AP English Language and Composition with CD-ROM (REA Test Preps) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738607878 ISBN 13: 9780738607870

Publisher: Research & Education Association, 2009

Synopsis

Are You Serious About Scoring a 5?

Then Get REA’s AP English Language & Composition Test Prep with TestWare CD

The #1 Choice for Serious Students!

 

REA’s AP English Language & Composition test prep gives you everything you need to score a 5 on the exam! 

 

Written by an AP English Language professor, this seventh edition of our popular AP test prep is completely up-to-date and aligned with the official AP English Language & Composition exam. Review chapters featuring sample essays, commentaries, and critical reading and writing strategies show you what you need to know to succeed on the AP exam.

 

An entire review chapter explains how to prepare for and take the AP exam. A glossary of literary & rhetorical terms and appendices devoted to spelling and punctuation are included so you can study smarter and score a 5! 

 

The test prep features three full-length practice exams with detailed explanations of answers, a custom study schedule, and test-taking strategies. The practice tests are composed of every type of question that can be expected on the actual AP English Language & Composition exam, so you can “practice for real” and target your strengths and weaknesses before the test.

 

The book’s practice tests are included on CD in a timed format with automatic, instant scoring. Our interactive TestWare CD offers detailed on-screen answers, diagnostic feedback, plus an extended time function for students with disabilities. 

 

If you’re serious about getting a 5 on your exam, then you need REA’s AP English Language & Composition test prep! 

 

REA has helped more than a million students succeed on their AP exams! Teachers across the country consider our AP titles to be invaluable resources and consistently recommend our books to their students. 

About this title

About the Author

The AP Experts Behind Our Updated Edition

 

Dwight Lloyd Raulston, Ph.D., is director of curriculum at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas. A seasoned AP instructor, Dr. Raulston recently was cited in the College Board’s “2006 Advanced Placement Report to the Nation” for an exemplary program that leads the world “in helping the widest segment of their total school population achieve an exam grade of 3 or higher in AP English Language and Composition.” Dr. Raulston has received many academic honors, including Most Influential High School Teacher Recognition from the University of Texas and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Outstanding Teacher Award from the University of Chicago, among others. Dr. Raulston received his B.A. (1975) and Ph.D. (1979) from Rice University.   

 

Sally Wood, M.S., has taught Advanced Placement and dual credit courses, and is a certified exam reader for Educational Testing Service, a test-item writer for ACT, Inc., and the author of many academic and counseling articles for a wide range of educational publications. Ms. Wood has counseled college-bound students on such topics as academic preparation, test-taking, and college admissions. A four-time recipient of the Joplin Globe Distinguished Educator award, Ms. Wood is listed in Who’s Who in American Education and is a long-time member of the Missouri State Teachers Association. She received her B.S. degree in 1971 and her M.S. in 1980.

 

 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1 
Excelling on the AP English Language & Composition Exam 
About This Book and TestWare® 

This test-preparation guide, and the accompanying CD, will help you do well on the Advanced Placement Examination in English Language & Composition. You will become familiar with the requirements of the examination and be given a chance to put your mastery of the AP exam on a series of specially developed practice exams. The introductory sections of the book are devoted to explaining the test, reviewing and expanding your critical reading skills, and helping you learn how to approach writing essays and answering multiple-choice questions in the ways the AP examination will expect you to be able to do successfully. 

This book provides three full-length practice exams with thorough explanations of every answer to help pinpoint your problem areas. By taking these practice exams and devoting time to going through our targeted subject review, you’ll be well prepared to succeed on the AP English Language & Composition Exam. In addition, this book includes a glossary of key literary terms with 65 entries, all fully defined. 

The three practice exams are also included on the enclosed TestWare® CD. The software provides timed conditions and instantaneous, accurate scoring, which makes it all the easier to establish your strengths and weaknesses. 

 

About the Exam 
The Advanced Placement Examination in English Language & Composition is geared toward the student who has studied the mechanics of writing and rhetoric at an advanced level and wishes to pursue college credit. 

Take care not to confuse the AP Examination in English Language & Composition with the AP Examination in Literature & Composition. The Literature exam focuses on literature and literary criticism, while the Language exam deals with writing as a craft. This book is designed to help you prepare for the AP Examination in English Language & Composition only. 

 

The AP English Language & Composition Exam is divided into two sections: 
 
• Section 1 – Multiple Choice (60 minutes—accounts for 45% of total score) 
Five or six reading passages, with an average of 10 questions each.  

 

• Section 2 – Free Response (up to 120 minutes—accounts for 55% of total score) 
Three essay questions. 

 

The first section consists of five or six reading passages and sixty multiple-choice questions, which you will have one hour to complete. Each passage will be followed by an average of ten questions, and thereafter the passage will not be referred to again. Do not feel pressured to remember each reading; just digest them one at a time and move on. After reading the passage, you will have approximately one minute to answer each question. 

 

The second section of the AP English Language & Composition exam consists of three essay questions and is divided such that you will have forty minutes to write each essay. You will not be able to go back to an essay after the allotted time has elapsed. Note that each essay has very specific instructions, and most have a passage that you will read critically to answer the essay question. Your essays will be scored according to the essay structure, the clarity of your writing, and the extent to which you have answered the question. 

 

Scoring the Exam  
The multiple-choice section of the exam is scored by machine. Your score on this part of the exam is determined simply by adding the number of correct responses and subtracting one-quarter of a point for each wrong answer. Questions left blank do not count in any way—positive or negative—toward the score. The essay section of the examination is graded by well-trained human readers to ensure consistency. Each essay is read by more than one reader, and the scores of different readers are averaged together if they should disagree. Each essay is given a final grade from 0 to 9, and the total essay score is simply the total of these three essay scores. The maximum essay score is thus always 27, and each essay contributes equally to the essay score.   

The multiple-choice section generally is weighted to account for about 45% of the total composite score, and the essay section is weighted to account for the remainder of the composite score. These weighted scores are then added together to get a composite score. These scores are broken down into ranges, and AP grades of 1 through 5 for the overall exam are assigned on the basis of the composite-score ranges. The exact composite-score ranges that correspond to each AP exam grade are adjusted slightly each year in accordance with statistical information that is gathered on the examination each year in order to keep year-to-year results as comparable as possible. 

How to Use This Book and TestWare®  
Read through the introductory material in chapters 1–5. The text in these chapters is designed to help you review what you’ve already learned, as well as expand your skills with some specific details and approaches to critical reading and writing that your English course may not have covered in as much detail.  

 

After studying the review material, it is critical that you take the three full-length practice exams included on the CD that accompanies this book. By taking the practice exams on CD you will become familiar with the format and feel of the AP English Language & Composition Exam.  

If possible, try to find someone to score your essays for you, perhaps a friend who is also preparing for the exam. It’s much easier to be objective about someone else’s writing than your own. In the multiple-choice section, be sure to look carefully at the explanations for each question you missed. 

 

Remember, your goal in preparing for this exam is to score well on it. So, when you miss a question, don’t try to convince yourself how your answer is “better” than the book’s. Instead, try to see how the author of the question chose the answer that was given as the best choice. If you put yourself into the mindset of the people writing these sorts of questions, you’ll have an easier time answering them correctly and your scores will improve.   

It is important to note that critical reading is a skill and that while memorization may suffice for the mastery of literary terminology, practice is your only means to master critical reading. Chapters 2 and 3 of this book have been designed to help you hone your critical reading and writing skills. Once you have practiced these skills, move on to Chapter 4, which coaches you for the format and time limits of the AP exam. If the test date is near, it may be a better idea for you to start with the coaching chapter and practice tests since they provide direct instruction for the exam format. Ideally, it’s best to use the six-week study schedule in the front of this book. 

 

SSD Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 
Many students qualify for extra time to take the AP exams. Our TestWare® can be adapted to accommodate your time extension. This allows you to practice under the same extended time accommodations that you will receive on the actual test day. To customize your TestWare®  to suit the most common extensions, visit our website at www.rea.com/ssd. 

 

How to Contact the AP Program  
To obtain a registration bulletin or to learn more about the Advanced Placement Examinations, contact: 

 

The College Board Advanced Placement Program 
P.O. Box 6671 
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671 
Phone: (609) 771-7300 
Website: www.apcentral.collegeboard.com 
E-mail: apexams@info.collegeboard.org 

 

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738607878
• ISBN 13: 9780738607870
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304
• Editor: Wood MS Sally, Raulston Ph.D. Dr. Dwight