AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION

Multiple-Choice Creation Project

BACKGROUND

The multiple-choice section accounts for 45% of your overall score on the AP exam. The multiple choice section is focused more on the process, rather than thefinalproduct.

In order to be successful on the multiple-choice sections, you must…

follow the author's syntax

respond to diction and vocabulary

know and be able to apply rhetorical terms

infer from what you read

note tone and irony and changes in tone as the passage advances

understand the author’s choice of organization and how he/she implements other strategies to advance his or her ideas

evaluate the author's style

understand the modes of discourse and rhetorical strategies

A few reminders:

  • The best and most practical method of preparing for this exam is to engage in frequent practice, and in-depth discussions about what works and what does not work for you.
  • All passages have a combination of easy, medium, and hard questions (and according to the passage, the questions go from easiest to hardest… or vice versa).
  • If you want the 2010-present projection of what it takes to earn a viable “4”… aim for 38-40 correct.
  • Watch the line numbers provided! Number the paragraphs!
  • You no longer lose points for each incorrect answer. Likewise, questions are not graded according to difficulty – they share equal value

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES

Work questions in the order in which they appear on the test (Meaning: You answer #1, then #2, etc.)

Write in exam booklet

Quickly read questions before reading the passage.

Do not take too long on any one question, and do not be misled by length of selections (shortest sections may be the most difficult, just like the easiest of the questions could be the first or the last questions on the test)

Work within the given context (ignore prior knowledge you may have about the topic)

Consider all choices for each question

Remember that all parts of an answer must be correct

Timing is crucial – watch the clock; as questions are not marked against you, it may be in your interest to mark “B” (“C” is also commonly used, followed closely by “B”) for all unanswered questions to score additional points

Anticipate the questions that could happen, or read the questions firstbut not the answers (four out of five of the possibilities are wrong, do not lead yourself into prejudice!) – you may want to also anticipate that the questions you answer here cancorrelate to the free-response questions usually

OBJECTIVE AND TASKS

To understand the AP exam, you must become the AP exam. You are being challenged to write your own multiple choice questions. You will be working individually on this project. Collaboration is not prohibited: the only way to know if your question is valid and logical is to seek advice from someone who would feasibly have to approach your test.

Step 1: Choose 1-2 passages of text that we have read this year, or find something new. If you seek a new topic/text, it should be non-fiction, 17th-19th century speeches, 16th century prose, etc.

Step 2: Using your passage of choice, compose a total of twelve (12) questions that mimic the question stems that you will face on the AP exam.

Step 3: Create an answer key that completely explains why one answer is the correct answer over all the other choices.

Step 4: You will respond and critique another person’s multiple choice test for practice in answering questions, but also preparing for your own exam. Heed this one warning: you want to be challenging, but also manageable. The goal of this is not to have someone pull out their hair, it’s to make them question how to approach multiple-choice questions! This will be done during the editing phase, but will also be done one last time as a form of practice leading up to the final test day!

Step 5: You will type and publish your questions and answer key. You will publish this to turnitin.com but you will also submit a hardcopy!

THE EXPECTATION OF WHAT IS DUE TO MRS. BUTLER

(1)One clean copy of your test

(2)One answer key that identifies the correct answer, as well as an explanation as to how this is the correct answer

  1. If, for example, letter A is the correct answer – why? This sometimes requires you to explain why B, C, D, and E are not valid options. This is not always a requirement, but there are questions in which the process of elimination has to take place… and in that, you want to provide logical background to your train of thinking! You’re a student, you know the value of specific feedback.

(3)Your test and answer document must be submitted to turnitin.com

DEADLINES

  • March 9:Project introduced
  • March 12: Meet in C-Lab to draft questions, find materials, etc.
  • March 17-18: Meet in the C-Lab to type up your draft. Ask peers to review your work (either by printing or using Google Docs); determine the validity and effectiveness of your test!
  • March 27: Final project due!
  • Final project due by 2:30 PM (One hardcopy of the test as well as one hardcopy of the answer key)
  • Final project due to turnitin.com by 11:59 PM (After this time, you face a 20% of penalty per day it is not submitted)
  • April 6:
  • Your test will be distributed to the class periods and they will take your test, evaluate your question stems and distracters and rationales of your answers.

TYPES OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS…

Style of Question / Typical Phrasing of the Question Stem (if not already obvious) and/or helpful notes of consideration
Straight-Forward Question / This passage is an example of …
References to lines to draw conclusions or interpretations
/ Lines 52-57 serve to …
Remember: If you are asked about specific lines of a passage, read at least two lines above and two lines below the stated lines in order to understand the context of the specific lines.
The “All…Except” questions / Make sure you are clear in your question stem: am I looking for only one right answer or am I looking for only one wrong answer?
Make an inference or abstract a concept not stated / The reader can infer ….
Sometimes it is best to provide a context using lines or paragraphs of specific focus.
Roman-Numeral Questions / Based on paragraph three, the reader can assume…
  1. Assumption
  2. Assumption
  3. Assumption
*The multiple choice options are asking if the correct assumption is: I only, II only, III only, or a mixture of I and II, II and III, I and III, or all of the above
SOAP questions / These questions concentrate on speaker, occasion, audience, and/or purpose
Vocabulary / These questions askthe reader to identify a synonym/antonym for a specific word in the passage
Pronoun Reference / This is the antecedent question. It requires the reader to identify the antecedent of the pronoun in the passage. Oftentimes it is vague and requires some focus.
Meaning / The paradox in lines 1-4 creates which of the following effects?
Typically, the reader is asked to identify the effect of a particular rhetorical device.
Footnote style of question / These questions ask you the purpose of a specific footnote. You can either CREATE a footnote or use one that was provided in the passage. The footnote questions are not obvious. They ask a question that requires the reader to understand the context of that footnote and its purpose.
Identifying the argument / The reader is asked to identify the assertion that the author is making.
Evaluating Illogical Fallacies / The reader identifies fallacies used in the argumentative selection.

AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION
MULTIPLE CHOICE CREATION PROJECT

MRS. BUTLER

Student Name
Passage Chosen (Include author name and title of piece)
If no to any one of the following below, grading will not continue…
*The questions are typed and formatted similar to a multiple-choice excerpt YES NO
*The student has provided a clean copies of the test and answer key YES NO
*The student has submitted their work to turnitin.comYESNO
/12 / The student utilizes a line numbering system to enable the AP reader quick access to responding to the question posed. This numbering system is fluid throughout both passages and clearly indicates each fifth or tenth line in the margin.
/12 / The student mimics the question stem of the thirteen options discussed in the handout.
Straight-Forward Question / References to line to draw conclusions or interpretations / The “All… Except” Question / Make an inference or abstract a concept not stated / Roman-Numeral Questions / SOAP Questions (focused on speaker, occasion, audience, and/or purpose)
Vocabulary (synonym/antonym) / Pronoun reference / Meaning (specifically to a rhetorical device effect) / Footnote style of question / Identifying the argument / Evaluating Illogical Appeals
/12 / The distracters for all the questions vary in form – they are not just quotes, but also rhetorical techniques.
/12 / The questions are not fully predicable in content or answer. The questions vary in variety of easy, medium, and hard questions for each passage. The questions have inherent structure/order to how the reader would approach and answer all questions for the test.
/10 / The student writes a test that is clear and manageable for the reader.
/10 / Each passage clearly states how many questions link to the passage, and also indicates information that would be necessary to the comprehension of the time of publication, may include the author and the source title (at the end of the passage), and/or the type of publication being read.
/12 / In questions that specify quotations or phrases, the student has also identified line number or paragraph to allow the reader the ability to locate the specific information within the passage quickly and efficiently. The question only identifies to the reader the location, but not does suggest context of what the quote could mean.
/20 / The test focuses on the process, not the product, of the textual passage. Each question is meaningful to the passage. While questions may address the author’s purpose, the majority of the questions do allow the reader to review other rhetorical techniques to understand the structure and form of the passage.
/12 / The specific requirement of focus is clearly identified and does not leave the reader to question the intent or goal of the question.
/24 / The questions for each passage are focused on the context of the passage. No question is focused on the reader requiring prerequisite knowledge. Any reader without prior knowledge would have the same ability to be successful as a reader with background.
/24 / All questions offer a logical answer that can be reached using a SAT practice method. The answer key offers a clear understanding and justification of the correct answer that is simple and straightforward for all questions.
/ 160 / TOTAL POINTS EARNED
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