AP English Language

Exam Skills

Frequently Asked Questions

AP Cram Sessions 2021

Unit 1 – Claims, Reasoning, and Evidence

Unit 2 – Organizing Information for a Specific Audience

Unit 3 – Perspectives and How Arguments Relate

Unit 4 – How writers develop arguments, intros, and conclusions

Unit 5 – How a writer brings all parts of an argument together

Unit 6 – Position, Perspective, and Bias

Unit 7 – Successful and Unsuccessful Arguments

Unit 8 – Stylistic Choices

Unit 9 – Developing a Complex Argument

Live Cram Sessions 2019

Live Cram Sessions 2020

Study Tools

Previous Exam Prep

First, we introduce the Synthesis essay tonight with an overview of expectations for this style of essay. Then we spend the majority of this session discussing how to use the recommended first 15 minutes of your essay time: reading the synthesis sources and planning your essay. We read four sources from a sample synthesis prompt in order to discuss the best way to effectively and efficiently read and annotate the sources to maximize your essay score. 


AP English Language Free Response Synthesis for Artificial Intelligence

AP English Language Free Response Argument for Helen Keller

AP English Language Free Response Rhetorical Analysis for Abraham Lincoln

Rhetorical Analysis 1 (Abraham Lincoln)

AP English Language Free Response Synthesis for Universal Basic Income

AP English Language Free Response Argument for Thomas Jefferson

AP English Language Free Response Rhetorical Analysis for Sojourner Truth

Rhetorical Analysis 2 (Sojourner Truth)

Score Higher on AP Language 2024: Tips for FRQ 3 (Argument)

Multiple Choice Practice for Rhetoric 

Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Rhetoric  

Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Style

Multiple Choice Practice for Style

Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Claims and Evidence

Multiple Choice Practice for Claims and Evidence

Overview of the Synthesis Question

REHUGO: 

What is the Rhetorical Analysis Essay?

Rhetorical Analysis Rubric for Scoring

Timing ⏳

FAQ 🙋

Other Tips and Tricks

Rhetorical Analysis Example Essay Prompt

Multiple Choice Practice for Reasoning and Organization

Rockin’ the AP Lang MC Questions

Facts to know about AP Lang MCQs

Question Formatting on the Exam 

Types of Writing Questions 

Test-Taking Tips

General Tips for MCQs

Sample Questions

Key Terms

Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Reasoning and Organization

Unit 1: Foundations of Rhetoric

Unit 2: Analyzing and Writing about Rhetoric

Unit 3: Foundations of Argument

Unit 7: Reasoning and Complex Argumentation

Unit 4: Reasoning and Organization

Unit 5-6: Style and Sophistication

Unit 8: Synthesizing Ideas

Unit 9: FRQ Blitz

AP English Language Pacing Guide (Year-long)

Essential Knowledge 

1.1 Identifying the purpose and intended audience of a text

1.2 Examining how evidence supports a claim

1.3 Developing paragraphs as part of an effective argument

Unit 1 Overview: Claims, Reasoning, and Evidence

What is Purpose?

Identifying the Purpose

What is Intended Audience?

Identifying the Intended Audience

Identifying the purpose and intended audience of a text

What is a Claim?

What is Evidence?

How Does Evidence Support a Claim?

Examining how evidence supports a claim

What is the Purpose of Paragraphs?

Paragraph Structure

What is an Effective Argument?

How to Develop Paragraphs as part of an Effective Argument

Developing paragraphs as part of an effective argument

Unit 1 – Claims, Reasoning, & Evidence

Why is this Unit Important?

Essential Knowledge

2.1 Analyzing audience and its relationship to the purpose of an argument

2.2 Building an argument with relevant and strategic evidence

2.3 Developing thesis statements

2.4 Developing structure and integrating evidence to reflect a line of reasoning

Unit 2 Overview: Organizing Information for a Specific Audience

Words to Remember

How to Analyze Audience

Relationship between the Audience and Purpose in an Argument

Analyzing audience and its relationship to the purpose of an argument

What is Relevant and Strategic Evidence?

How can I Build an Argument with Relevant and Strategic Evidence?

Building an argument with relevant and strategic evidence

What is a Thesis Statement?

How to Develop a Thesis Statement

Developing thesis statements

What is the Structure of an Argument?

How to Develop Structure

How to Integrate Evidence to Reflect a Line of Reasoning

Developing structure and integrating evidence to reflect a line of reasoning

Identifying and describing different claims or lines of reasoning

Identifying and avoiding flawed lines of reasoning

Introducing and integrating sources and evidence

Using sufficient evidence for an argument

Attributing and citing references

Developing parts of a text with cause-effect and narrative methods

Unit 3 Overview: Perspectives and How Arguments Relate

What is line of reasoning?

Identifying line of reasoning

Applying identifying line of reasoning 

Interpreting character description and perspective

What is a flawed line of reasoning?

How to avoid using flawed lines of reasoning

Applying identifying flawed line of reasoning 

Why is introducing evidence seamlessly important?

How to introduce evidence

How can we identify good use of introducing evidence?

How can this be applied to the sample text seen above?

Tips when Incorporating Evidence

Finding Evidence that Supports Your Claim

Why is important to cite evidence?

How do we cite our scources?

What is cause-effect?

What is narration?

Text Samples

Unit 3 – Perspectives & How Arguments Relate

What are arguments, introductions and conclusions?

Why are they important?

Developing and connecting thesis statements and lines of reasoning

Developing introductions and conclusions

Developing parts of a text with comparison–contrast and definition–description methods

Unit 4 Overview: How writers develop arguments, intros, and conclusions

What is a thesis statement?

How do you develop a thesis statement?

How do you develop lines of reasoning?

How can we connect the two together?

Example

Importance of Intros and Conclusions

Synthesis

Rhetorical Analysis

Argument

Purpose and Audience--

Prompt of the Text--

Language and TONE --

Occasion and Context--

Purpose--

Tips--

Adjusting An Argument to Address New Evidence

Unit 4 – How writers develop arguments, intros, & conclusions

What is a line of reasoning?

Let's look at writing patterns a writer can use~

Transitions-

Text Style

Unit 5 Overview

Argumentative Essay

A few extra words to expand your vocabulary-

What is commentary?

Some Commentary Starters!

Developing commentary throughout paragraphs

Using modifiers to qualify an argument and convey perspective

Qualifier words:

Example:

Using Transitions

For continuing a common line of reasoning:

To change the line of reasoning or contrast:

For opening a paragraph initially or for general use:

Using transitions

Unit 6 Overview: Position, Perspective, and Bias

There are three different types of claims you can make in your argument essay. 

Incorporating multiple perspectives strategically into an argument

6.1 Recognizing and accounting for bias


Importance

Recognizing and accounting for bias

Adjusting An Argument

Great Tips for Editing your Argument Paper

Adjusting an Argument to New Evidence

Analyzing Tone

So… how do we identify tone?

 Identify Tone Split

Analyzing Tone and Shifts in Tone

Unit 6 – Position, Perspective, & Bias

 Introduction

Understanding Arguments

Successful Arguments

Unsuccessful Arguments

 Analyzing and Evaluating Arguments

 Applying Knowledge of Successful and Unsuccessful Arguments

Unit 7 Overview: Successful and Unsuccessful Arguments

Popular writings with complexities in issues

Strategies for analyzing complexities in issues

Examining complexities in issues

Introduction to 7.2


Words, Phrases, and Clauses in Arguments


Examining the impact of language in arguments



Strategies for analyzing the impact of language in arguments

Conclusion

Considering how words, phrases, and clauses can modify and limit an argument

Introduction

Definitions of the Terms

Examining how counterargument or alternative perspectives affect an argument

Unit 7 – Successful & Unsuccessful Arguments

Synthesis, Part I - Annotating Sources - Slides

Synthesis, Part I - Annotating Sources - Slides

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