I attempted my first practice multiple choice AP exam today— and missed seven questions, scoring an 86 percent. I’m pleasantly surprised! The exam reminded me of the ones I had puzzled over in AP Language & Composition; I think this familiarity was definitely to my advantage. My longtime relationship with poetry was another benefit. I am not particularly well-versed in Shakespearean-influenced forms, however; I was quite lost on a question relating to meter!
Technical questions such as the one regarding meter tended to be my downfall. I’m piecing together that iambic trimeter consists of six-syllable lines. I’m also trying to enhance my understanding of how prose passages are organized. This was evident in my examination of an excerpt of Bleak House by Charles Dickens— I thought the content shifted from general to specific subjects, but the jump was from literal to figurative instead. This issue stems from my tendency to skim through beefier pieces. I was concerned about time restraints so I wanted to cut corners. I also didn’t follow the advice of my “5 Steps to a 5” study book, which suggests perusing the entire test to determine passage lengths and locations before beginning to answer any questions.
Along with employing that strategy on future practice tests, I have other aims to improve my understanding of literature before the AP exam next May. The first is to warm up to and familiarize myself with hearty, more archaic texts. Thus, I will read two classic prose pieces from the suggested lists in example essay prompts, such as Heart of Darkness or King Lear. As a future AP tester (and hopefully, a future English professor), I also hope to enrich my trove of poetic knowledge. I will expand my canon by reading at least one poem by each author on the recommended list in “5 Steps to a 5.” I know I’ll enjoy the task, and perhaps it will pay off come May, when my frenzied nerves are soothed when I recognize a poet on the exam. Perhaps I will spend one Saturday at a local library entrenching myself in Greco-Roman mythology as well. That way, I’ll be adroit with allusions common in the European canon.
I think I’m already off to a promising start! According to my practice test results, I have a sturdy foundation of knowledge regarding literary devices. I found I was pretty quick to decipher the backgrounds and main ideas of poems, navigating through abstract imagery. Since my AP Language & Composition days, I’ve become much stronger at sensing tone, and my vocabulary regarding these questions has burgeoned (I now understand what “vitriolic” and “diatribe” mean!). So with this introspection in mind, let the preparation commence!
You should definitely be very proud of your current literary analysis skills! You did so well in AP Comp it makes sense that you also excel at AP Lit. I think it's a great idea to continue building that literary repertoire in preparation for the AP exam because it has obviously done you well so far! I need to do this as well along with my review of rhetorical terms.
ReplyDeleteAs far as reading over the entire test before starting the first passage, I would only do that if you honestly think that it will help you. Obviously your high score shows you have a pretty solid test taking process going for you so I wouldn't change that just because a book says so. If you're worried about time I think you should skip this step if you don't find it useful.
Congratulations on your score and I hope to get mine to that level by the end of AP Lit!