About MCQs
This MCQ strategy is when you pick one letter to defer to any time you are completely unsure about an answer.
What is "Letter of the Day"?
If an author presents both benefits and drawbacks but ultimately leans one direction, the tone is:
What is qualified or nuanced?
This type of sentence is weak commentary because it repeats the evidence instead of explaining it:
What is "summary"?
A strong second paragraph should do this instead of repeating the first reason:
What is "add a new reason"?
Exigence answers this question.
What is "what problem of situation caused this argument?"
In this strategy, students eliminate two clearly incorrect answers before choosing between the remaining options.
What is "process of elimination"?
If an author questions whether something is truly valuable and presents counterexamples, the tone is best described as:
What is skeptical or cynical?
Strong commentary must do this after the evidence is provided.
What is "explain and/or analyze the evidence"
If a paragraph feels disconnected from the previous paragraph, it is mostly likely missing this.
What is "clear transition" or "logical link"?
Purpose answers this question:
What is “What does the author want the reader to think or do?”?
This is the amount of time students should spend on each multiple choice question on the AP Lang exam.
What is "no more than a minute to a minute and a half"?
An author who uses examples to challenge a popular belief is likely trying to do this:
What is "persuade the reader to reconsider that belief"?
This sentence needs this to be considered "strong commentary" - "This shows success is important."
What is "specific explanation of how or why"?
If two paragraphs make the same point in slightly different wording, it is missing this.
What is "progression" or "line of reasoning"
If an author writes in response to a growing trend or misconception, that is their:
This type of answer in an MCQ set is partially true but does not fully match the author’s argument.
What is a "Trap Answer"?
If an author describes a problem and then offers a new way to think about it, their purpose is:
What is to challenge and redefine the issue?
If the commentary doesn't end with connecting back to the original argument, it is missing this.
What is a "link" or "concluding sentence"?
A paragraph that has a strong claim and solid reasoning can still get a low score. What is missing?
What is "specific evidence"?
If you understand the exigence, you are better able to understand this.
What is "why the argument exists" or "what the author's purpose for writing is"?
This is the most important strategy to employ when choosing between two strong answer choices.
What is "Prove yourself wrong"?
If tone is misidentified as “neutral,” what is the most likely mistake the reader made?
What is ignoring or misreading the author’s attitude or judgment?
If a student writes commentary that explains what the evidence says but does not explain why it matters, the commentary is missing this:
What is "the significance"?
A strong line of reasoning builds by doing this across paragraphs:
What is "developing multiple distinct but connected ideas"?
When identifying exigence, a reader should focus MOST on this part of the passage.
What is "the problem or tension"?