AP® English Language & Composition Crash Course, For the New 2020 Exam, 3rd Ed., Book + Online: Get a Higher Score in Less Time

By Dawn Hogue

For the 2020 Exam!

AP® English Language & Composition Crash Course®
A Higher Score in Less Time!

Crash Course is perfect for the time-crunched student, the last-minute studier, or anyone who wants a refresher on the subject.

Are you crunched for time? Have you started studying for your Advanced Placement® English Language & Comp exam yet? How will you memorize everything you need to know before the test? Do you wish there was a fast and easy way to study for the exam AND boost your score?

If this sounds like you, don't panic. REA's Crash Course for AP® English Language & Comp is just what you need. Our Crash Course gives you:

Targeted, Focused Review - Study Only What You Need to Know
The Crash Course is based on an in-depth analysis of the AP® English Language & Comp course description outline and actual AP® test questions. It covers only the information tested on the exam, so you can make the most of your valuable study time. 

Expert Test-taking Strategies
Our AP® author shares detailed question-level strategies and explains the best way to answer the questions you’ll find on the AP® exam. By following his expert advice, you can boost your overall point score!

Practice questions – a mini-test in the book, a full-length exam online. Are you ready for your exam? Try our focused practice set inside the book. Then go online to take our full-length practice exam. You’ll get the benefits of timed testing, detailed answers, and automatic scoring that pinpoints your performance based on the official AP® exam topics – so you'll be confident on test day.

Whether you’re cramming for the exam or looking to recap and reinforce your teacher’s lessons, Crash Course® is the study guide every AP® student needs.

About the Author

Dawn Hogue has taught all levels of high school English and was an AP® English teacher for the Sheboygan Falls School District, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin for many years. Ms. Hogue received her B.A. in English, graduating Summa Cum Laude, from Lakeland College, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She earned her M.A. in Education from Lakeland College, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and her M.S. in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She is interested in promoting technology and web resources in the classroom and maintains a website (www.mshogue.com) for that purpose. English Language and Composition Crash Course is the second Crash Course Ms. Hogue has written for REA. She is also the author of English Literature and Composition Crash Course.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Release date: Feb 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9780738689234

Book preview

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PART I

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1

Keys for Success

on the AP® English Language and Composition Exam

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.—Colin Powell

Congratulations! You have chosen to enhance your AP® English Language and Composition study with the help of this Crash Course. You are a person who wants to know more and go further. That speaks well of your intent to do what it takes to succeed. In the chapters that follow, you will get content-specific help, tips for success, and general insight about what you need to know to be successful on the AP® English Language and Composition exam. This chapter gives you a glimpse into the structure and scoring of the exam.

The AP® English Language and Composition exam is based on an instructional framework, which seeks to express the essential knowledge and skills gained and demonstrated in an AP® English Language and Composition course. This framework covers four foundational areas or Big Ideas, which are helpful for you to know about.

BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

The term big ideas and enduring understandings refers to the core knowledge teachers want students to possess, not just in their class, but also beyond high school. The information below comes directly from the College Board’s new 2019–2020 AP® English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description. These four foundational areas represent a boiled-down view of what you are expected to know and be able to demonstrate on the exam.

BIG IDEA 1: RHETORICAL SITUATION (RHS)

Enduring Understanding RHS–1: Individuals write within a particular situation and make strategic writing choices based on that situation.

BIG IDEA 2: CLAIMS AND EVIDENCE (CLE)

Enduring Understanding CLE–1: Writers make claims about subjects, rely on evidence that supports the reasoning that justifies the claim, and often acknowledge or respond to other, possibly opposing, arguments.

BIG IDEA 3: REASONING AND ORGANIZATION (REO)

Enduring Understanding REO–1: Writers guide understanding of a text’s lines of reasoning and claims through that text’s organization and integration of evidence.

BIG IDEA 4: STYLE (STL)

Enduring Understanding STL–1: The rhetorical situation informs the stylistic choices that writers make.

Beginning in 2020, a major change in the types of questions used in the exam was instituted. Previously, the multiple-choice section consisted primarily of questions on analytical reading. However, students are now asked questions in two main areas: reading and writing.

The reading questions ask students to read, comprehend, and analyze—as a reader—the various rhetorical choices writers make and the function or effect of those choices. There are approximately 23–25 reading questions.

The writing questions will shift the focus to you—as a writer. In these questions, you’ll be asked to choose options that would represent written arguments best, such as the ideal style, organization, rhetorical strategy, and best claims and use of evidence. There will be approximately 20–22 writing questions.

The division of the two question types is nearly equal. However, according to the College Board, three of the five prose passages are devoted to the reading questions.

The following skill categories cover the four Big Ideas and are assessed in the multiple-choice section of the exam.

Source: College Board, 2019–2020 AP® English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description.

Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions—There are typically 5 passages to read and 45 multiple-choice questions to answer in 60 minutes. This section represents 45 percent of your total score.

Section II: Free-Response Questions—You are given 135 minutes to read materials, prep for writing, and compose three essays: a synthesis essay, a rhetorical analysis essay, and an argument essay. This section represents 55 percent of your total score.

Test proctors will give a ten-minute break between Section I and Section II.

The multiple-choice section of the exam is scored by machine. Scores on the multiple-choice section are based only on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers and no points are awarded for unanswered questions.

The three essays are scored by College Board readers in early June. Readers include college professors and experienced AP® English teachers. These readers score essays using rubrics created by the College Board’s test development committee for this exam. Your essay is not identified by name or geographical location. Essays are also criterion-referenced, which means you earn points for how well you meet expected criteria. You are not measured against the work done by other students.

The scores from Section I and Section II are combined to create a composite score. Scores are reported to you and your designated colleges in July.

AP® SCORE SCALE

Qualification means you may receive college credit or advanced placement at colleges and universities in the United States and many international institutions as well.

As of 2017, the College Board reported that 55 percent of all students who took the exam scored a 3 or higher. And while only about 9 percent of students scored a 5, which says a bit about the difficulty of the exam, you can feel reassured by the high number of test takers who passed. A score of 3, 4, or 5 will commonly earn you college credits or placement, but always check with your intended colleges for their AP® credit policy.

What you can (should have) and cannot have in the exam room:

Chapter 2

The Student’s Tools:

What You Can Do to Ensure Success

Diligence is the mother of good luck.—Benjamin Franklin

Any study text is useless if you don’t pair it with your best intentions. This brief chapter outlines what you can do to enhance your own success.

You may have heard the saying, What’s worth doing, is worth doing well. This is so true for your preparation for the AP® English Language and Composition exam. While the title of this book is AP® English Language and Composition Crash Course, it will be very difficult for you to literally cram in a short period of time. The information and tips you get in this book will help you no matter how much time you have to prepare, but it is best if you start early enough to really learn what you need to know. Except for some literary terms, there is little in this text that you can actually memorize. Instead, you need to develop your reading, writing, and thinking skills.

It is best to give yourself at least six to nine months to prepare for the exam. If that is not possible, then a few weeks of serious review with this book will definitely help you earn a higher score on the exam.

1.Read this entire book, making notes about which chapters are important for you to study. New research shows that handwritten notes (versus digital or e-notes) are better at helping us remember information. Focus on what you need to know instead of what you already know.

2.Make a goal sheet, listing specific tasks for the upcoming months. Examples of these tasks might be:

• Read and study several texts, maybe two books and four articles. (See Chapter 4 for a list of authors and texts.)

• Practice annotating all the texts you read.

3.Good goals have time limits, so be sure to state when you plan to meet your goals.

4.Re-read this book as often as necessary to reinforce ideas. Most people will not remember everything they read the first time.

5.Make a short list of the five most important skills you need to improve before test time, such as reading complex texts or understanding satire. Find ways to practice those skills.

6.Form a study team with friends who are also taking the exam. Learn from each other. Here are some reasons to form a study team:

• Quizzing each other on terms can help you remember them.

• You can share your essays with your group. Peer review can help you see strengths and weaknesses in your writing, and by reading others’ work, you can learn from them as well.

• If you all read the same books, you can discuss them, which will help you to understand a text more completely.

7.If you get frustrated, try these strategies:

• Analyze the reason for your frustration. Why are you frustrated? What can you do to alleviate or minimize your negative feelings?

• Take a short break to refocus: go for a walk without headphones. Let nature (or the city) help you get out of yourself for a bit.

• Talk to your study group and vent, but then find ways together to get back on track.

• Ask your teacher for help.

• Penmanship counts! Not everyone has good penmanship, but in preparation for the exam, you should do as much as you can to improve your handwriting. If your essays are not written legibly, you are jeopardizing your score. You cannot expect tired, overworked AP® exam readers to struggle with your essay needlessly because they cannot read your handwriting. When you write your practice essays, always use blue or black ink and always write with an imagined reader in mind.

• Your attitude is more important than you think—it influences everything, even your physical well-being. A positive attitude will give you energy and confidence. A negative attitude will:

— Limit your ability to read carefully (you’ll want to rush, skim, or get it over with);

— Lead to frustration and fatigue;

— Keep you from having an open mind;

— Possibly infect others, giving them doubt about their own abilities.

• Study hard and take the exam seriously. Remember, however, that this is just one test of what you know at this point in your life. It is not the most important thing you will ever do. Try to keep it all in perspective. Try to have fun with all of this.

1.Eat well in the weeks prior to the exam. The AP® English Language exam is generally scheduled in the morning, so get used to eating breakfast so that you can eat a good breakfast on exam day. A good breakfast for your brain consists of fruit, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates. Also, drink water instead of sugared drinks. Energy drinks are notoriously loaded with sugar and should be avoided.

2.Get enough sleep and not just the night before the exam. Establish good sleep patterns in the weeks prior to the exam. High school students typically do not get enough sleep. Aim for 8–9 hours a night.

3.Wake up early enough to be fully awake and ready to go on exam day. Set your alarm so you don’t oversleep. You don’t want to be groggy!

4.Caffeine may help you be more alert, but overdoing it can make you jittery and make it difficult for you to focus. If you are not accustomed to caffeine, don’t have any on exam day.

5.Wear comfortable clothes and shoes on the day of the exam. Prepare for fluctuations in room temperature by wearing layers that you can adjust.

Don’t take my word for it. Research the effect of health and wellness on academic performance. You’ll enhance your informed and active reading skills by doing this research.

Chapter 3

Classifying Nonfiction:

Genres, Patterns, and Purposes

Writing is writing, and stories are stories. Perhaps the only true genres are fiction and nonfiction. And even there, who can be sure?—Tanith Lee

The word genre means type. There are many and diverse types of literature in the nonfiction realm, which seems to change daily, especially with Web platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Are profile updates or tweets considered genres? Some of you have probably read multi-genre or graphic novels and have seen how authors weave nontraditional forms with more traditional narratives to create interesting and new types of fictional texts.

Nonfiction authors have also blurred the line between fiction and nonfiction in the latter part of the twentieth century, blending the elements of fiction (imagery, figurative language, suspense, and even dialogue) with nonfiction prose. In general, this blend is called Creative Nonfiction.

The essay itself is said to have originated with French writer Michel de Montaigne, whose short, topic-focused essays set the standard for what followed. For Montaigne, the act of writing the essay was the act of discovering knowledge. He was writing to know. This may also be your essay experience on the AP® English Language and Composition exam, as you will be pondering and writing about topics that you may not normally think about in your daily life. You will be writing to know.

To that end, the exam presents you with many engaging texts to read and analyze. It is impossible to predict the actual genres of the texts you’ll encounter on your exam, as the field is so rich and diverse.

However, according to the College Board, students can expect to encounter a variety of genres on a variety of subjects, such as essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, and criticism.

Additionally, it is vital that you expand your selection of reading to include images—from print (cartoons, photographs, charts, graphs, and other infographics) to video (video, film, any broadcast live image)—used rhetorically. Several visual texts are typically included in the sources provided for the synthesis essay.

Texts that you will encounter on the exam will share some common attributes. They will be challenging and may require more than one reading—college-level texts, in other words. But each passage on the exam (usually an excerpt from a full text) will present a clear rhetorical situation and purpose. As far as the age of the texts you will encounter, you should see a mix of contemporary and historical texts whose writers grapple with issues that continue to confront us as human beings.

Chapter 4 includes an analysis organizer that can help you break down the important components of any text.

Depending on how much time you have, try to read a few books to deepen your overall knowledge, which will help you in more than one way on this exam. If your sense of history is lacking depth, you could read a biography, which would help you expand your knowledge not just of a person, but more importantly, his or her impact on events. Choose biographies of historically impactful people over those of celebrities. If your time is limited, it may be best to read more short works, such as essays included in an anthology of model arguments. It is likely that you have been issued such a book in school. Go beyond what your teacher assigns to strengthen your knowledge base.

This chapter also details the specific patterns of exposition that you are likely to encounter in your reading. You should be able to use these patterns in your own writing.

The following list is not complete, but does include all of the print genres that could appear on the exam based on a study of released exams. No matter what the genre, the writer’s purposes can be layered and often are. A diary can provide information, chronicle a life, and also describe and persuade. The letters John and Abigail Adams wrote to each other tell us more than details of their lives; these letters are also important historical documents.

If you are given an excerpt on the exam, you may be asked to infer the broader context, such as from what genre it was likely excerpted or the probable identity of the intended audience.

While writers may have one main purpose in mind, they may achieve more than one simultaneously. You will be asked to determine the writer’s purpose on the exam