Get the AP college credits you've worked so hard for... Our savvy test experts show you the way to master the test and score higher. This new and fully expanded edition examines all AP English Language & Composition areas including in-depth coverage of critical writing and critical reading. The comprehensive review covers every possible exam topic: literature commentaries, writing as dialogue, analysis and argument, prose and more.

Features 3 full-length practice exams with all answers thoroughly explained. Includes the complete AP English Language and Composition Test Prep book plus CD-ROM software with 3 timed, computerized exams that provide actual exam conditions with controlled timing and question order. Your score and test performance are automatically calculated plus the program provides analysis of your performance with suggestions for further study.

Follow up your study with REA's test-taking strategies, powerhouse drills and study schedule that get you ready for test day.

DETAILS

- Comprehensive, up-to-date subject review of every English language and composition area used in the AP exam.

- CD-ROM TESTware program containing the book's 3 practice exams to give you the closest thing to experiencing an exam live at a computer testing center.

- Study schedule tailored to your needs

- Packed with proven exam tips, insights and advice

- 3 Full-Length Practice Exams. All exam answers are fully detailed with easy-to-follow, easy-to-grasp explanations.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

CPU: 75 MHz Pentium or compatible (300MHz or higher recommended); Windows 98 or higher; RAM: 64MB minimum available

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT RESEARCH & EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

STUDY SCHEDULE

CHAPTER 1

Scoring High on the AP English Language & Composition Exam

- About the Book

- About the Test

- Scoring the Exam

- Distribution of Grades

- How to Use this Book and TESTware

- How to Contact the AP Program

CHAPTER 2

- Learning About the "Other" Literature

- What is Literature?

- A Brief Look at the Significance of the Essay

- Strategies for Critical Reading of Prose Passages

- What Critical Readers Do

- Commentary on Mark Twain's "Female Suffrage"

- Commentary on Ben Franklin's "The Handsome and Deformed Leg"-

- Commentary on the Excerpt from Charles Lamb's "A Bachelor's - Complaint of the Behaviour of Married People"

- Conclusion

CHAPTER 3

- Writing About the "Other" Literature: A Critical Dialogue

- Critical Writing

- Writing as Dialogue

- Writing for the AP Examination

- Strategies for Analysis and Argument

- Analytic Writing: A Critical Dialogue with Washington Irving's "The Voyage"

- A Critical Dialogue on "Idleness an Anxious and Miserable State" by Samuel Johnson and "An Apology for Idlers"

- by Robert Louis Stevenson

- A Brief Review of Argumentative Structure

- Argument Outline

CHAPTER 4

- Preparing for and Taking the AP Exam

- Format of the AP English Language & Composition Examination

- Critical Reading of Prose Passages-

- Answering Multiple-Choice Questions

- Answering Essay Questions

- Strategies for Answering Essay Questions

- Scoring Guidelines

CHAPTER 5

- Glossary of Literary and Rhetorical Terms

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION PRACTICE TEST I

- Test I

- Answer Key

- Detailed Explanations of Answers

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION PRACTICE TEST II

- Test II

- Answer Key

- Detailed Explanations of Answers

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION PRACTICE TEST III

- Test III

- Answer Key

- Detailed Explanations of Answers

APPENDICES

- Appendix A - Punctuation

- Appendix B - Spelling

ANSWER SHEETS

INSTALLING REA's TESTware

USING YOUR INTERACTIVE TESTware

Chapter 1 : Scoring High on the AP English Language & Composition Exam

About the Book

This test-preparation guide provides all the tools you'll need to do well on the Advanced Placement Examination in English Language & Composition. In addition to test-taking techniques and the information required by the test - such as literary definitions and essay structure - you will find complete lessons that teach you the skills demanded by this test. The instructional passages of this book teach you critical reading skills by using material beyond the range of the AP exam. You will be taught by lesson and example how to write high--scoring essays that demonstrate all you have learned.

To complement the chapters on critical reading, Chapter 4 focuses on the test itself and prepares you for it specifically. Everything you need to know for the test is encapsulated in this chapter. You will find helpful facts about the AP exam, along with a breakdown of the questions into easily recognizable types. As the time of the test approaches, you will be able to concentrate on this chapter for the most time-efficient preparation.

Our book also provides three full-length practice tests. Our exams include thorough explanations of the answers for added instruction and self-diagnosis of problem areas. We also include a glossary of literary terms with 65 entries, all fully defined.

About the Test

The Advanced Placement Examination in English Language & Composition is geared toward the student who has studied the mechanics of writing and rhetoric at an advanced level, and wishes to pursue college credit.

Take care not to confuse the AP Examination in English Language & Composition with the AP Examination in Literature & Composition. The Literature exam focuses on literature and literary criticism, while the Language exam deals with writing as a craft. This book is designed to help you prepare for the AP Examination in English Language & Composition only.

The AP English Language & Composition Exam is divided into two sections:

Section 1 - Multiple-Choice (60 minutes - accounts for 45% of total score)

Five or six reading passages, with an average of 10 questions each.

Section 2 - Free-Response (up to 120 minutes - accounts for 55% of total score)

Three essay questions.

The first section consists of five or six reading passages and sixty multiple-choice questions, which you will have one hour to complete. Each passage will be followed by an average of ten questions and thereafter the passage will not be referred to again. Do not feel pressured to remember each reading - just digest them one at a time and move on. After reading the passage, you will have approximately one minute to answer each question.

The second section of the AP English Language & Composition Exam consists of three essay questions, and is divided such that you will have forty minutes to write each essay. Do not expect to be able to go back to an essay after the allotted time has elapsed. Note that each essay has very specific instructions, and most have a passage which you will read critically to answer the essay question. Your essays will be scored according to the essay structure, the clarity of your writing, and the extent to which you have answered the question.

Scoring the Exam

The multiple-choice section of the exam is scored by crediting each correct answer with one point and deducting one-fourth of a point for each incorrect answer. Unanswered questions receive neither a credit nor a deduction. The free- response essays are graded by more than 5,000 instructors and professors who gather together each June for a week of non-stop AP essay grading. Each essay booklet is read and scored by four graders. Each grader provides a score for the individual essays. This score is a number on a scale from 0 to 9, 0 being the lowest and 9 the highest. The graders are not aware of each other's scores. When the essays have been graded four times, the scores are averaged - one score for each of the three essays - so that the free-response section is composed of three scores.

The three essays are weighted equally, and the total weight of the free-response section is fifty-five percent of the total score. The multiple-choice section accounts for forty-five percent of the total score. Each year the overall grades may fluctuate because the grading scale depends upon the performance of students in past AP administrations. The following method of scoring, along with the corresponding chart, will give you an approximation of your score. It will not indicate the exact score you would get on the actual AP English Language & Composition Examination - just the score you achieved on the sample tests in this book.

Multiple-Choice Scoring:

Raw Score = Number Correct minus (1/4 times the Number Incorrect)

Round to nearest whole number

Essay Scoring:

Essay Score = Question 1 (out of 9) added to Question 2 (out of 9) added to Question 3 (out of 9)

Round to nearest whole number

As you can see, there is a deduction for guessing on the multiple-choice section, so you are discouraged from random guessing or filling in of answers. Depending on the number of multiple-choice questions, the Essay score is multiplied by approximately 3.3 to 3.8. This is called the Weighted Essay score. (If necessary, the Multiple-Choice score is also weighted.)

Each section of the test is weighted according to time allotted to that section; that is, the Multiple-Choice score counts approximately 60 points, and the Weighted Essay score counts approximately 90 points, to make a total of approximately 150 points. The Multiple-Choice score is added to the Weighted Essay score to get a Composite score, which is rounded to the nearest whole number. The Composite score Ranges are then determined for the final AP Grade. The following table is approximate, since the Composite Score Range varies a few points from year to year.

Composite Score Range / AP Grade

101-150 / 5

90-100 / 4

70-89 / 3

50-69 / 2

0-49 / 1

You may want to give your essays three different grades, such as a 5, an 8, and a 6, and then calculate your score three ways: as if you did well, average, and poorly. This will give you a safe estimate of how you will do on the actual exam. Try to be objective about grading your own essays. If possible, have a friend, teacher, or parent grade them for you. Make sure your essays follow all of the AP requirements before you assess the score.

The Composite Score

To obtain your composite score, use the following method:

> Weighted multiple-choice score (do not round) = Multiple-Choice Raw Score

> Weighted Free Response Score (do not round) = 3.333 x Free Response Raw Score

Distribution of Grades

Distribution of grades varies from year to year and from testing to testing. The following table is an approximate distribution of grades for an AP English Language & Composition Examination and an approximation of the percentage of people earning the grade.

Qualified Status / Grade / Percent Earning Grade

Extremely well-qualified / 5 / 10

Well-qualified / 4 / 20

Qualified / 3 / 35

Possibly qualified / 2 / 30

No recommendation / 1 / 5

How to Use this Book and TESTware

It is important to note that critical reading is a skill, and that while memorization will serve for the mastery of literary terminology, practice is your only means to critical reading. Chapters 2 and 3 of this book have been designed to help you hone your critical reading and writing skills. Once you have practiced these skills, move on to Chapter 4, which coaches you for the format and time limits of the AP exam. If the test date is near, it may be a better idea for you to start with the coaching chapter and practice tests, since they provide direct instruction for the exam format. Ideally, it's best to use the six-week schedule in the front of this book.

The practice exams in this book and software package are included in two formats: in TESTware on the enclosed CD and in printed form in this book. We recommend that you begin your preparation by taking the AP English Language and Composition Practice Exam 1 on your computer. The software provides timed conditions, automatic scoring of the multiple-choice section of the exam, and scoring information that makes it easier to target your strengths and weaknesses. This exam should serve as a diagnostic test for you, so that you know how to best utilize your study time. This is especially important if your preparation time is limited.

How to Contact the AP Program

To obtain a registration bulletin or to learn more about the Advanced Placement Examinations, contact:

The College Board Advanced Placement Program

P.O. Box 6671

Princeton, NJ 08541-6671

Phone: (609) 771-7300

Website: www.collegeboard.com/ap