earl y states a po-
si ti on; uses at l east
three sources to sup-
por t that posi ti on;
adequate devel op-
ment of i deas but
l ess convi nci ng; co-
herent and uni fi ed
General l y cl earl y
stated posi ti on and
l i nks between
posi ti on and ci ted
sources; some
weaknesses i n
l ogi c; ci tes three
sources
Creates weak
connecti ons
between argument
and ci ted sources;
ci tes onl y two
sources
Lacks coherent
devel opment or
organi zati on; ci tes
one or no sources
No apparent
organi zati on or
devel opment;
i ncoherent; ci tes no
sources
U
s
e
o
f
S
e
n
t
e
n
c
e
s
Effecti vel y vari ed
and engagi ng; cl ose
to error free
Vari ed and
i nteresti ng; a few
errors
Adequatel y vari ed;
some errors
Somewhat vari ed
and margi nal l y
i nteresti ng; one or
more major errors
Li ttl e or no
vari ati on; dul l and
uni nteresti ng; some
major errors
Numerous major
errors
W
o
r
d
C
h
o
i
c
e
Uses the vocabul ary
of the topi c as evi -
dent i n the sources;
i nter esti ng and ef-
fecti ve; vi rtual l y er-
ror free
Demonstrates ease
i n usi ng vocabul ary
from the sources
Occasi onal use of
vocabul ary from
the sources;
occasi onal l y
i nteresti ng and
effecti ve
Somewhat dul l and
or di nar y; some er-
rors i n di cti on; no at-
tempt to i ntegr ate
vocabul ary from the
sources
Mostl y dul l and
conventi onal ; no
attempt to
i ntegrate
vocabul ary from
the sources
Numerous major
errors; extremel y
i mmature
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
a
n
d
U
s
a
g
e
Vi rtual l y error free Occasi onal mi nor
errors
Several mi nor
errors
Some major errors Severel y fl awed;
frequent major
errors
Extremel y fl awed
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C
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p
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4
:
A
b
o
u
t
t
h
e
F
r
e
e
R
e
s
p
o
n
s
e
a
n
d
S
y
n
t
h
e
s
i
s
E
s
s
a
y
s
1
4
1
w
w
w
.
p
e
t
e
r
s
o
n
s
.
c
o
m
Usi ng the rubri cs on the previ ous pages, rate yoursel f i n each of the categori es bel ow for each
exerci se. Enter on the l i nes bel ow the number from the rubri c that most accuratel y refl ects
your performance i n each category. Then cal cul ate the average of the si x numbers to
determi ne your fi nal score. I t i s di ffi cul t to score yoursel f objecti vel y, so you may wi sh to ask
a respected fri end or teacher to assess your wri ti ng for a more accurate refl ecti on of i ts
strengths and weaknesses. On the AP test i tsel f, a reader wi l l rate your essay on a scal e of 0
to 9, wi th 9 bei ng the hi ghest.
Rate each category from 9 (hi gh) to 0 (l ow).
Exe rc ise 1
SELF- EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
O BJEC TIVE EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
Exe rc ise 2
SELF- EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
O BJEC TIVE EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
Exe rc ise 3
SELF- EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
O BJEC TIVE EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
142 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
Exe rc ise 4
SELF- EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
O BJEC TIVE EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
Exe rc ise 5
SELF- EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
O BJEC TIVE EVALUATIO N
Overall Impression
Understanding of the Text
Organization and Development
Use of Sentences
Word Choice (Diction)
Grammar and Usage
TO TAL
Di vi de by 6 for fi nal score
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C ha p te r 4: Ab out the Fre e Re sp onse a nd Synthe sis Essa ys 143
www.petersons.com
SUM M ING IT UP
Secti on I I contai ns three essays aski ng you to anal yze l i terary styl e, di scuss rhetori cal
usage, and defend a posi ti on.
You wi l l have 2 hours to wri te the essays and fi fteen mi nutes to read the sources for the
synthesi s essay.
One of the three essay questi ons wi l l i ncl ude several sources. I n wri ti ng your essay, you
must synthesi ze the i nformati on i n at l east three of those sources to support your
argument.
Each essay i s scored from 0 to 9, wi th 9 bei ng the hi ghest score.
The essays together account for 55 percent of your fi nal composi te score.
Because your three essays wi l l be read by three di fferent peopl e, you dont have to worry
that one weaker essay wi l l pul l down the scores for the other two essays. Wri te the essay
that you feel most confi dent about fi rst. Save the most di ffi cul t for l ast.
Whenever possi bl e, wri te i n the acti ve voi ce. Your essay wi l l seem stronger.
Do more than summari ze. I ncl ude your i nsi ghts, reacti ons, and emoti ons.
144 PART III: AP Eng lish La ng ua g e & C om p osition Stra te g ie s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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www.petersons.com
P
ART IV
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ENG LISH USAG E AND
G RAM M AR REVIEW
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER 5 Grammar, Mechanics, and
Usage Review
Grammar, Mechanics,
and Usage Review
O VERVIEW
G ra m m a r for the m ultip le - c hoic e q ue stions
M ore p ra c tic a l a d vic e on writing your e ssa ys
98 c om m on usa g e p rob le m s
Sum m ing it up
Thi s chapter has three parts: (1) a qui ck revi ew of parts of speech for the
mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, (2) an overvi ew of the mechani cs and punctuati on
that you wi l l need i n order to wri te a grammati cal l y correct essay, as wel l as
some recommendati ons for refi ni ng your di cti on, and (3) suggesti ons for
avoi di ng the top 98 usage probl ems.
G RAM M AR FO R THE M ULTIPLE- C HO IC E Q UESTIO NS
Any grammar questi ons on the AP Engl i sh Language & Composi ti on Test are
real l y di sgui sed comprehensi on questi ons. They wi l l ask you to i denti fy one of
the parts of speechnouns, verbs, adjecti ves, adverbs, preposi ti ons, conjunc-
ti ons, and i nterjecti onsor they wi l l ask you to cl assi fy parts of a
sentencesubjects, predi cates, compl ements, modi fi ers, or antecedents. To
answer questi ons i n the mul ti pl e-choi ce secti on, remember:
Func tions of Nouns a nd Pronouns
For the subject, l ook for nouns, pronouns, or word groups (gerunds,
parti ci pi al phrases, or cl auses) acti ng as essenti al nouns that tel l you who
or what the sentence i s about.
What I have described in the Frenchman was merel y the
resul t of an exci ted, or perhaps of a di seased, i ntel l i gence.
TheMurders in theRueMorgue, Edgar Al l an Poe
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c
h
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147
Note: The subject wi l l not be stated i f the sentence or cl ause i s i mperati ve.
Do tal k to me as i f I were one, sai d Lord Warburton.
ThePortrait of a Lady, Henry James
A gerund i s a verbal that ends i n -ing and serves
as a noun. I t may take objects, compl ements, and modi fi ers.
Describing the Frenchman was a tour de force for Poe.
A parti ci pl e i s a verb that ends i n ei ther -ing or -ed and modi fi es a noun or pronoun. A
parti ci pl e i n a parti ci pi al phrase may have objects, compl ements, and modi fi ers of
i ts own.
What I have descri bed i n the Frenchman was merel y the resul t of an excited, or
perhaps of a di seased, intelligence.
TheMurders in theRueMorgue, Edgar Al l an Poe
The di rect object i s a noun, pronoun, or group of words acti ng as a noun that recei ves the
acti on of a transi ti ve verb, the person or thi ng acted on. To fi nd a di rect object, rephrase
the sentence by changi ng i t i nto a whomor what questi on.
I bel i eve that I have omi tted mentioning that i n my fi rst voyage from Boston to
Phi l adel phi a, bei ng becal med off Bl ock I sl and, our crew empl oyed themsel ves
catchi ng cod and haul ed up a great number.
TheAutobiography of Benjamin Franklin,
Benjami n Frankl i n
Rephrased: I have omi tted whom or what? The di rect object i s mentioning.
An i ndi rect object i s a noun or pronoun that appears wi th a di rect object and names the
person or thi ng that somethi ng i s gi ven to or done for.
Whi chever way I turn, O I thi nk you coul d gi ve me my mate back agai n i f you
onl y woul d.
Sea-Dri ft, Wal t Whi tman
A sentence can have both an object and an i ndi rect object.
Whi chever way I turn, O I thi nk you coul d gi ve me my mate
back agai n i f you onl y woul d.
Sea-Dri ft, Wal t Whi tman
148 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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An antecedent i s a noun or words taki ng the pl ace of nouns for whi ch a pronoun stands.
No good novel wi l l ever proceed from a superfi ci al mi nd; that seems to me an
axiom whi ch, for the arti st i n fi cti on, wi l l cover al l needful moral ground: i f the
youthful aspi rant take i t to heart i t wi l l i l l umi nate for hi m many of the mysteri es
of purpose.
The Art of Fi cti on, Henry James
Func tions of Ve rb s
Verbs express acti on, occurrence (appear, become, continue, feel, grow, look, remain, seen,
sound, and taste), or state of bei ng (the verb to be).
Ye Angel l s bri ght, pluck from your Wi ngs a Qui l l ;
Make me a pen thereof that best will write:
Lende me your fancy and Angel l i ck ski l l
To treate thi s Theme, more ri ch than Rubi es bri ght.
Medi tati on Si xty: Second Seri es,
Edward Tayl or
Verbs that express occurrence or state of bei ng, al so known as l i nki ng verbs, are
i ntransi ti ve verbs and have no objects.
The fi rst ti me that the sun rose on thi ne oath
To l ove me, I looked forward to the moon
To sl acken al l those bonds whi ch seemed too soon
And qui ckl y ti ed to make a l asti ng troth.
Sonnets fromthePortuguese,
El i zabeth Barrett Browni ng
Looked i s an i ntransi ti ve verb and, therefore, has no object. Forward i s an adverb
that answers the questi on where, and the adverbi al phrase the fi rst ti me
answers the questi on when.
Li nki ng verbs may have predi cate adjecti ves or predi cate nomi nati ves, al so known as
predi cate nouns.
Of al l hi stori cal probl ems, the nature of a nati onal character is themost difficult
and the most important.
Ameri can I deal s, Henry Adams
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C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 149
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Ve rb Te nse s
I t woul d al so be useful to revi ew the tenses and forms of verbs, not necessari l y because you
may fi nd mul ti pl e-choi ce questi ons about them but because the revi ew wi l l hel p you when you
wri te your own essays. Verbs have si x tenses to reveal the ti me of an acti on or condi ti on. Each
tense has a basi c, progressi ve, and emphati c form.
TENSES AND FORMS OF VERBS
Basic
Form
Progressive
Form
Emphatic
Form
Present I tal k a l ot. I am tal ki ng about i t
now.
I do tal k more than most
students.
Past I tal ked wi th the group. I was tal ki ng when you
i nterrupted.
I di d tal k wi th you about
that.
Future I wi l l tal k to you Sun-
day.
I wi l l be tal ki ng at the
conference.
Present
Perfect
I have tal ked for al most
an hour.
I have been tal ki ng too
much.
Past
Perfect
I had tal ked to hi m a
year ago.
I had been tal ki ng wi th
you when he arri ved.
Future
Perfect
I wi l l have tal ked to the
recrui ter by the end of
the week.
I wi l l have been tal ki ng
about thi s project for a
month before I get ap-
proval .
M O RE PRAC TIC AL ADVIC E O N WRITING YO UR ESSAYS
The basi c grammar and punctuati on we are tal ki ng about here wi l l hel p you wi th wri ti ng.
Revi ew the fol l owi ng rul es and ti ps before you wri te a practi ce essay, and then eval uate your
fi ni shed essay agai nst them. As you wri te your next essay, keep i n mi nd any rul es wi th whi ch
you had troubl e. I f necessary, focus on one rul e at a ti me. I t i s i mportant that you are
comfortabl e wi th the rul es of grammar and punctuati on; that way, they fl ow natural l y as you
wri te, and you dont spend ti me thi nki ng about where the commas shoul d go.
Se nte nc e Struc ture
Good wri ti ng has a vari ety of sentence structures: si mpl e, compound, compl ex, and
compound-compl ex. Sentence combi ni ng i s one way to be sure you have a vari ed sentence
pattern that adds to the i nterest of your wri ti ng. Consi der the fol l owi ng exampl es as
possi bi l i ti es that you have to choose from, and note the correct punctuati on for each. Al l
quotati ons are from Henry Adamss Ameri can I deal s.
150 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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SIM PLE SENTENC E
Of al l hi stori cal probl ems, the nature of a nati onal character i s the most di ffi cul t and the
most i mportant.
Ral ph Wal do Emerson, a more di sti nct i deal i st, was born i n 1780.
C O M PO UND SENTENC E
After the downfal l of the French republ i c, they (Ameri cans) had no ri ght to expect a ki nd word
from Europe, and duri ng the next twenty years, they rarel y recei ved one.
Probabl y Jefferson came nearest to the mark, for he represented the hopes of sci ence as wel l
as the prejudi ces of Vi rgi ni a.
C O M PLEX SENTENC E
Li ncol n was born i n 1809, the moment when Ameri can character stood i n l owest esteem.
Jefferson, the l i terary representati ve of hi s cl ass, spoke chi efl y for Vi rgi ni ans, and dreaded so
greatl y hi s own reputati on as a vi si onary that he sel dom or never uttered hi s whol e thought.
C O M PO UND- C O M PLEX SENTENC ES
Benjami n Frankl i n had rai sed hi gh the reputati on of Ameri can pri nters, and the actual
Presi dent of the Uni ted States, who si gned wi th Frankl i n the treaty of peace wi th Great
Bri tai n, was the son of a farmer, and had hi msel f kept a school i n hi s youth.
I n the year 1800 El i Terry, another Connecti cut Yankee of the same cl ass, took i nto hi s empl oy
two young men to help hi m make wooden cl ocks, and thi s was the capi tal on which the
greatest cl ock-manufactory i n the worl d began i ts operati on.
PARALLEL C O NSTRUC TIO N
I n addi ti on to usi ng dependent and i ndependent cl auses to add vari ety, try usi ng words,
phrases, and cl auses i n paral l el constructi ons. Paral l el i sm rei nforces equal i deas, contri butes
to ease i n readi ng, and, most i mportantl y, adds cl ari ty and rhythm to your i deas. The most
si mpl e paral l el i sm empl oys compari sons and contrasts.
El i Whi tney was better educated than Fi tch, but had neither wealth, social
influence, nor patron to back his ingenuity.
Revi ew your own essays, and underl i ne sentences that you coul d combi ne. Then try
combi ni ng them on a separate sheet of paper. Thi s i s a good exerci se to get you accustomed to
varyi ng your sentence structures as you wri te. But do not try for vari ety for the fi rst ti me
duri ng the real test.
When combi ni ng sentences, do not fal l prey to run-on sentences, sentence fragments, or
comma spl i ces.
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NOTE
Remember to use
present tense
when writing
about the
authors intention
in literary works.
NOTE
Writing timed
essays, evaluating
them, and then
working to
improve the
weaknesses you
identify is the best
way to prepare
for the test.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 151
www.petersons.com
RUN- O N SENTENC ES
A run-on sentence i s a compound or compound-compl ex sentence i n whi ch nei ther a
conjuncti on nor punctuati on separates two or more i ndependent cl auses. You can fi x a run-on
sentence by usi ng:
1. A coordi nati ng conjuncti on, i f you are wri ti ng a compound sentence
2. A coordi nati ng adverb
3. A transi ti onal phrase
4. And/or a semi col on i n a compl ex or compound-compl ex sentence
The fol l owi ng exampl es ar e taken, wi th our apol ogi es, fr om Mi l ton by John
Babi ngton Macaul ay.
1. Mi l ton was, l i ke Dante, a statesman and a l over, and, l i ke Dante, he had been
unfortunate i n ambi ti on and i n l ove.
2. Mi l ton was, l i ke Dante, a statesman and a l over; moreover, l i ke Dante, he had
been unfortunate i n ambi ti on and i n l ove.
3. Mi l ton was, l i ke Dante, a statesman and a l over; in addition, l i ke Dante, he had
been unfortunate i n ambi ti on and i n l ove.
4. Mi l ton was, l i ke Dante, a statesman and a l over; l i ke Dante, he had been unfortu-
nate i n ambi ti on and i n l ove.
(Macaul ays choi ce)
Di d you noti ce that these sentences are al so exampl es of both compari son and the use of
i ndependent cl auses as paral l el i sm?
SENTENC E FRAG M ENTS
A sentence fragment i s just thatpart of a sentence, a group of words that does not express a
compl ete thought. I f i t has a verb forma verbal such as a parti ci pl ei t may l ook l i ke a
sentence, but i t i s not a sentence. You can avoi d sentence fragments by al ways maki ng
sure that:
The verb i s a verbnot a parti ci pi al form (-ingor -ed) wi thout i ts auxi l i ary (some form of
haveor be) or an i nfi ni ti ve (to pl us a verb).
Such as i t was. When, on the eve of great events, he [Mi l ton] returned from hi s
travel s, i n the pri me of heal th and manl y beauty. Loaded wi th l i terary di sti ncti ons,
and gl owi ng wi th patri oti c hopes. . . .
152 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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There i s a subject. I f there i s none, add one or attach the fragment to a sentence.
Such as i t was. When, on the eve of great events, he [Mi l ton] returned from hi s
travel s, i n the pri me of heal th and manl y beauty, loaded wi th l i terary di sti ncti ons,
and gl owi ng wi th patri oti c hopes. . . .
You remove any i ncorrectl y used subordi nati ng conjuncti ons, or you combi ne the
fragment so i t becomes a sentence.
Such as i t was. When, on the eve of great events, he [Mi l ton] returned from hi s
travel s, i n the pri me of heal th and manl y beauty. He was l oaded wi th l i terary
di sti ncti ons, and gl owi ng wi th patri oti c hopes. . . .
The fol l owi ng i s Macaul ays choi ce:
Such as i t was when, on the eve of great events, he [Mi l ton] returned from hi s travel s,
i n the pri me of heal th and manl y beauty, loaded wi th l i terary di sti ncti ons, and gl owi ng
wi th patri oti c hopes. . . .
CONJ UNCTIVE ADVERBS TRANSITIONAL PHRASES
al so
anyhow
anyway
besi des
consequentl y
fi nal l y
furthermore
hence
however
i nci dental l y
i ndeed
l i kewi se
meanwhi l e
moreover
neverthel ess
next
nonethel ess
now
otherwi se
si mi l arl y
sti l l
then
therefore
thus
after al l
as a consequence
as a resul t
at any rate
at the same ti me
by the way
even so
for exampl e
i n addi ti on
i n fact
i n other words
i n the second pl ace
on the contrary
on the other hand
C O M M A SPLIC ES
Comma spl i ces occur when two or more i ndependent cl auses are joi ned by a comma (1) when
some other punctuati on or (2) a coordi nati ng conjuncti on or (3) subordi nati ng conjuncti on
shoul d have been used. The fol l owi ng i s an exampl e of a comma spl i ce.
Euri pedes attempted to carry the reform further, i t was a task beyond hi s powers,
perhaps beyond any powers.
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C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 153
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You coul d correct i t by any of the fol l owi ng:
1. Euri pedes attempted to carry the reform further; i t was a task beyond hi s powers,
perhaps beyond any powers.
(Macaul ays choi ce)
2. Euri pedes attempted to carry the reform further, but i t was a task beyond hi s
powers, perhaps beyond any powers.
3. While Euri pedes attempted to carry the reform further, the task was beyond hi s
powers, perhaps beyond any powers.
COORDINATING
CONJ UNCTIONS
SUBORDINATING
CONJ UNCTIONS
and
but
or
for
nor
so
yet
after
al though
as far as
as soon as
as i f
as though
because
before
even i f
even though
how
i f
i nasmuch as
i n case that
i nsofar as
i n that
no matter how
now that
once
provi ded that
si nce
so that
supposi ng that
than
though
ti l l , unti l
unl ess
when, whenever
where, wherever
whether
whi l e
why
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
(used to i ntroduce subordi nate cl auses that functi on as nouns)
that
what
whi ch
who, whoever
whom, whomever
whose
You can al so use subordi nati ng conjuncti ons, conjuncti ve adverbs, and transi ti onal phrases to
l i nk i deas between sentences and even paragraphs.
Now l et us compare wi th the exact detai l . . .
Once more, compare . . .
We venture to say, on the contrary, . . .
Mi l ton, John Babi ngton Macaul ay
154 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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M e c ha nic s a nd Punc tua tion
What do you need to know about mechani cs and punctuati on for the AP Engl i sh Language &
Composi ti on Test? Enough to be abl e to wri te and punctuate grammati cal l y correct sentences.
(Thi s, by the way, i s a sentence fragment. I n your own wri ti ng, an occasi onal sentence
fragment works, but do not take the chance i n your essays. The reader may not understand
that you wrote a sentence fragment for a purpose, not as a mi stake.)
I f you fi nd any of the rul es i n the fol l owi ng bri ef revi ew unfami l i ar, go back to your Engl i sh
composi ti on text and revi ew the appropri ate secti on i n more depth. Do some of the practi ce
exerci ses that the text undoubtedl y has.
The test eval uators may not expect you to wri te a fl awl ess essay, but you want to make sure
that your mechani cs and punctuati on are as correct as possi bl e. Everythi ng you do wel l adds
to the favorabl e i mpressi on necessary for a hi gh score. The same i s true about punctuati on.
Usi ng the correct punctuati on makes a good i mpressi on on the readers. Remember, too, that
errors i n punctuati on may i nterfere wi th cl ari ty.
C APITALIZATIO N
You have studi ed capi tal i zati on throughout your school years. The fol l owi ng l i st recaps the
rul es for capi tal i zati on you have l earned.
Nouns
Capi tal i ze the fi rst word i n i nterjecti ons and i ncompl ete questi ons.
Capi tal i ze the fi rst word i n a quotati on i f the quotati on i s a compl ete sentence.
Capi tal i ze the fi rst word after a col on i f the word begi ns a compl ete sentence.
Capi tal i ze geographi cal and pl ace names.
Capi tal i ze names of speci fi c events and peri ods of ti me.
Capi tal i ze the names of organi zati ons, government bodi es, pol i ti cal parti es, races,
nati onal i ti es, l anguages, and rel i gi ons.
Ad je c tive s
Capi tal i ze most proper adjecti ves; for exampl e African i n African American.
Do not capi tal i ze certai n frequentl y used proper adjecti ves; for exampl e, french fries,
venetian blinds.
Capi tal i ze a brand name used as an adjecti ve but not the common noun i t modi fi es; for
exampl e, J ello pudding.
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NOTE
Concentrate on
those rules that
you are most
likely to need for
your own writing.
NOTE
Do not capitalize
words that
indicate direction.
Do capitalize
them when they
name a section
of a larger
geographical
area.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 155
www.petersons.com
Do not capi tal i ze a common noun used wi th two proper adjecti ves; for exampl e, I ron
Agetools.
Do not capi tal i ze prefi xes attached to proper adjecti ves unl ess the prefi x refers to a
nati onal i ty; for exampl e, pre-Columbian art but Franco-American music.
C a p ita ls in Title s
Capi tal i ze ti tl es of peopl e when used wi th a persons name or when used i n
di rect address.
Capi tal i ze ti tl es showi ng fami l y rel ati onshi ps when they refer to a speci fi c person, unl ess
they are preceded by a possessi ve noun or pronoun.
Capi tal i ze the fi rst word and al l other key words i n the ti tl es of books, peri odi cal s, pl ays,
poems, stori es, pai nti ngs, and other works of art.
ABBREVIATIO NS
Usual l y, you shoul d not use abbrevi ati ons when you are wri ti ng formal Engl i sh. However,
someti mes abbrevi ati ons are appropri ate. The fol l owi ng l i st revi ews gui del i nes for
usi ng abbrevi ati ons.
Na m e s a nd Title s of Pe op le
Use a persons ful l gi ven name i n formal wri ti ng, unl ess the person uses i ni ti al s as part
of hi s or her name; for exampl e, the poet A. E. Housman.
Abbrevi ati ons of soci al ti tl es before a proper name begi n wi th a capi tal l etter and end
wi th a peri od.
Abbrevi ati ons of other ti tl es used before proper names begi n wi th a capi tal l etter and end
wi th a peri od.
Abbrevi ati ons of ti tl es after a name begi n wi th a capi tal and end wi th a peri od.
I n formal wri ti ng, spel l out numbers or amounts l ess than 100 and any other numbers
that can be wri tten i n one or two words.
Spel l out al l numbers found at the begi nni ng of sentences.
Use numeral s when referri ng to fracti ons, deci mal s, and percentages, as wel l as
addresses and dates.
156 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
Abbreviations for
both traditional
and metric
measurements
should only be
used in technical
and informal
writing and only
with numerals.
www.petersons.com
END M ARKS
Use a peri od to end a decl arati ve sentence, a mi l d i mperati ve, or an i ndi rect questi on.
Use a questi on mark to end an i nterrogati ve sentence, an i ncompl ete questi on, or a
statement i ntended as a questi on.
Use an excl amati on mark to end an excl amatory sentence, a forceful i mperati ve sentence,
or an i nterjecti on of strong emoti on.
C O M M AS
Use a comma before a conjuncti on that separates two i ndependent cl auses i n a
compound sentence.
Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or cl auses i n a seri es.
Use commas to separate adjecti ves of equal rank.
Do not use commas to separate adjecti ves that must stay i n a speci fi c order.
Use a comma after an i ntroductory word, phrase, or cl ause.
Use commas to set off parentheti cal expressi ons.
Use commas to set off nonessenti al expressi ons.
Use commas to set off a di rect quotati on from the rest of the sentence.
Use a comma to prevent a sentence from bei ng mi sunderstood.
SEM IC O LO NS AND C O LO NS
Use a semi col on to joi n i ndependent cl auses not al ready joi ned by a coordi nati ng
conjuncti on (and, or, but, nor, so, yet).
Use a semi col on to joi n i ndependent cl auses separated by ei ther a conjuncti ve adverb or
a transi ti onal expressi on.
Use a col on before a l i st of i tems fol l owi ng an i ndependent cl ause.
Use a col on to i ntroduce a formal or l engthy quotati on or one that i s mi ssi ng an
i ntroductory expressi on.
Use a col on to i ntroduce a sentence that summari zes or expl ai ns the sentence before i t.
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NOTE
Many writers
overuse commas.
Make certain that
you know why
you are adding a
comma to a
sentence.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 157
www.petersons.com
Q UO TATIO N M ARKS AND UNDERLINING
I f a word, a ti tl e, or a name woul d be i tal i ci zed i n pri nted materi al , then you need to underl i ne
i t when you wri te i t by hand. I f you were wri ti ng your essay on a computer, you woul d use the
italics functi on.
Use quotati on marks to encl ose a persons exact words.
Pl ace a comma or a peri od i nsi de the fi nal quotati on mark.
Pl ace a semi col on or col on outsi de the fi nal quotati on mark.
Pl ace a questi on mark or excl amati on mark i nsi de the fi nal quotati on i f the end
mark i s part of the quotati on.
Pl ace a questi on mark or excl amati on mark outsi de the fi nal quotati on i f the end
mark i s not part of the quotati on.
Use three el l i psi s marks i n a quotati on to i ndi cate that words have been omi tted.
Use si ngl e quotati on marks for a quotati on wi thi n a quotati on.
Use quotati on marks around ti tl es of short wri tten works, epi sodes i n a seri es,
songs, parts of musi cal composi ti ons, or col l ecti ons.
Underl i ne (i tal i ci ze) ti tl es of l ong wri tten works, shows, fi l ms, and other works
of art.
Underl i ne (i tal i ci ze) words and phrases from a forei gn l anguage when not used
commonl y i n Engl i sh.
Underl i ne (i tal i ci ze) numbers, symbol s, l etters, and words used as names
for themsel ves.
DASHES, PARENTHESES, AND BRAC KETS
Use dashes to i ndi cate an abrupt change of thought, a dramati c i nterrupti ng i dea, or a
summary statement.
Use dashes to set off a nonessenti al apposi ti ve, modi fi er, or parentheti cal expressi on
when i t i s l ong, al ready punctuated, or especi al l y dramati c.
Use parentheses to set off asi des and expl anati ons onl y when the materi al i s not essenti al
or when i t consi sts of one or more sentences.
Pl ace al l punctuati on after the parentheses i n a sentence wi th a set-off phrase.
Use brackets to encl ose words you i nsert i nto a quotati on when you are quoti ng
someone el se.
158 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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TIP
Do not use
quotation marks
around an
indirect quotation
(a restatement of
someones
words).
NOTE
Do not underline
or place in
quotation marks
the titles of holy
books, such as
the Koran or the
Bible, or
their parts.
www.petersons.com
HYPHENS
Use a hyphen when wri ti ng out the numbers twenty-onethrough ninety-nine.
Use a hyphen wi th fracti ons used as adjecti ves.
Use a hyphen i n words wi th the prefi xes all-, ex-, and self- and words wi th the
suffi x -elect.
Use a hyphen to connect a compound modi fi er before a noun, unl ess i t i ncl udes a word
endi ng i n -ly or i s a compound proper adjecti ve; for exampl e, beautifully dressed, Native
American poem.
I f a word must be di vi ded at the end of a l i ne, pl ace a hyphen between syl l abl es.
APO STRO PHES
Add an apostrophe and an s to show the possessi ve case of most si ngul ar nouns; for
exampl e, cats dish, thetomatos flavor.
Add an apostrophe to show the possessi ve case of pl ural nouns endi ng i n s or es; for
exampl e, theboys club.
Add an apostrophe and an s to show possessi on wi th pl ural nouns that do not end i n s; for
exampl e, womens clothing, themices nests.
Add an apostrophe and an s or just an apostrophe (i f the word i s pl ural and ends i n s) to
the l ast word of a compound noun to form the possessi ve; for exampl e, the J oint
Committees decision, themutual funds investors.
To show joi nt ownershi p, make the fi nal noun possessi ve. To show i ndi vi dual ownershi p,
make each noun possessi ve; for exampl e, Marie and Leslies apartment, but Mikes and
Toms cars.
Use an apostrophe and an s wi th i ndefi ni te pronouns to show possessi on; for exampl e,
ones jacket, somebodys chair.
Use an apostrophe and an s to wri te the pl ural s of numbers, symbol s, and l etters; for
exampl e, 8s, &s, ps.
Dic tion
Word choi ce speaks vol umes about you. (That phrase i s a cl i ch that woul d be best to avoi d.)
The fol l owi ng are some suggesti ons to hel p you refi ne your wri ti ng and pol i sh your choi ce
of words.
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NOTE
Do not use an
apostrophe with
the possessive
forms of personal
pronouns; for
example, hers,
not hers.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 159
www.petersons.com
REPLAC E C LIC HS WITH FRESHER IM AG ES AND WO RDS
A cl i ch i s any stal e, worn-out phrase that has been used so often i t has become vi rtual l y
meani ngl ess. Cl i chs make your wri ti ng seem commonpl ace and secondhand. Some common
cl i chs and tri te expressi ons i ncl ude the fol l owi ng:
CLICHS AND TRITE EXPRESSIONS
Ugl y as si n
Pretty as a pi cture
Happy as a l ark
Hard as a rock
Fresh as a dai sy
Ski nny as a rai l
Sl y as a fox
Sti ff as a board
Ol d as the hi l l s
Mad as a hornet
Soft as si l k
Warm as toast
Dumb as a doorknob
Smart as a whi p
Crazy as a l oon
Honest as the day i s l ong
As much fun as a barrel of monkeys
Qui et as a mouse
Loose as a goose
Phony as a three-dol l ar bi l l
Pure as the dri ven snow
Crystal cl ear
True bl ue
Li ke pul l i ng teeth
Li ke a fi sh out of water
Li ke fi ndi ng a needl e i n a haystack
Li ke a bump on a l og
Li ke a hot potato
Sky hi gh
Sparkl i ng cl ean
Fi l thy ri ch
Di rt cheap
Costi ng an arm and a l eg
Heart of gol d
One i n a mi l l i on
Between a rock and a hard pl ace
Out of the fryi ng pan and i nto the fi re
When push comes to shove
Worki ng fi ngers to the bone
Come out smel l i ng l i ke a rose
Tooti ng my/your/ones own horn
I n a New York mi nute
Vari ety i s the spi ce of l i fe.
Stand up and be counted.
Rai ni ng cats and dogs
The si xty-four-dol l ar questi on
Day i n and day out
Have a ni ce day.
Repl ace cl i chs and tri te expressi ons wi th l i vel i er, more concrete l anguage; for exampl e:
Clich: I was shaking in my boots before the i ntervi ew, but I was happy as a lark when
the personnel manager offered me the job.
Improved: I was terrified before the i ntervi ew, but I was ecstatic when the personnel
manager offered me the job.
Clich: Whether the author r eal l y bel i eved what he wr ote was the
sixty-four-dollar question.
Improved: Whether the author real l y bel i eved what he wrote was difficult todetermine
from the answers he gave the i ntervi ewer.
160 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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www.petersons.com
AVO ID EUPHEM ISM S
A euphemi sm i s a word or phrase that i s l ess di rect but that may be consi dered l ess offensi ve
than another word or phrase wi th the same meani ng; for exampl e, sayi ng someone i s no
longer with us i nstead of dead. Euphemi sms can l ead to wordi ness, as i n the above exampl e,
because you may need several words to say what one di rect word coul d convey. Euphemi sms
al so l essen the i mpact of a thought or i dea, and they can mi sl ead your readers. Occasi onal l y,
you may choose to use a euphemi sm to protect someones feel i ngsyours, the subject of your
wri ti ng, or your audi encebut el i mi nate euphemi sms whenever possi bl e so your wri ti ng does
not seem i nsi ncere.
Euphemism: Ami t coul d not attend the meeti ng Thursday because he was indisposed.
Improved: Ami t coul d not attend the meeti ng Thursday because he was sick.
Euphemism: Because she was constantl y l ate to work, Lesl i e was let go.
Improved: Because she was constantl y l ate to work, Lesl i e was fired.
AVO ID SELF- IM PO RTANT LANG UAG E
A wri ter who tri es to i mpress readers wi th unnecessari l y obscure words and l engthy,
compl i cated sentences often adopts sel f-i mportant l anguage. The resul t i s bad tone and a
confused message. When you wri te, avoi d that type of l anguage. El i mi nate vague, general
nouns and l ong verbs that end i n -ateor -ize.
Self-important: To faci l i tate i nput by the maxi mum number of potenti al purchasers,
questi onnai res were desi gned and posted wel l i n advance of the l aunch of the
promoti onal marketi ng campai gn.
Improved: Before we began adverti si ng, we desi gned and mai l ed a marketi ng survey to
fi nd out what consumers were l ooki ng for.
AVO ID FLO WERY LANG UAG E AND EM O TIO NALLY LO ADED WO RDS
Good wri ti ng shoul d i ncl ude vi vi d modi fi ers and i nteresti ng phrases. However, your wri ti ng
shoul d never become overl oaded wi th unnecessary adjecti ves and adverbs that serve onl y as
decorati on. Usual l y, a si mpl er way of expressi ng yoursel f i s more effecti ve.
Flowery: The gl i mmeri ng, gol den rays of the bri l l i ant orb of the sun shi mmered above
the whi te-hot sands of the vast desert, sere and l i fel ess.
Improved: The rays of the sun shi mmered above the hot, dry desert.
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NOTE
Polysyllabic,
high-sounding
words can make
your writing sound
pretentious rather
than erudite.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 161
www.petersons.com
Si mi l arl y, overl y emoti onal l anguage can produce a harsh tone and make your readers reject
your poi nt of vi ew. Avoi d emoti onal l anguage and substi tute more rati onal di cti on.
Emotional: The i di ot who wrote that essay shoul d have hi s head exami ned.
Improved: The wri ter who devel oped that argument based i t on a faul ty assumpti on.
AVO ID WO RDS THAT M AY NO T BE UNDERSTO O D
You shoul d use onl y vocabul ary and expressi ons that your readers wi l l understand. No matter
what your tone, some types of l anguage can be confusi ng. I n general , avoi d sl ang words and
expressi ons because you cannot be sure that your audi ence i s fami l i ar wi th current i di oms.
Al so, remember that sl ang qui ckl y becomes dated.
Slang: Bri ans mother repri manded hi m for bombi ng hi s physi cs test.
Improved: Bri ans mother repri manded hi m for fai l i ng hi s physi cs test.
Si mi l arl y, jargon can confuse readers and destroy your tone. Use i t onl y i f you are wri ti ng a
hi ghl y techni cal report and must use speci al terms for the topi c. Your readers may easi l y
become l ost i f you do not repl ace jargon wi th concrete, understandabl e phrases.
J argon: Cl ose-support, transport, and reconnai ssance assi stance i s provi ded by the
S-3X hel i copter, whi ch i s the most cost effecti ve i n a crane confi gurati on.
Improved: The S-3X hel i copter provi des support, transportati on, and reconnai ssance.
However, the hel i copter i s most cost effecti ve when i t works as a crane.
ELIM INATE DEADWO O D
Check your essay for words that contri bute nothi ng to your i deas. Di scard these empty words
that pad your sentences and create roundabout constructi ons. You wi l l fi nd some of the most
common empty words i n the fol l owi ng box.
COMMONLY USED EMPTY WORDS AND PHRASES
a great deal of
i s the one who i s
there i s
there are
by way of
due to
i t i s a fact that
the thi ng that
of the opi ni on that
to the extent that
whi ch i s to say
the area of
what I mean i s
for the reason that
i n a manner that
Deadwood: I t i s a fact that sunburn can cause ski n cancer.
Improved: Sunburn can cause ski n cancer.
162 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
Jargon is
language aimed
at specialists.
www.petersons.com
Other deadwood you shoul d el i mi nate are hedgi ng words and phrases, or qual i fi ers. Wri ters
use qual i fi ers to be noncommi ttal , but usi ng them resul ts i n a vague and i ndefi ni te essay.
However, dont el i mi nate al l hedgi ng words i n your wri ti ng. For exampl e, Everyone i n the
stadi um cheered the touchdown needs to be qual i fi ed unl ess you know that the opposi ng
team had no supporters i n the stands. The fol l owi ng l i st contai ns words and phrases that
unnecessari l y qual i fy what you want to say:
COMMONLY USED HEDGING WORDS AND PHRASES
al most
tends to
somewhat
rather
i n a way
ki nd of
i t seems
sort of
that may or may not
Hedging: A major earthquake that may or may not occur i n thi s regi on can cause a
great deal of damage.
Improved: I f a major earthquake occurs i n thi s regi on, i t wi l l cause a great deal
of damage.
AVO ID REDUNDANC Y
Redundancy occurs when you repeat an i dea unnecessari l y. I t prevents wri ti ng from bei ng
conci se. Sayi ng the same thi ng repeatedl y not onl y sounds awkward but adds deadwood to
your essay. To el i mi nate redundancy i n your wri ti ng, l ook for words or phrases that repeat the
meani ng of another word.
Redundant: Tami ko prefers the wri tten l etter to the tel ephone.
Improved: Tami ko prefers l etters to tel ephone cal l s.
Redundant: The consensus of opi ni on i n our communi ty i s that commerci al bui l di ng
shoul d be restri cted.
Improved: The consensus i n our communi ty i s that commerci al bui l di ng shoul d
be restri cted.
BE SUC C INC T
Less obvi ous than deadwood and redundant l anguage are wordy phrases and cl auses that can
weaken the i mpact of your wri ti ng. Shorten wordy phrases and cl auses i f you can wi thout
changi ng the meani ng of your sentence. Sentences can be rewri tten by usi ng apposi ti ves,
preposi ti onal phrases, adjecti ves, adverbs, or possessi ve nouns. Someti mes you can repl ace a
phrase wi th a si ngl e word.
Wordy: Denee sang every Chri stmas carol i n a l oud voi ce.
Improved: Denee sang every Chri stmas carol l oudl y.
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NOTE
Be careful that
you dont
eliminate all
hedging words in
your writing.
Sometimes you
need to qualify
what you are
saying.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 163
www.petersons.com
Wordy: Touri sts from Germany and Canada l ove to vacati on i n the Cari bbean.
Improved: Many German and Canadi an touri sts l ove to vacati on i n the Cari bbean.
I f your essay has a great many adjecti ve cl auses, you can si mpl i fy sentences by droppi ng the
cl auses subject, verb, and other unnecessary words. Al so substi tute apposi ti ves, parti ci pi al
phrases, and compounds for wordy cl auses.
Wordy: The pai nti ng, whi ch hangs on the museums thi rd fl oor, accuratel y portrays the
si gni ng of the Decl arati on of I ndependence.
Improved: The pai nti ng, on the museums thi rd fl oor, accuratel y portrays the si gni ng of
the Decl arati on of I ndependence.
C REATING AN IDEA BANK
Before you begi n practi ci ng for the essay secti on of the test, brai nstorm al l the words and
phrases you can thi nk of to descri be a l i terary work of nonfi cti oncri ti cal essay,
autobi ography, bi ography, opi ni on pi ece, sci ence arti cl e, and so on. Make categori es under
each. You mi ght do the exerci se wi th a fri end, and then share l i sts to gather as many words as
you can. Use thi s as your i dea bank and your word bank, and consul t i t before you begi n each
practi ce essay. Here i s a start to your l i st.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Diction Style
verbose convol uted
wordy el egant
fl owery preci se
164 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
To review more
about combining
sentences, see
p. 150 in this
chapter.
NOTE
Having this list in
mind will keep
you from having
writers block
during the test.
www.petersons.com
98 C O M M O N USAG E PRO BLEM S
Many usage errors resul t from usi ng col l oqui al i sms, the l anguage of everyday use, i n formal
wri tten Engl i sh. Others occur because words that are si mi l ar i n meani ng or spel l i ng are
confused. The fol l owi ng i s a l i st of 98 common usage probl ems that you shoul d avoi d i n
your wri ti ng.
1. a, an
Use the arti cl e a before consonant sounds and the arti cl e an before vowel sounds.
Words begi nni ng wi th h, o, and u can have ei ther sound.
2. accept, except
Accept i s a verb meani ng to recei ve, and except i s a preposi ti on meani ng other
than or l eavi ng out.
3. accuse, allege
Accusemeans to bl ame, whereas allegemeans to state as fact somethi ng that has
not been proved.
4. adapt, adopt
Adapt means to change, but adopt means to take as ones own.
5. advice, advise
Advice, a noun, means an opi ni on. Advisei s a verb that means to express an
opi ni on to.
6. affect, effect
Affect i s normal l y a verb meani ng to i nfl uence. Effect i s usual l y a noun that means
resul t. Someti mes, effect i s a verb that means to cause.
7. aggravate
Aggravatemeans to make somethi ng worse; i t shoul d not be used to refer to
an annoyance.
8. aint
Aint i s nonstandard Engl i sh.
9. allot, a lot, alot
The verb allot means to di vi de i n parts or to gi ve out shares. A lot i s an i nformal
phrase meani ng a great many, so you shoul d not use i t i n formal wri ti ng. Alot i s
nonstandard spel l i ng. I t shoul d never be used.
10. all ready, already
All ready, whi ch functi ons as an adjecti ve, i s an expressi on meani ng ready. Already,
an adverb, means by or before thi s ti me or even now.
11. all right, alright.
Alright i s a nonstandard spel l i ng. Use the two-word versi on.
12. all together, altogether
All together means al l at once. Altogether means compl etel y.
13. A.M., P.M.
A.M. refers to hours before noon, P.M. to hours after noon. Numbers are not spel l ed
out when you use these abbrevi ati ons, nor shoul d you use phrases such as i n the
morni ng or i n the eveni ng wi th them.
14. among, between
Among and between are preposi ti ons. Among i s used wi th three or more i tems.
Between i s general l y used wi th onl y two i tems.
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C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 165
www.petersons.com
15. amount, number
Amount i s used wi th quanti ti es that cannot be counted. Use number when i tems can
be counted.
16. anxious
Anxious means worri ed or uneasy. I t shoul d not be used to mean eager.
17. anyone, any one, everyone, every one
Anyoneand everyonemean any person and every person. Any onemeans any
si ngl e person or thi ng, and every onemeans every si ngl e person or thi ng.
18. anyway, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere
These adverbs shoul d never end i n s.
19. as
As shoul d not be used to mean because or si nce.
20. as to
As to i s awkward. Substi tute about.
21. at
El i mi nate at when used after where.
22. at about
El i mi nate at or about i f you fi nd them used together.
23. awful, awfully
Awful i s used i nformal l y to mean extremel y bad. Awfully i s al so i nformal ,
meani ng very.
24. awhile, a while
Awhilei s an adverb, meani ng for a whi l e. A whilei s an arti cl e and a noun and i s
usual l y used after the preposi ti on for.
25. beat, win
Beat means to overcome. Win means to achi eve vi ctory i n. Repl ace win i f the
sentence sense i s beat.
26. because
El i mi nate becausei f i t fol l ows the reason, or rephrase the sentence.
27. being as, being that
Repl ace ei ther phrase wi th sinceor because.
28. beside, besides
Besidemeans at the si de of or cl ose to. Besides means i n addi ti on to. They are
not i nterchangeabl e.
29. bring, take
Bring means to carry from a di stant pl ace to a nearer one. Takemeans the opposi te,
to carry from a near pl ace to a more di stant pl ace.
30. bunch
Bunch means a number of thi ngs of the same ki nd. Do not use bunch to
mean group.
31. burst, bust, busted
Burst i s the present, past, and past parti ci pl e of the verb to burst. Bust and busted
are nonstandard Engl i sh.
32. but what
But what i s nonstandard Engl i sh. Use that.
33. can, may
Use can to mean to have the abi l i ty to. Use may to mean to have permi ssi on to.
34. cant help but
Use cant help pl us a gerund i nstead of cant help but; for exampl e, cant help crying.
166 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
In formal writing,
awful should be
used to mean
only inspiring
fear or awe.
www.petersons.com
35. condemn, condone
These words have nearl y opposi te meani ngs. Condemn means to express di sapproval
of. Condonemeans to pardon or excuse.
36. continual, continuous
Continual means occurri ng over and over i n successi on, but continuous means
occurri ng wi thout stoppi ng.
37. different from, different than
The expressi on different fromi s more accepted.
38. doesnt, dont
Use doesnt wi th thi rd-person si ngul ar subjects.
39. done
Done, the past parti ci pl e of the verb to do, fol l ows a hel pi ng verb.
40. dove
Use dived i nstead of dovefor the past tense of the verb dive.
41. dueto
Use dueto onl y when the words caused by can be substi tuted.
42. dueto thefact that
Use sinceor becausei nstead.
43. each other, oneanother
Most of the ti me these expressi ons are i nterchangeabl e. Someti mes each other i s used
when onl y two peopl e or thi ngs are i nvol ved, and oneanother i s used when more than
two are i nvol ved.
44. emigrate, immigrate
These are opposi tes. Emigratemeans to l eave a country, and immigratemeans to
enter a country. I n both cases, i t i s a reference to establ i shi ng a resi dency.
45. enthused, enthusiastic
Enthused i s nonstandard Engl i sh; therefore, use enthusiastic.
46. farther, further
Farther i s a reference to di stance, but further means to a greater degree.
47. fewer, less
Fewer i s properl y used wi th thi ngs that are counted, and less i s used wi th qual i ti es or
quanti ti es that are not counted.
48. former, latter
I n referri ng to two i tems, former desi gnates the fi rst and latter, the second.
49. get, got, gotten
Al though these verbs are acceptabl e, i t i s better to sel ect di fferent verbs i f possi bl e,
such as become, became, havebecome.
50. gone, went
Gone, the past parti ci pl e of the verb to go, requi res a hel pi ng verb. Went i s the past
tense of go, and no hel pi ng verb i s requi red.
51. good, lovely, nice
Try to use more speci fi c adjecti ves i n thei r pl ace.
52. hanged, hung
Hanged means executed, and hung means suspended.
53. healthful, healthy
Healthful i s used wi th thi ngs (healthful diet), and healthy refers to peopl e.
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C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 167
www.petersons.com
54. if, whether
These conjuncti ons are i nterchangeabl e, except when the i ntenti on i s to gi ve equal
stress to al ternati ves, i n whi ch case if wont work, and whether must be used wi th or
not. I l l go whether you come wi th me or not i s not the same as I l l go i f you come
wi th me.
55. in, into
I n i s a posi ti on reference (thekitten drank themilk in thebowl), but into i mpl i es
movement (thekitten stepped into thebowl of milk).
56. irregardless
Thi s i s nonstandard Engl i sh. Use regardless i nstead.
57. judicial, judicious
J udicial refers to a l egal system. J udicious means to show wi sdom.
58. just
Pl ace just, when i t i s used as an adverb meani ng no more than, i mmedi atel y before
the word i t modi fi es.
59. kind of, sort of
Do not use these words to mean rather or somewhat.
60. kind of a, sort of a
Do not use a fol l owi ng kind of or sort of.
61. lay, lie
Lay means to set or put somethi ng down, and i t i s usual l y fol l owed by a di rect
object. Liemeans to recl i ne, and i t i s never fol l owed by a di rect object.
62. learn, teach
Learn refers to gai ni ng knowl edge, whereas teach means to gi ve knowl edge.
63. leave, let
Leavemeans to al l ow to remai n, and let means to permi t.
64. like
Likei s a preposi ti on and shoul d not be used i n pl ace of as.
65. loose, lose
Loosei s commonl y an adjecti ve. Losei s al ways a verb meani ng to mi ss from
ones possessi on.
66. mad
When used i n formal l anguage, mad means i nsane. When i t i s used i n i nformal
l anguage, i t means angry.
67. maybe, may be
Maybei s an adverb that means perhaps. May bei s a verb.
68. number, numeral
Use number to mean quanti ty and numeral to mean the fi gure representi ng the
number, that i s, thenumeral that comes after 3 is 4.
69. of
Do not use of after the verbs should, would, could, or must. Use havei nstead. Al so
el i mi nate of after the words outside, inside, off, and atop.
70. OK, O.K., okay
Do not use these words i n formal wri ti ng.
71. only
Make sure to pl ace only i mmedi atel y precedi ng the word i t l ogi cal l y modi fi es. You only
say you loveme, that i s, you say i t but you dont mean i t; You say you loveonly me,
that i s, I am the onl y one you l ove.
168 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
The principal
parts of lay are
lay, laying, laid,
and laid. The
principal parts of
lie are lie, lying,
lay, and lain.
www.petersons.com
72. ought
Do not use haveor had wi th ought. Ought i s used wi th an i nfi ni ti ve; for exampl e,
ought to wash, ought not to cry.
73. outsideof
Do not use outsideof to mean besi des or except.
74. parameter
Use parameter onl y i n mathemati cal contexts to desi gnate a vari abl e.
75. persecute, prosecute
Persecutemeans to subject to i l l treatment, whereas prosecutemeans to bri ng a
l awsui t agai nst.
76. plurals that do not end in s
Some nouns are made pl ural i n the same way that they were i n thei r ori gi nal
l anguage. For exampl e, criteria and phenomena are pl ural . Make sure that you treat
them as pl ural , not si ngul ar, nouns.
77. poorly
Do not use poorly to mean i l l i n formal wri ti ng.
78. precede, proceed
Precedemeans to go before, and proceed means to go forward.
79. principal, principle
Principal can be a noun or an adjecti ve. As a noun, i t means a person who has
control l i ng authori ty, and as an adjecti ve, i t means most i mportant. Principlei s
al ways a noun, and i t means a basi c l aw.
80. raise, rise
Raisenormal l y takes a di rect object, but risenever takes a di rect object, as i n I
raised the fl ag, but I riseevery morni ng at 6.
81. real
Do not use real to mean very or real l y i n formal l anguage.
82. says
Do not use says i n pl ace of said.
83. seen
Seen requi res a hel pi ng verb, as i n I was seen at the movi es, not I seen hi m at
the movi es.
84. set, sit
Set i s usual l y fol l owed by a di rect object and means to put somethi ng i n a speci fi c
pl ace. Sit means to be seated, and i t i s never fol l owed by a di rect object.
85. shape
I n formal l anguage, do not use the word shapeto mean condi ti on, as i n Theboxer
was in good shape.
86. since, because
Use sincewhen ti me i s i nvol ved and becausewhen a reason i s i nvol ved. SinceI last
saw them, I read a book, but Becausethey camelast Saturday, I did not finish the
book I was reading.
87. slow, slowly
I t i s preferabl e to use slow as the adjecti ve and slowly as the adverb.
88. than, then
Than i s a comparati ve and i s not to be confused wi th then, whi ch refers to ti me.
89. that, which, who
These pronouns refer to the fol l owi ng: thatpeopl e and thi ngs, whichonl y thi ngs,
and whoonl y peopl e.
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ALERT!
If a word ends in
a or i, be careful.
It may be plural.
NOTE
You can
remember the
difference by
thinking of your
princiPAL as
your PAL.
TIP
Careful writers still
use slow only as
an adjective.
C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 169
www.petersons.com
90. their, there, theyre
Their i s a possessi ve pronoun. Therei s an expl eti ve or an adverb. Theyrei s a
contracti on of they are.
91. themthere, thesehere, this here, that there
These are nonstandard expressi ons and shoul d not be used. Repl ace wi th theseor
thosei f an adjecti ve i s requi red.
92. till, until
These words are i nterchangeabl e, but they are often mi sspel l ed.
93. to, too, two
To i s a preposi ti on. Too i s an adverb used to modi fy adjecti ves and adverbs. Two i s
a number.
94. unique
Uniquemeans one of a ki nd; therefore, i t shoul d not be modi fi ed by words such as
very or most.
95. want in, want out
These are nonstandard expressi ons and shoul d not be used.
96. ways
Ways i s pl ural . Do not use the arti cl e a i mmedi atel y precedi ng ways.
97. when, where
Do not use these words di rectl y after a l i nki ng verb. Al so, do not use whereas a
substi tute for that.
98. -wise
Do not use thi s suffi x to create new words.
Be sure to use
but that, not but what
becauseof, not dueto
because, not on account of
rarely or hardly ever, not rarely ever
kind or kind of a, not sort, sort of
170 PART IV: Eng lish Usa g e a nd G ra m m a r Re vie w
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NOTE
To correct a
sentence
containing them
there, these here,
this here, or that
there, delete here
or there.
www.petersons.com
SUM M ING IT UP
Any grammar questi ons on the test are real l y di sgui sed comprehensi on questi ons. They
wi l l ask you to i denti fy one of the parts of speech or they wi l l ask you to cl assi fy parts of
a sentence.
Remember to use the present tense when wri ti ng about the authors i ntenti on i n
l i terary works.
Wri ti ng ti med essays, eval uati ng them, and then worki ng to i mprove the weaknesses you
i denti fy are the best ways to prepare for the test.
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C ha p te r 5: G ra m m a r, M e c ha nic s, a nd Usa g e Re vie w 171
www.petersons.com
P
ART V
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TWO PRAC TIC E TESTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRACTICE TEST2
PRACTICE TEST3
ANSWER SHEET PRAC TIC E TEST 2
SEC TIO N I
1. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
2. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
3. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
4. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
5. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
6. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
7. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
8. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
9. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
10. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
11. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
12. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
13. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
14. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
15. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
16. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
17. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
18. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
19. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
20. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
21. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
22. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
23. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
24. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
25. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
26. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
27. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
28. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
29. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
30. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
31. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
32. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
33. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
34. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
35. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
36. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
37. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
38. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
39. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
40. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
41. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
42. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
43. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
44. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
45. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
46. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
47. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
48. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
49. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
50. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
51. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
52. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
53. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
54. O
A
O
B
O
C
O
D
O
E
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
a
n
s
w
e
r
s
h
e
e
t
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Pra c tic e Te st 2 175
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S
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Practice Test 2
SEC TIO N I
54 Q UESTIO NS 60 M INUTES
Directions: Thi s secti on consi sts of sel ecti ons of l i terature and
questi ons on thei r content, styl e, and form. After you have read each
passage, sel ect the response that best answers the questi on and mark
the correspondi ng space on the answer sheet.
Q UESTIO NS 115 REFER TO THE FO LLO WING PASSAG E. READ THE PASSAG E
C AREFULLY AND THEN C HO O SE THE ANSWERS TO THE Q UESTIO NS.
From the Pre fa c e of M od e rn Am e ric a n Poe try, a C ritic a l Antholog y
Line I t may be di ffi cul t, i f not i mpossi bl e, to determi ne the boundari es as
wel l as the begi nni ngs of moderni sm, but onl y a few apprai sers wi l l
deny that Ameri can l i terature became modern as wel l as Ameri can
wi th the advent of Mark Twai n, Herman Mel vi l l e, and Wal t Whi tman.
I n the hi story of poetry the l i ne may be drawn wi th a measure of
certai nty, and i t i s wi th the Ci vi l War and the publ i cati on of the thi rd
edi ti on of Leaves of Grass that modern Ameri can poetry i s defi ned.
Aftermath of the Ci vi l War
The Ci vi l War i nspi red vol umes of i ndi gnant, mi l i tary, rel i gi ous, and
patri oti c verse wi thout addi ng more than four or fi ve memorabl e pi eces
to the anthol ogi es; the confl i ct produced a vast quanti ty of poems but
practi cal l y no i mportant poetry. I ts end marked the end of an epoch
pol i ti cal , soci al , and l i terary. The arts decl i ned; the New Engl and group
began to di si ntegrate. The poets had overstrai ned and outsung them-
sel ves; i t was a ti me of surrender and swan-songs. Unabl e to respond
to the new forces of pol i ti cal nati onal i sm and i ndustri al reconstructi on,
the Brahmi ns (that famous group of i ntel l ectual s who had domi nated
l i terary Ameri ca) wi thdrew i nto thei r l i brari es. Such poets as Longfel -
l ow, Bryant, Tayl or, turned thei r eyes away from the nati ve scene, or
l eft creati ve wri ti ng al together and occupi ed themsel ves wi th transl a-
ti ons. They had been borne i nto an era i n whi ch they had no part,
wri tes Fred Lewi s Pattee (A History of American LiteratureSince
1870), and they contented themsel ves wi th rechoi ngs of the ol d
musi c. For them poetry ceased to be a refl ecti on of actual i ty, an
extensi on of experi ence. Wi thi n a peri od of si x years, from 1867 to
1872, there appeared Longfel l ows Divina Commedia, C. E. Nortons
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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5
10
15
20
25
183
Vita Nuova, T. W. Parsons I nferno, Wi l l i am Cul l en Bryants I liad and Odyssey, and
Bayard Tayl ors Faust.
Suddenl y the break came. Ameri ca devel oped a nati onal consci ousness; the West
di scovered i tsel f, and the East di scovered the West. Grudgi ngl y at fi rst, the ari sto-
crati c l eaders made way for a new expressi on; crude, jangl i ng, vi gorousl y democrati c.
The ol d order was changi ng wi th a vengeance. Al l the precedi ng wri terspoets l i ke
Emerson, Lowel l , Longfel l ow, Hol meswere not onl y products of the New Engl and
col l eges, but typi cal l y Boston gentl emen of the earl y Renai ssance. To them, the new
men must have seemed l i ke a regi ment recrui ted from the ranks of vul gari ty. Wal t
Whi tman, Mark Twai n, Bret Harte, John Hay, Joaqui n Mi l l er, Joel Chandl er Harri s,
James Whi tcomb Ri l eythese were men who had graduated from the farm, the
fronti er, the mi ne, the pi l othouse, the pri nters shop! For a whi l e, the movement
seemed of l i ttl e consequence; the i mpact of Whi tman and the Westerners was averted.
The poets of the transi ti on, wi th a del i berate art, i gnored the surge of a spontaneous
nati onal expressi on. They were even successful i n hol di ng i t back. But i t was a
gatheri ng force.
Loui s Untermeyer
1. What i s the meani ng of the expres-
si on, overstrai ned and outsung
themsel ves (l i nes 1415)?
(A) Ti red out
(B) Lost creati vi ty
(C) Worked too hard
(D) Gone beyond thei r knowl edge
(E) Sought new i nsi ghts
2. Thi s sel ecti on i s an exampl e of whi ch
mode of wri ti ng?
(A) Descri pti ve
(B) Narrati ve
(C) Persuasi ve
(D) Exposi tory
(E) Argument
3. What i s the best expl anati on of the
expressi on, an extensi on of experi -
ence (l i nes 2425)?
(A) A reference to exi stenti al i sm
i n poetry
(B) Poetry as a refl ecti on of the
real worl d
(C) A defi ni ti on of modern poetry
(D) A refl ecti on of the uni versal
nature of poetry
(E) Poetry as an art form
4. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng i s the thesi s
that the author expl ores?
(A) The Ci vi l War i nspi red vol umes
of i ndi gnant, mi l i tary, rel i gi ous,
and patri oti c verse wi thout
addi ng more than four or fi ve
memorabl e pi eces to
the anthol ogi es.
(B) I t may be di ffi cul t, i f not
i mpossi bl e, to determi ne the
boundari es as wel l as the
begi nni ngs of moderni sm.
(C) Onl y a few apprai sers wi l l deny
that Ameri can l i terature
became modern as wel l as
Ameri can wi th the advent of
Mark Twai n, Herman Mel vi l l e,
and Wal t Whi tman.
(D) The concl usi on of the Ci vi l War
marked the end of an epoch
pol i ti cal , soci al , and l i terary.
(E) The Brahmi ns wi thdrew from
the l i terary scene because they
coul d not respond to the
changes made by the Ci vi l War.
184 PART V: Two Pra c tic e Te sts
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5. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng changed the
rol e of the Brahmi ns?
(A) The Ci vi l War and Reconstruc-
ti on
(B) Rel i gi ous freedom and pol i ti cs
(C) Pol i ti cal nati onal i sm and
i ndustri al reconstructi on
(D) I ndustri al growth and the
westward movement
(E) Phi l osophi cal creati vi ty and the
sci enti fi c revol uti on
6. Longfel l ows Divina Commedia i s an
exampl e of the authors contenti on that
(A) moderni sm began wi th the end
of the Ci vi l War
(B) the New Engl and poets no
l onger created vi brant, ori gi nal
verse, but turned to
transl ati ons
(C) moderni sm devel oped al ong
pol i ti cal l i nes
(D) modern l i terature grew sl owl y
i n most areas
(E) the New Engl and wri ters
provi ded a more studi ed vi ew
of l i fe
7. What i s meant by the expressi on,
rechoi ngs of the ol d musi c
(l i nes 2324)?
(A) Ti red ol d songs
(B) Rewri ti ng ol d materi al
(C) Heari ng i nfl uences from
the past
(D) Metaphori cal sounds of the past
(E) Redone phi l osophi cal treati ses
8. The author contends that the
Brahmi ns vi ewed the new poets as
(A) vul gar
(B) i ntel l ectual
(C) uneducated
(D) si mpl e
(E) i nsi ghtful
9. What does the author mean i n the
fi rst l i nes of the fi nal paragraph,
Suddenl y the break came. Ameri ca
devel oped a nati onal consci ousness;
the West di scovered i tsel f, and the
East di scovered the West.?
(A) Peopl e i n the East were
movi ng west.
(B) There was a break i n thought
between the East and West.
(C) Ameri can modern poetry
found i tsel f.
(D) The Brahmi ns and modern
poets were i n confl i ct.
(E) Poetry from the West became
the domi nant verse.
10. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng i s the best
characteri zati on of the tone of
thi s passage?
(A) Harsh and scathi ng
(B) Schol arl y and i nformati ve
(C) Condescendi ng and i rri tati ng
(D) Humorous and wi tty
(E) Dry and pretenti ous
11. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng best summa-
ri zes the thoughts of the author i n
thi s pi ece?
(A) The Brahmi ns poetry, al though
superi or to modern poetry, was
l ost after the Ci vi l War.
(B) The more l i berated modern
Ameri can poetry outshone the
ol der styl es.
(C) The Brahmi ns were essenti al l y
the creators of modern
Ameri can poetry.
(D) The Ci vi l War marked the
begi nni ng of modern
Ameri can poetry.
(E) The experi ences of the Ci vi l
War formed the basi s of some of
the Brahmi ns work.
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Practice Test 3
SEC TIO N I
50 Q UESTIO NS 60 M INUTES
Directions: Thi s secti on consi sts of sel ecti ons of l i terature and
questi ons on thei r content, styl e, and form. After you have read each
passage, sel ect the response that best answers the questi on and mark
the correspondi ng space on the answer sheet.
Q UESTIO NS 113 REFER TO THE FO LLO WING SELEC TIO NA SPEEC H BY
Q UEEN ELIZABETH I TO PARLIAM ENT. READ THE PASSAG E C AREFULLY AND
THEN C HO O SE THE ANSWERS TO THE Q UESTIO NS.
Line To be a Ki ng, and wear a Crown, i s a thi ng more gl ori ous to them that
see i t, than i t i s pl easant to them that bear i t: for my sel f, I never was
so much i nti ced wi th the gl ori ous name of a Ki ng, or the royal author-
i ty of a Queen, as del i ghted that God hath made me Hi s I nstrument to
mai ntai n Hi s Truth and Gl ory, and to defend thi s ki ngdom from
di shonor, damage, tyranny, and oppressi on. But shoul d I ascri be any of
these thi ngs unto my sel f, or my sexl y weakness, I were not worthy to
l i ve, and of al l most unworthy of the merci es I have recei ved at Gods
hands, but to God onl y and whol l y al l i s gi ven and ascri bed.
The cares and troubl es of a Crown I cannot more fi tl y resembl e than
to the drugs of a l earned physi ci an, perfumed wi th some aromati cal
savour, or to bi tter pi l l s gi l ded over, by whi ch they are made more
acceptabl e or l ess offensi ve, whi ch i ndeed are bi tter and unpl easant to
take, and for my own part, were i t not for consci ence sake to di scharge
the duty that God hath l ai d upon me, and to mai ntai n Hi s gl ory and
keep you i n safety, i n mi ne own di sposi ti on I shoul d be wi l l i ng to
resi gn the pl ace I hol d to any other, and gl ad to be freed of the gl ory
wi th the l abors, for i t i s not my desi re to l i ve nor to rei gn l onger than
my l i fe and rei gn shal l be for your good. And though you have had and
may have many mi ghti er and wi ser Pri nces si tti ng i n thi s Seat, yet
you never had nor shal l have any that wi l l l ove you better.
Thus Mr. Speaker, I commend me to your l oyal l oves, and yours to
my best care and your further councel s, and I pray you Mr. Control l er,
and Mr. Secretary, and you of my Councel l , that before these Gentl e-
men depart unto thei r countri es, you bri ng them al l to ki ss my hand.
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229
1. I t can be i nferred from her use of the
words my sexl y weakness (l i ne 7)
that El i zabeth bel i eves
(A) she hersel f i s weak
(B) she i s unworthy of
Gods merci es
(C) she i s too emoti onal
(D) women are the weaker sex
(E) ki ngs make better monarchs
2. The passage as a whol e can best be
descri bed as whi ch of the fol l owi ng
modes of di scourse?
(A) Narrati ve
(B) Argument
(C) Exposi ti on
(D) Descri pti on
(E) Persuasi on
3. El i zabeths use of the phrase pi l l s
. . . whi ch i ndeed are bi tter and
unpl easant to take (l i nes 1214) i s
an exampl e of whi ch of the fol l owi ng
fi gures of speech?
(A) Si mi l e
(B) Metaphor
(C) I magery
(D) Personi fi cati on
(E) Hyperbol e
4. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng best descri bes
the tone of thi s passage?
(A) Rel i gi ous
(B) Regal
(C) Persuasi ve
(D) Powerful
(E) Benevol ent
5. I n the second paragraph, El i zabeth
says . . . i n mi ne own di sposi ti on I
shoul d be wi l l i ng to resi gn the pl ace I
hol d to any other (l i nes 1617) i n
order to
I . gi ve credence to the i dea that
she rul es because of Di vi ne Wi l l
I I . confi de that she i s ti red of the
responsi bi l i ti es of the monarchy
I I I . suggest that she i s wi l l i ng to
resi gn and l et another rul er
take over
(A) I onl y
(B) I I onl y
(C) I I I onl y
(D) I and I I onl y
(E) I I and I I I onl y
6. What does El i zabeth i mpl y when she
says To be a Ki ng, and wear a
Crown, i s a thi ng more gl ori ous to
them that see i t, than i t i s pl easant
to them that bear i t (l i nes 12)?
(A) The monarchy i s a gl ori ous
thi ng to behol d.
(B) The responsi bi l i ti es of a rul er
are a heavy burden.
(C) I t i s someti mes pl easant to
be queen.
(D) Do not chal l enge my
royal authori ty.
(E) The Crown bri ngs wi th i t both
good thi ngs and bad.
7. Whi ch of the fol l owi ng defi ni ti ons
best sui ts the words fi tl y resembl e
(l i ne 10) i n the context?
(A) Cl osel y approxi mate
(B) Aptl y descri be
(C) Accuratel y compare
(D) Perfectl y mi rror
(E) Cl osel y rel ate to
230 PART V: Two Pra c tic e Te sts
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8. I n the fi rst paragraph, by choosi ng
the word I nstrument El i zabeth
wi shes to emphasi ze speci fi cal l y
(A) the nature of her pol i ti cal power
(B) an al most musi cal del i ght wi th
bei ng the Queen
(C) her promi se to God that she
wi l l rul e fai rl y
(D) her obedi ence to Gods wi l l
(E) that her authori ty comes from
the l i ne of successi on
9. I n thi s address, what does El i zabeth
say are her duti es as monarch?
(A) To rei gn wi th truth and gl ory
(B) To overcome her sexl y weakness
(C) To l ove her subjects better than
her predecessors di d
(D) To take her medi ci ne duti ful l y
(E) To defend Engl and from
tyranny and oppressi on
10. Rhetori cal l y, the l ast sentence i n the
second paragraph (l i nes 1921) i s
best descri bed as
(A) an extended metaphor support-
i ng the antecedent metaphor
(B) reducti o ad absurdem
(C) a promi se to care for
her subjects
(D) argumentum ad homi nem
(E) an attempt to bal ance possi bl e
weakness wi th a greater vi rtue
11. I n the context of her speech, what
does El i zabeth mean when she says
Thus . . . I commend me to your
l oyal l oves (l i ne 22)?
(A) I want you to remember me to
your fami l i es.
(B) I conti nue to be devoted to you.
(C) I demand your conti nued
al l egi ance.
(D) I ask for your conti nued
affecti on.
(E) I wi l l l ove those of you who are
l oyal to me.
12. Gi ven the speakers rhetori c, what
can one i nfer i s the pri mary purpose
of El i zabeths address?
(A) To curry favor wi th her subjects
by expressi ng her affecti on
(B) To el i ci t compassi on for hersel f
as a woman
(C) To expl ai n that she rul es by
di vi ne wi l l
(D) To convi nce parl i ament that her
moti ves are purel y al trui sti c
(E) To di spel any i l l wi l l that
may exi st
13. The metaphor that El i zabeth devel -
ops i n the second paragraph i s an
attempt to i nform Parl i ament that
(A) the burdens of bei ng queen
have made her i l l
(B) she i s no l onger wi l l i ng to
accept the yoke of power
(C) monarchs who rul e i rresponsi -
bl y are an offense to God
(D) the pri vi l eges of power do not
compensate for i ts burdens
(E) she rul es onl y from her con-
sci ence and her duty to God
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