AP English Language and Composition question (with POLL).

[Xyclone]

Hey ATOT, when doing the multiple choice portion of the AP test (or any test that involves reading an essay and then answering MC questions), how do you approach each passage? I usually just read the passage carefully, then answer the questions, but it's taking too much time. Which method has worked best for you? Thanks!

 

[BigJ]

Read the questions last. You'll jump at anything that resembles an answer to the questions and be at a greater risk for answering them incorrectly.

In general, I always do a quick read through, highlighting anything that may be relevant, then look at the questions and re-read.

 

[eLiu]

My approach (I made 5's on both lang/comp and lit) was to read the passage carefully first and underline sentences that I thought were key ideas. We had to do a fair number of practice MC sections in my HS English classes, so by the time the exam came around, I had a feel for what kinds of questions would show up.

After reading the passage fairly carefully, I would then go through the questions quickly. If I read a question and came up with an answer, I would look at the list to see if I was completely off base/see if something listed sounded better than my original thought. If my answer was the best, I'd mark it down. If something else seemed better, I would cross off all the answers I thought were wrong and move on. And if I read the question and had no idea, I would skip it. I usually knocked out 1/2 - 2/3 on the first pass.

The idea is to get everything into your head. There are some schools of psychological thought that believe your brain subconsciously thinks about unsolved problems, so I felt it would be good to get a glimpse of the problems I was facing.

After the first pass, I would begin with the first question that I didn't answer and look in the text for more details (scanning this time, not reading carefully). If I found an answer to a different question while doing this, I'd switch gears, answer that, and come back. But I'd take care to not spend too much time on any one question. If I was still getting stuck, I'd skip the question a second time.

I never made more than 3 consecutive passes through questions for a passage. If I was still stuck, I would move on to the next passage and revisit the blank ones at the end if there was time.

Keep in mind that you don't have to get ALL of them right! If you aren't sure, leave it and move on. No big deal. And I can't remember if you're marked off for guessing... but if you aren't, make sure you guess!

Good luck,
-Eric

Btw, I ****** HATE english. Haven't taken another BS english course since AP Lit in HS.

Edit: I should add that I'm a pretty slow reader, so my test method is designed around my reading speed. Quick reading fails for me because I won't retain any of the information.

 

[bobert]

I liked to read the passage as I'm looking at the questions to get an idea of what I should be looking for, then I go through all the questions referring back to the passage.

 

[FleshLight]

How I did it:

Read passage really briefly just to get an idea where important lines are, read questions carefully, go back to briefly read passage, get a 4 on the AP test =P

Btw the poetry part is really easy. Just think of all the themes and poetic devices you've used throughout the past year and pick one. There's no need to develop a new theme or whatever just for their poem. And when in doubt, the tone is somber.

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: eLiu
My approach (I made 5's on both lang/comp and lit) was to read the passage carefully first and underline sentences that I thought were key ideas. We had to do a fair number of practice MC sections in my HS English classes, so by the time the exam came around, I had a feel for what kinds of questions would show up.

After reading the passage fairly carefully, I would then go through the questions quickly. If I read a question and came up with an answer, I would look at the list to see if I was completely off base/see if something listed sounded better than my original thought. If my answer was the best, I'd mark it down. If something else seemed better, I would cross off all the answers I thought were wrong and move on. And if I read the question and had no idea, I would skip it. I usually knocked out 1/2 - 2/3 on the first pass.

The idea is to get everything into your head. There are some schools of psychological thought that believe your brain subconsciously thinks about unsolved problems, so I felt it would be good to get a glimpse of the problems I was facing.

After the first pass, I would begin with the first question that I didn't answer and look in the text for more details (scanning this time, not reading carefully). If I found an answer to a different question while doing this, I'd switch gears, answer that, and come back. But I'd take care to not spend too much time on any one question. If I was still getting stuck, I'd skip the question a second time.

I never made more than 3 consecutive passes through questions for a passage. If I was still stuck, I would move on to the next passage and revisit the blank ones at the end if there was time.

Keep in mind that you don't have to get ALL of them right! If you aren't sure, leave it and move on. No big deal. And I can't remember if you're marked off for guessing... but if you aren't, make sure you guess!

Good luck,
-Eric

Btw, I ****** HATE english. Haven't taken another BS english course since AP Lit in HS.

This approach is pretty nice. This is essentially how I answered my AP Psychology questions last year, minus the referring to the text part.

 

[RallyMaster]

Read the passage quickly, look at the questions and then go back to see the details where it will give you an idea of what's going on. From experience, I found this way to be the most effective and quickest way.

 

[Superrock]

Reading ATOT forums ought to make you very good at the art of skimming.

 

[LtPage1]

Learn to read more quickly?