AP English Language Post Test Discussion

[born2dance94]

<p>@SeekingUni so are you guys taught to relate the entire test to rhetorical writing?</p>

[NemoStudent]

<p>Well for us, basically we did many things throughout the year. We really just wrote a lot of essays most of the time though, especially rhetorical analysis. I felt pretty strong on that part for that reason…</p>

[born2dance94]

<p><a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;

<p>Note: this one clearly states that the argument should be central (ETA: argument should be main focus, not the sources. See 2 posts below). Still, though, they ask for a position to be taken. So as I said before, if you took a position that is perfectly acceptable (and actually encouraged) since nothing specifically said to remain neutral. But I guess if you remained central and somehow still fulfilled the prompt with a persuasive piece (while not taking a position) you might be okay.</p>

[freestyle]

<p>Is it bad that I only talked about one key issue and spent the rest of the essay on the implications for the community?</p>

[garfieldliker]

<p>When it says the argument should be central, it does not mean that it must be “centRIST.” Rather, it means that the sources support the argument instead of becoming the argument.</p>

[qwerty43]

<p>it said to stay ‘central.’ Does that mean nuetral?</p>

[Saddude]

<p>Hmm, what kind of a score would I get if I omitted the conclusion in the synthesis? I was going to add it in, but ran out of time at the end. Assuming I would get a seven otherwise, how many points would be taken off (1? 2? more?)</p>

<p>Also, what about the rhetorical analysis? Does that need a conclusion too?</p>

[born2dance94]

<p>@Saddude Here’s my post from the other thread answering another person’s similar question (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/1145806-ap-english-language-composition-post-test-1.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/1145806-ap-english-language-composition-post-test-1.html&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>

@WunderWuffle My strategy for all APs (and other such tests) has always been to write all of the essays without conclusions and then once <em>all</em> have been finished, I go back and write conclusions for all of them (or as many as I can get to in the time left). That way, I know I’ve finished the actual essay for all of them, with no pressure there. Plus, on all of those tests, a good essay without a conclusion is perfectly capable of receiving the same grade as another good essay of the same caliber, as long as you got your point across effectively. </p>

<p>I highly recommend that method to anyone who has trouble finishing all of the other essays in time. Like I said, you can still get a perfect score without a conclusion.

</p>

[Saddude]

<p>@born2dance Thanks for the reply! Hopefully you’re right.</p>

[KingHughes]

<p>If I addressed the key issues and the implications, and showed which implications were right/wrong would I be okay? (I used outside information as well. That’s just how I interpreted it.)</p>

<p>Update: ****. I just read a post about it having to be central and I remember the prompt saying that! I said that some of the locavores claims were wrong but they have a lot of truth to their cause and that they should still be respected as a legitimate movement. (In short, it can be interpreted that I called them patriotic.) Would I get points taken off for that?</p>

[born2dance94]

<p>Okay, I’m combining everything I’ve said on both threads to make a super!post. Keep in mind that I am not specifically addressing this particular year’s test as that would be against the rules, but merely speaking about the test essays in general:</p>

<p>1) Do I need conclusions? Will I get points off without them?

@WunderWuffle My strategy for all APs (and other such tests) has always been to write all of the essays without conclusions and then once <em>all</em> have been finished, I go back and write conclusions for all of them (or as many as I can get to in the time left). That way, I know I’ve finished the actual essay for all of them, with no pressure there. Plus, on all of those tests, a good essay without a conclusion is perfectly capable of receiving the same grade as another good essay of the same caliber, as long as you got your point across effectively. </p>

<p>I highly recommend that method to anyone who has trouble finishing all of the other essays in time. Like I said, you can still get a perfect score without a conclusion.

</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is it okay that I only had 2 body paragraphs?

@zach12 Having 2 body paragraphs is perfectly fine. In fact, in many cases, especially in the argumentative essay and many times in the rhetorical analysis, it is better to write just 2 body paragraphs (assuming you write the average ~2-3 page essay) because you are able to better flesh out those paragraphs in order to fully answer and/or fulfill the prompt. As for the synthesis, the same holds true, though it is less important to pick 2 or 3 paragraphs-- either works fine. The main point of this particular AP test is to test your rhetorical writing ability. If you write just one page, but still have an effective rhetorical piece, that’s just as fine as accomplishing the same thing in 4 pages.

</p></li>
<li><p>I qualified/agreed with/disproved a prompt. Is this acceptable?

@Jordan134 Qualifying, agreeing, or disproving a prompt are all acceptable (in fact, you must do one of those).

</p></li>
<li><p>**I didn’t mention the example in the prompt for the argumentative essay. Will I get points off? **

@Everyone else. Just so you know, in an argumentative essay, you don’t need to reference the small passage used in the prompt whatsoever. If you write an essay that ends up “qualifying, agreeing, or disagreeing” with what the prompt’s passage is, you’ve succeeded, so not once did you have to mention the person or his stance.

</p></li>
<li><p>I did/didn’t take a position on the synthesis essay. Is that okay?

My teacher told us to take a side UNLESS IT SPECIFICALLY SAID NOT TO (though I assume if it doesn’t say specifically to take a side and you remained neutral you might be okay I guess.) We did a practice from a few years ago and I took a side and got an 8. An unbiased essay is pointless usually under these circumstances because this is a test of rhetorical writing skill. One main goal of writing an effective rhetorical piece is having a CLEAR argument and successfully persuading the reader of it. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean taking a pro/con approach to a situation, but in this case, that seemed to be the only “argument” one could make regarding the synthesis prompt. “Key issues and implications” do not an argument make unless somewhere in your piece you have a thesis that indicates exactly what it is you are trying to prove using rhetoric.

</p></li>
</ol>

<p>

<a href=“Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board”>Supporting Students from Day One to Exam Day – AP Central | College Board;

<p>Note: this one clearly states that the argument should be central (ETA: argument should be main focus, not the sources. See 2 posts below by @garfieldliker). Still, though, they ask for a position to be taken. So as I said before, if you took a position that is perfectly acceptable (and actually encouraged) since nothing specifically said to remain neutral. But I guess if you remained central and somehow still fulfilled the prompt with a persuasive piece (while not taking a position) you might be okay.

</p>

<p>From garfieldliker:

When it says the argument should be central, it does not mean that it must be “centRIST.” Rather, it means that the sources support the argument instead of becoming the argument.

</p>

[garfieldliker]

<p>Thanks for using my quote. It’s weird that people are misinterpreting the word “central.”</p>

[prepschoolnew]

<p>Central does not mean neutral. CB means that you need to use the sources to argue your position, and use analysis and not simply summarize the texts you’re given.</p>

[KingHughes]

<p>Okay. After reading the “super post” I still am a little worried. I didn’t directly say that they were “patriotic.” I said in a body paragraph that the idea of land conservation was apart of the progressive movement in the early twentieth century led by Theodore Roosevelt. (This was after I addressed some of the errors in the locavore claims.) </p>

<p>I then followed it up, later, in the conclusion by saying that the locavore movement is legitimate and that some of their policies have been known to work before. Overall, I really wasn’t including much of an opinion until the conclusion when I clarified what the key issues/implications were and that “regardless if some of them can be viewed as false, it doesn’t discredit the other ones that are true.”</p>

<p>Am I not a centrist now? Ha. :'(</p>

[skittles555]

<p>So is it okay if I only discussed the cons?</p>

[SuperCuber]

<p>Were we unofficially supposed to take a side on the synthesis?
The prompt did say to analyze the issues… so that’s all I did.
MC was as easy as the practices we took in-class, possible even easier.
Synthesis was decent, as long as we weren’t supposed to take a side.
I felt great about the Analysis essay, the one I thought would fail.
The last wasn’t too great. I took more time on the others so it was rather general…
Overall though, this went much better than expected. Definitely got a 4, good chance for a 5.</p>

[biteme192]

<p>does it matter what side you choose for the synthesis? cuz i chose pro locavores</p>

[prepschoolnew]

<p>Hahaha y’all should be fine if you made any sort of claim in your synthesis. The key is to not take the sources and basically do a rundown of them with minimal or no analysis. I’m pretty sure the point is to use the sources you’re given as SUPPORT for whatever you’re trying to say, rather than have the sources dictate whatever statement you’re making. You don’t necessarily have to say bad/good or no/yes, but you have to have some point to what you’re writing rather than regurgitating information that’ already given right in front of you.</p>

[almost_there_1]

<p>I thought that the multiple choice was really easy and o (kind of) self studied the class (I didn’t actually study) I was so excited when I started reading the multiple choice excerpts. I understood everything and the stuff I probably wouldn’t have understood (the constitution essay) we had learned all about in my constitutional law class</p>

[SuperCuber]

<p>It was analyze the strategies _____ uses to advance her message or something.</p>