Definitions
The author/narrator's attitude toward the subject.
What is tone?
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
What is Personification?
Read the following brief passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
What is the primary theme?
A. Beauty of nature
B. Stillness of time
C. Change beneath apparent calm
D. Loneliness
What is C. Change beneath apparent calm?
How long per FRQ?
What is 40 minutes?
In order to earn the point the thesis must be what?
What is defensible?
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
What is Alliteration?
“My thoughts are a tangled web.”
What is Metaphor?
Read the following passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
“Time’s unyielding hand” is an example of:
A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Irony
D. Hyperbole
What is B. Personification?
FRQ 1 and 2 focus on an exploration of this within a work.
What is complexity?
True or false: You MUST list literary elements/devices in your thesis.
What is FALSE?
The continuation of a sentence, phrase, or clause across lines in a poem.
What is enjambment?
“She ran like the wind.”
What is Simile?
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
What best describes Mrs. Alvarez’s state of mind?
A. Confident
B. Anxious
C. Excited
D. Indifferent
What is B. Anxious?
True or False: When writing your response for FRQ 3, you need to use one of the books that's on the recommendation list.
The FRQ3 thesis should focus on this element of a literary work.
What is theme?
When an object represents a larger abstract idea.
What is Symbolism?
“The silence was deafening.”
What is Oxymoron?
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
The letter primarily functions to:
A. Show her routine
B. Introduce conflict
C. Describe her job
D. Reveal setting
What is B. Introduce conflict?
You realize halfway through your essay that your argument is weak or unclear. What is the BEST course of action?
A. Erase everything and restart
B. Keep writing and hope it improves
C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it
D. Ignore the thesis and focus only on evidence
What is C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it?
AP readers reward coherence, not perfection. Adjusting your line of reasoning mid-essay is a strong move. Remember what we've talked about! You've got this. The most important thing is really the line of reasoning!
Which sentence serves as the STRONGEST thesis?
A. This poem is a complex portrayal of love and loss.
B. The author uses imagery and diction.
C. The poem reveals how love transforms grief into acceptance through shifting imagery.
What is C?
A reference to another text, historical event, or figure.
What is an Allusion?
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.”
What is irony?
Read the following passage:
JAMES: You always said honesty mattered most.
LILA: And you always said timing mattered more.
JAMES: So now you choose silence?
LILA: I choose what keeps things from breaking.
JAMES: Or what keeps you from being blamed?
(Pause.)
LILA: Sometimes those are the same.
Lila’s final line suggests:
A. She is confident
B. She wants to leave
C. She is unaware
D. She is conflicted but justified
What is D. She is conflicted but justified?
Which of the following strategies is MOST effective for earning a higher FRQ score?
A. Clearly connecting each piece of evidence back to a central argument
B. Using advanced vocabulary in every sentence
C. Writing as much as possible, regardless of clarity
D. Summarizing the plot in detail
What is A. Clearly connecting each piece of evidence back to a central argument?
Revise this thesis to make it defensible:
“In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a mysterious character.”
What is (something like) “Gatsby’s carefully constructed mystery reveals his desperate attempt to reinvent himself and attain an unattainable ideal.”