Free Response Section

• Prompts

– Analysis of a prose passage

– Analysis of a poem

– Open-ended question, usually related to a

literary element – will always focus on theme

MOWAW (meaning of the work as a whole)

• Time limit: 120 minutes to write all three

essays

• Weight: 55% of total score

AP SCORE QUALIFICATION

5 Extremely well qualified

4 Well qualified

3 Qualified

2 Possibly qualified

1 No recommendation

AP Exam scores of 5 are equivalent to A grades in the corresponding college course.

AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to grades of A–, B+ and B in college. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to grades of B–, C+ and C in college.

Free Response

• Q1 = Poetry

• Q2 = Prose

• Q3 = Open-ended

Q1 - Poetry

• Poetry could be anything from the 1600’s

to poets writing today.

Question 1

(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question

counts as one-third of the total essay section

score.)

Read carefully the following poem by Marilyn

Nelson Waniek. Then write an essay analyzing

how Waniek employs literary techniques to

develop the complex meanings that the speaker

attributes to The Century Quilt. You may wish to

consider such elements as structure, imagery,

and tone.

Q2 - Prose

• Excerpt or cutting from a novel or short

story

Question 2

(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

In the following passage from Maria Edgeworth’s 1801 novel, Belinda, the narrator provides a description of Clarence Hervey, one of the suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman. Mrs. Stanhope, Belinda’s aunt, hopes to improve her niece’s social prospects and therefore has arranged to have Belinda stay with the fashionable Lady Delacour.

Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze Clarence Hervey’s complex character as Edgeworth develops it through such literary techniques as tone, point of view, and language.

Q3 – Open-ended

• Broad question that applies to many

novels and plays.

• Choose a work of literary merit

Question 3

(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place,between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience.

Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Those who read and score AP essays are

trained to reward students for what they do

well, rather than look for the little “missing

pieces.” They recognize that essays are

unrevised, first drafts. They also realize

students are under great pressure (for

example a student might mix character names in

an otherwise solid essay and not be graded

down.) Don’t worry about perfection. It’s okay

to have cross outs, added sentences, etc. If

you have time, you can reread your essays

and do some editing.

– Show your ability to argue a point

The essay should demonstrate what a student might do at the end of a college freshman course. Work to develop an idea and to show command of the material. Content is primary. Most AP essay questions ask you to analyze on a two level system--what did the author do (in terms of main idea, central attitude, or basic emotion evoked from the reader) and how did s/he do it (examining such elements as imagery, figurative language, diction, syntax, structure, or style)? Jot notes in the test booklet to generate ideas. – Q1 and Q2 write about lit techniques

– Q3 will focus on theme (MOWAW)

In a 40-minute situation, you should study the

problem (identify the focus of the question), read

the selection, and start writing within 7 to 10

minutes. Be sure to focus on the question

asked. Don’t bother with a “pretty” introduction,

but do try to make a strong first impression. A

strong opening states the focus of the question

by offering a definitive observation which

emerges from your own thinking. It answers

the entire prompt in one or two sentences. If

you don't know how to start, you can always

parrot the prompt, but do this only if you must.

Try to finish strong with a solid ending. If

you are running short of time, leave

something out of the body and move on to

the conclusion. Always deal with

conclusions; it’s your last impression

on the reader.

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In responding to the prose and poetry

selections, write one body paragraph

for each major section of the work.

Sections are determined by shifts in

setting, action, or time.

Organize around factors of the piece of

literature itself; show how the speaker’s

thoughts change and move. (If you are

unable to do this, organize around

techniques or devices on which the

questions ask you to focus, items like

diction, figurative language, etc.).

• Readers are not looking for a standard five-paragraph essay.

– You might miss the movement of the piece

• Q1 and Q2 – start at the beginning of the selection and work your way through to the end.

– It’s okay to skip around, but keep coming back to your main point (thesis)

– Better to use short paragraphs

Quote words and phrases so they

are integrated within your piece. A

quote of more than one line from the

text is too much. If you need to

reference more than one line, cite

the line numbers.

In writing about the poetry question, direct

your attention to certain elements

addressed in the question. You should

be able to discuss tone, point of view,

imagery, figurative language, structure,

syntax, who the speaker is, and poem’s

impact on the reader.

– Never say “the author felt” or “the author

said.” Instead, refer to the speaker.

• The author is not necessarily the speaker

In writing about prose, you are asked to deal with some of the same items as in #7. Sometimes, contrasting passages are presented. Avoid the traps of rephrasing or retelling the passage with quotes, or listing, but not explaining. Show your thinking.

– Don’t paraphrase – EXPLAIN

– Don’t just retell – EXPLAIN

– Remember, the person reading your essay will be very familiar with the passage. You don’t need to tell her what it’s about.

On question #3 (the open-ended

question), be sure to follow the explicit

directions. Note whether you are to

write about a novel, a play, or either.

Never write about a short story for #3.

– Always choose a work of literary merit

• Not Twilight

• Books you’ve read in your English classes at

MVHS will work

– Have six books in mind when you walk

into the test that you can write about

for Q3

Remember, you are writing for

someone who is familiar with the

piece of literature.

– They find three people who know your

book well. They score it and take the

average score.

– Don’t worry about the reader. Think

that whoever reads your essay knows

the book as well as you do.

• Don’t write Brave New World is a book

about. . .”

Mechanical difficulties reduce the score

only if they hamper communication.

However, something VERY badly written

can only be scored in the bottom half (no

more than 4).

– Watch spelling so you’re communicating in

the English language

– Don’t sweat commas, but try to use them as

correctly as possible

– Do sweat periods. Make sure they are dark.

Be sure to budget your time and write on

all three questions. You may write them in

any order. Remember, you don’t have

time to do rough drafts. Instead, use

some time to generate material (make

notes or an outline) in the test booklet

itself.

– Budget 40 minutes per question

• Wear a watch!

• Use all 120 minutes – you can always go back

and edit

– You can work in whatever order you want

The length of your answer is no

guarantee of quality.

– QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

– However, aim to write at least two

pages because the prompts are

complex enough to merit this

length of response.

Work for good penmanship. They can’t

score it if they can’t read it.

– Students have had their essays disqualified

because scorers couldn’t read their writing

Freudian and religious interpretations usually don’t score well. Don’t be cynical or demeaning, be too clever, or write around the question. Don’t start to preach or offer applications of the passage’s idea to the world in general. – NO: Elizabeth Bennett is really in love with her father.

– NO: If this question weren’t so ridiculous, it might actually be worth discussing the symbolic elements in The Scarlet Letter.

– NO: Jake really needs to find God.

– NO: If everyone was more like Hester Prynne, the world would be a better place.

• Don't write "pity me" notes (such as "I was up all night" or "My grandma just died.") – You’ll just end up entertaining the readers

Write to express, not impress.

Keep vocabulary and syntax

within your zone of competence.

Students who inflate their writing

often inadvertently entertain, but

seldom explain.

– Use your academic voice

• Do not use what you think should

be your academic voice VIP: Very Important Point

Rubric: How are essays graded?

• Well-supported interpretation of the

book/passage/poem

– Make sure to prove your point

– If it’s in the book/passage you don’t have to prove it

– If it’s your assumption, then prove it

• Darcy is arrogant – if Austen writes this it’s good. If she

doesn’t, then prove it.

• Good content, well-written

• Both parts of the question answered

– Essays that answer only one part can only score 4 or

below