AP English Literature & Composition Prose Passages

Prose Passages

• Prose Passage Sources
• Authors you’ve read in class, but works you haven’tread.
• Pre-twentieth century
• Twentieth century and later
• Adapted passages
• Fiction and nonfiction
• How to Read Prose Passages
• Questions first?
• Don’t skip the italicized text.
• Skim, then read.
• When reading, read first for the main idea.
• Thenwatch for details. Watch for playful language. Watch for flourishes the author didn’t have to include.
• If you hit a part you don’t understand, keep going.
• The Topic Sentence Is Not There
• ETS thinks you’re too old for easy topic sentences.
• Great writers seldom use topic sentences in great writing.
• Instead, look at tone and flow.
• The Great Detective Takes the AP Exam
• Read for details. Especiallyread for details that seem out of place or unnecessary.
• Let the details build up a general picture in your mind (“What do you mean, how did I know you were in Afghanistan?”)
• Infer, but don’t assume.
• Data, data, data.
• Eliminate the impossible.
• How to Know Words You Don’t Actually Know
• Context, context, context!
• Look for familiar parts and roots.
• Use other languages.
• Replace the word with a blank.
• Use the opposite of the wrong word.
• What to Do If You’re Out of Time
• Skip the passage and go straight to the questions.
• Focus on literary terms and grammar first.
• Then answer questions with line references. Read around the line reference.
• Then answer tone questions.
• Then do the rest. Read if you can; guess if you can’t.