AP English Language & Composition Multiple Choice Practice

Multiple Choice Practice

• Source Passage
• This lesson will cover the first passage in the College Board’s 2008 multiple-choice section (it’s available in the Course Description on the College Board website). (The link is here: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-english-course-description.pdf)
• This lesson will only cover the first passage, located on page 14 of the PDF.
• The rest of the passages will be covered in the walkthrough at the end of the course.
• Read the Passage
• Read for the big picture!
• Try to get the main ideas
• Look for the overall structure
• Pay attention to the author’s goal, tone, and point of view.
• The Questions
• There are ten questions associated with this passage.
• Questions 1-2: details
• Question 3: big picture
• Questions 4-7: details
• Question 8: big picture
• Question 9: detail
• Question 10: big picture
• Big-Picture Questions
• Question 3:Where is the extended analogy?
• Look for the simile (the word “as” appears in line 10 and the following sentences).
• The analogy compares writing to conversation, and writing in a familiar style to reading aloud fluently.
• You can eliminate choices A and B because the passage doesn’t make much mention of morality, and never mentions acting except to warn the reader against declaiming like an actor does.
• You can eliminate choice D because the analogy between vulgar English and incorrect pronunciation appears only briefly.
• Eliminate E; it’s off-topic.
• Answer: C
• Question 8:What technique or tone does the author use?
• Choice A sounds promising; the line reads as if it’s sarcastic.
• Eliminate Choice B; it is not a paradox because there is no contradiction in the statement.
• Eliminate Choices C and D; the author doesn’t talk much about popularity, and there is no defense of Johnson.
• Eliminate E; the author specifically advises the reader notto write in this way.
• Answer: A
• Question 10:What is the author’s tone?
• Remember to look at the language of the passage and the overall “feel” of the writing.
• Choice A doesn’t look good; “harsh” and “strident” are extreme words, and this isn’t an extreme passage.
• There is no reason to disqualify Choice B.
• Eliminate Choice C; the author is not trying to conciliate.
• Eliminate Choice D; this passage is opposed to superficiality.
• Eliminate Choice E: the passage doesn’t seem especially optimistic orpessimistic.
• Answer: B
• Detail Questions
• Question 1:What is the rhetorical function of the second sentence?
• Go back and read this sentence and the one before it.
• Eliminate Choice A; there is no reference to authority.
• Choice B doesn’t look good; second sentences rarely “restate” anything.
• Eliminate Choice C; this passage has little to do with morality.
• There is no reason to discard Choice D; it does make the first sentence more specific.
• Choice E is promising; the author spends a lot of time correcting the misconception in this sentence.
• Answer: E
• Question 2:Which phrase describes a pretentious writing style?
• Go back and read each phrase in context!
• Eliminate Choices A and C; both of these phrases describe an overly casual style, not a pretentious one.
• Eliminate Choice B; the act of “throw[ing] words together” does not belong exclusively to pretentious writing.
• Eliminate Choice E; “pitch upon the very word” describes choosing exactly the right word, which is not pretentious.
• Answer: D
• Question 4:What does this phrase mean in context?
• Go back and read the context! Don’t be fooled by the simple definition!
• Eliminate Choice A; metaphorical language is in no way “common”
• Eliminate Choice B; the author discourages the use of slang.
• Eliminate Choices D and E; the author discourages the use of regional slang and impolite speech.
• Answer: C
• Question 5:Finding a parallel.
• Check the grammar and theme of the word “tone”, since you have to find a word that is parallel in both senses.
• The word is a noun, the subject of a preposition; it’s also a negative example.
• Choice A is promising; it’s part of the same sentence as “tone” and has a strongly parallel construction, with two negative examples.
• Eliminate Choices B, C, and D; they are all the objects of prepositions.
• Eliminate Choice E; it’s a verb.
• Answer: A
• Question 6:What does this phrase mean in context?
• Go back and read the context! Don’t be fooled by the simple definition!
• Think about all the possible meanings of the word “pitch”.
• Eliminate Choices A, C, and D; this sentence is about precision, and all these choices are casual options.
• Choice B is promising, but Choice E is more focused on word choice, which is the core of the sentence.
• Answer: E
• Question 7:Where does this idea recur?
• Read the original statement in context, and use your memory of the big picture to recall where this idea shows up again.
• Eliminate Choices A, B, and D; these are all negative examples, while the phrase in the question describes an idea that the author praises highly.
• Eliminate Choice E; it’s a positive example of what the author is getting at, but it’s very general, and you want to be as specific as you can.
• Answer: C
• Question 9:Find the antecedent.
• Reread the line in question. Remember that antecedents must be close to the pronouns they inform, and that they must agree in number and gender (where relevant).
• The nearest antecedent is “word”, which would mean that “those” takes the place of “words.”
• Choice I is “word”.
• Choices II and III would both require the passage to violate the rules of antecedents.
• Eliminate every choice other than “I only.”
• Answer: A
• Final Tips
• Read for the big picture first.
• Watch for goal, tone, and point of view.
• When answering detail questions, read for content and context.
• Use process of elimination to increase your odds of guessing correctly.
• If you just don’t know how to answer a question, circle it and move on. Come back later if you have time.