Approaches to the Analyzing Passages Prompts AP English

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Approaches to the Analyzing Passages Prompts AP English Language and Composition

Approaches to the Analyzing Passages Prompts AP English Language and Composition

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! #1 DO NOT BEGIN TO WRITE UNTIL YOU HAVE ANALYZED

THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP! #1 DO NOT BEGIN TO WRITE UNTIL YOU HAVE ANALYZED THE PROMPT.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO BREAK DOWN THE PROMPT: Is there any background information

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO BREAK DOWN THE PROMPT: Is there any background information in the prompt that gives us insight into the passage? Can we determine writer, subject, and/or audience from what is given? q q What is the “what” of the prompt? The “what” is the major concern of the prompt; in the analyzing-a-passage prompts, the “what” is almost always the author’s purpose, viewpoint, or argument. q What is the “how” of the prompt? The “how” is how the author achieves the “what. ” For example: How are strategies and devices used to achieve the author’s purpose? How did the details the author selected help achieve the author’s purpose? How does the organization of the essay help to achieve the author’s purpose?

What does the prompt mean by rhetorical devices or strategies? Any of the following:

What does the prompt mean by rhetorical devices or strategies? Any of the following: q Repetition of words or phrases q Parallel structure q Tone (Is the tone positive, neutral, negative? What specific word best defines the tone? ) q Diction (What does the connotation of the words indicate? Is the passage formal or informal? ) q Syntax (How does sentence length affect pacing; are fragments used for effect? )

These well-known literary devices, which are just as useful and used in non-fiction as

These well-known literary devices, which are just as useful and used in non-fiction as they are in fiction and poetry, are also included in the catch-all phrase “rhetorical strategies/devices. q Metaphor q Simile q Personification q Allusion q Hyperbole q And any other literary devices you have studied for the past many years. NOTE: Although the older prompts suggested specific devices/strategies to include in your analysis, the most recent prompts don’t specify or suggest which devices/strategies you must address in your answer. Most of the time you get to choose.

#2 READ THROUGH THE PASSAGE ONCE TO DISCOVER THE “WHAT” OF THE PROMPT. #3

#2 READ THROUGH THE PASSAGE ONCE TO DISCOVER THE “WHAT” OF THE PROMPT. #3 READ AGAIN TO DISCOVER THE “HOW” OF THE PROMPT. ANNOTATE ANY STRATEGIES OR DEVICES YOU FIND. #4 PLAN HOW YOU WILL ORGANIZE. #5 THEN, AND ONLY THEN, WRITE!

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU WRITE: q Stay close to the text by

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU WRITE: q Stay close to the text by using textual evidence. q Choose textual evidence that best illustrates your key points. q Remember to use ellipsis points to omit portions of the quote that are not essential to your commentary. q Remember to use brackets to adjust verb tense or to identify pronouns for the ease of your reader.

q Simply listing devices and strategies used in a passage is USELESS. Explain how

q Simply listing devices and strategies used in a passage is USELESS. Explain how and why the author made his/her choices. Connect all the dots for your reader; it’s your job! q The idea above bears repeating: commentary, commentary!!!! q The idea above bears re-repeating: analyze; do not merely summarize!!!! q Always tie your support back to your thesis; in other words, never lose sight of your thesis. Weave it throughout your paper.

Example prompts: 2009 The passage below is from “The Indispensable Opposition, ” an article

Example prompts: 2009 The passage below is from “The Indispensable Opposition, ” an article by Walter Lippmann; it appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1939. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Lippmann uses to develop his argument. The What: What is Lippmann’s central argument in this passage? The How: How does Lippmann use rhetorical strategies to develop his argument? (Notice that we don’t just need to explain what strategies he uses. We have to identify why the author chose these particular strategies; how they achieve his purposes. )

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: 2008 In the following passage from The Great Influenza, an account of

ANOTHER EXAMPLE: 2008 In the following passage from The Great Influenza, an account of the 1918 flu epidemic, author John M. Barry writes about scientists and their research. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Barry uses rhetorical strategies to characterize scientific research. The What: What characterization of scientific research does John M. Barry offer in this passage. The How: How does Barry use rhetorical strategies to achieve his characterization of scientific research?

FINAL THOUGHTS: WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT IN YOUR PAPER…THE “WHAT” OR THE “HOW”? WHY?

FINAL THOUGHTS: WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT IN YOUR PAPER…THE “WHAT” OR THE “HOW”? WHY? Time to practice!