Semester Exam Study Guide

AP Lang & Comp

2^nd Semester Exam Study Guide

Rhetorical Devices:

Matching—I’ll pull terms from your purple handout. Apparently some of you don't have this.  Here are the terms that you should be prepared for:

Alliteration

Allusion

Analogy

Antithesis

Apostrophe

Assonance

Consonance

Euphemism

Flashback

Foreshadowing

Hyperbole

Imagery

Irony

Litotes

Metaphor

Metonymy

Onomatopoeia

Oxymoron

Paradox

Parallelism

Parody

Personification

Point of view

Protagonist

Pun

Rhetorical question

Rhyme

Sarcasm

Satire

Simile

Symbol

Synecdoche

Theme

Third-person

Tone     

Everything’s an Argument:

Short answer—This section of the exam will test your knowledge and understanding of the kinds of arguments we dealt with this semester, including the visual argument.  Review your notes or reread sections of the chapters from this semester with which you do not feel completely comfortable.  Your syllabus outlines all of the chapters we dealt with this semester.

Visual Argument:

You will be given a visual argument to study and then you’ll answer analysis questions regarding how the creator achieves his/her purpose using language and images together.

Readings:

I’ll ask you two long-answer questions:  one for Young Men and Fire and the second for The Sound and the Fury.  Be sure to look over your reading journals for both.

AP Multiple Choice:

I’ll give you one section of an AP exam (a passage and the questions following).  

AP Free-Response Essay:

I’ll give you one essay question for which you should allow yourself 40 minutes.  Remember, it’s important that you pay attention to what the prompt is asking of you and that you respond to all parts of it.

Beloved Project and Rubric

Objectives:

• Use your critical reading skills to determine a "correct" theme (as defined by Perrine who says there is not just one correct interpretation but there are incorrect interpretations--those that do not account for all the details or that contradict some details)
• Use your argumentation skills to back up that theme with Morrison's details
• Use creativity to illustrate this argument in a medium other than an essay

Directions:

1. Determine your theme.  Use your understanding and reading of the book, our class discussions, and the list of details the class came up with to help you determine what you believe Morrison is arguing.  Remember that it must be an argument (it's debatable) and that the details must help her make that point.
2. Determine the details that best show how Morrison creates that argument.  You need at least six details from the book to help you do that.
3. Create a project that allows you to demonstrate the theme and the details that support it.  This can be artsy/crafty (collage, poster, mobile, etc.), techie (Prezi, Voice Thread, video, etc.), or artistic (drawing, painting, sculpture, etc.).  Honestly, it can be anything that is NOT an essay but helps you show your interpretation of the book.
4. Be sure to include any needed explanations that help me see how the details support the theme.  If you expect me to "fill in the dots" myself, be prepared for me to potentially misinterpret.

Timeline:

Wednesday--no class
Thursday--class work day.  You may use this time to work on your project OR read your non-fiction independent reading book
Friday--project is due in class (if it's techie, you may email it to me before class).  We will have NYT presentations during class so you will not have time to work on your projects, nor will you need to present your project to the class.  Any time leftover after NYT will be for reading your non-fiction book.

Rubric:

A
Reasonable, "correct" theme is clearly supported by at least 6 details.  Needed explanations are there to help me see what the project is trying to illustrate.  Fulfills the objectives, demonstrating strong critical reading and argumentation skills.

B
Reasonable, "correct" theme that is not as clearly supported by at least 6 details.  Explanations may be unclear or absent so that I "see where you were going" but your strong critical reading and argumentation skills are not as clear or strong.

C
Unreasonable, "incorrect" theme that is contradicted by details/parts of the book.  Project does not demonstrate critical reading skills because your interpretation ignores details that don't jive with what you're saying.  You still include at least 6 details and may explain them, but not in a way that makes your theme reasonable.

D
Clear misunderstanding of the book or inability to complete the assigned project.  Perhaps the explanations of the details/book make no sense or there is no clear theme communicated or there are less than the required 6 details to support a stated theme.  This is an unsuccessful project that does not fulfill the first two objectives.

Degree of letter (+ or -)
Creativity, effort, and choice and execution of an effective medium to make your point.  This part of your grade measures the third objective of the assignment which is less important to me, but still part of your grade.  Disclaimer:  failing this objective completely (writing an essay) will merit a lower grade.  You can't write an essay and get an A-. =)