Test Terms
the writer’s attitude toward his or her subject, characters, or audience
tone
Excerpt from Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
"The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it."
Which of the following best describes the primary claim of the passage?
A) Governments are never necessary
B) Governments often fail to serve the people properly
C) Governments always uphold the will of the people
D) People should never engage in civil disobedience
B) Governments often fail to serve the people properly
a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement
hyperbole
How long are you given to WRITE each of the 3 essays?
40 minutes (+15 minutes of reading time for the Synthesis essay)
True or False: The entire AP exam, including all readings, will be exclusively digital.
True
the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed
context
Excerpt from The Morals of the Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
"It is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. For love is preserved by the link of obligation, which men, being selfish, will break at every opportunity to serve their own interests; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails."
The phrase “a dread of punishment which never fails” suggests that Machiavelli believes:
A) Fear is a temporary motivator.
B) Punishment is an unreliable tool for governance.
C) Fear is a more stable political force than love.
D) Love and fear are equally effective in ruling.
C) Fear is a more stable political force than love.
a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
allusion
The essays constitute ____% of the overall AP test score.
55%
True or False: I will not receive full credit on an essay if it contains spelling and grammar errors.
False - As long as the errors don't interfere with meaning, they will not impact your score.
an association that a word calls to mind in addition to the dictionary meaning of the word (usually positive, negative, or neutral)
connotation
Excerpt from Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
The claim in this passage challenges which of the following beliefs?
A) That the oppressed should wait patiently for freedom.
B) That all people already have equal rights.
C) That laws alone can protect civil rights.
D) That peaceful protest is ineffective.
A) That the oppressed should wait patiently for freedom.
the meaningful contrast of opposite concepts
juxtaposition
How many of the provided sources do you have to cite from for the Synthesis essay?
At least 3
True or False: You must wait until the entire allotted time for an essay has finished before moving onto the next essay.
False - You are given 2 hours and 15 minutes to write all 3 essays. How you spend that time is up to you.
the situation or event that compels a writer to create a text or deliver a speech; the problem, issue, or need that prompts someone to speak or write
exigence
Excerpt from an editorial on climate change policy
"While governments debate the economic impact of environmental regulations, the planet continues to warm, sea levels continue to rise, and natural disasters become more frequent. Action delayed is disaster ensured."
The repetition of the phrase “continues to” serves to:
A) Suggest that climate change is a future problem, not a present one.
B) Emphasize the ongoing and worsening nature of climate change.
C) Highlight the success of environmental policies.
D) Weaken the argument by overstating the issue.
B) Emphasize the ongoing and worsening nature of climate change.
a short, often witty or personal, story
anecdote
What order will the 3 essay types appear in?
Synthesis, Rhetorical Analysis, Argument
True or false: On average, you have less than one minute to answer each multiple choice question.
False - You have 60 minutes to answer 45 questions.
a logical progression of ideas or a structured way of presenting a set of reasons to support a conclusion or argument
line of reasoning
Excerpt from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food."
The rhetorical strategy most evident in this passage is:
A) Understatement
B) Satire
C) Logical appeal
D) Euphemism
B) Satire
a stimulus to do something to solve a problem (frequently at the end of a passage)
call to action
Name all 3 categories you receive a rubric score on for all the essays AND how many points are available for each category
Thesis (1), Evidence & Commentary (4), Sophistication (1)
True or False: I will have to wait until the summer to find out what score I earned on the exam.
True - Scores generally come out in early July.