Post on 23-Feb-2022
AP Language and Composition Summer Assignment
1. Get the old (original/“authorized”) King James Version of the Bible (it will say so, either
on the front cover or on the inside cover, on the first couple of pages). Read all of the
passages listed on the back. For each chapter (or book, in the case of Ruth and Song), in
handwritten form, ask an intelligent question of the text (e.g. “why is “LORD” in all
capital letters, but “God”—not?”) or provide an interesting, one- or two-sentence
comment (e.g. “there are two creation stories in Genesis”). There should be about 70
questions/comments total. Finally, in the spirit of the assignment, answer/explain seven
of your questions/comments.
NOTE: In AP Language and Composition, all texts are sacred, inasmuch as the process of plumbing the
depths of the texts’ meanings is sacred. For students who were raised to believe that certain texts
are sacred because their words are magical—like incantations—rather than the process of
deriving the meaning of said words, or for students who were raised to believe that certain ancient
texts represent literal, scientific facts—for these students the course will initially be emotionally
and intellectually challenging. The payoff, however, will be spiritually rewarding.
For those parents who cannot tolerate the ideas expressed in the above paragraph, our school’s
Junior Honors course is just as rigorous as the AP class, and also offers students the extra grade
point.
2. Read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. As you read, using complete sentences,
handwrite the answers (on your own paper) to the attached study-guide questions. These
answers, but not the book, will be allowed as notes on the test, which will take place
during the first week of school. At the end of the test, the study-guide questions and
answers will be collected.
3. Read Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, 4th
edition (or higher). Concentrate
particularly on the first thirty-three pages; make sure to understand all of the right and
wrong examples. Neither book nor notes will be allowed on this test, which will also take
place during the first week of school.
Hint: Do the work in the order in which it is listed above.
Note: Ms. Williams, in the textbook room, will let students check out The Scarlet Letter for the
summer. HMHS does not have any copies of Elements of Style, but Mr. Litvin has a
personal set. Students may check out a copy by going to his room. The King James
Version of the Bible is available online for free (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10/10-
h/10-h.htm).
Email: ilitvin@wccusd.net or iiilitvin@gmail.com
(please do not hesitate to communicate with me during the summer)
The Old Testament The New Testament
Genesis Matthew
chapter: verse(s) chapter: verse(s)
1: 26-28
2: (all) 1: 18-25
3: (all) 5: 27-32
4: 1-17; 25-26 7: 1-6
12: 10-20 19: 3-12
13: 1-2 Mark
19: 1-8, 13-28 5: 25-34
20: (all) 7: 15
26: 1, 6-13 10: 2-12, 29-30
29: 21-23, 25-26 Luke
30: 1-5, 9-12 1: 26-35
34: (all) 8: 43-48
38: (all) 10: 38-42
Exodus 11: 27-28
20: 14,17 20: 28-35
22: 16-17, 19 24: 10
Leviticus John
18: (all) 2: 1-5
19: 20,29 4: 5-28
20: 10-21 8: 3-11
Deuteronomy 11: 1-5, 19-33
5: 18 12: 2-3
21: 10-14 16: 21
22: 5, 13-30 20: 11-18
23: 17 Acts
24: 1-5 9: 36-41
25: 5-9; 11-12 Corinthians
Joshua 7: (all)
2: 1-21 Ephesians
6: 21-25 5: 2-5, 22-33
Judges Colossians
4: 14-23 3: 18-19
11: 30-40 1 Thessalonians
16: 1-22 4: 3-5
19: (all) 1 Timothy
2: 9-15
Ruth (all) 5: 1-6, 9-16
James
2 Samuel 4: 1-4
11: (all) 1 Peter
13: 1-22 3: 1-7
Ezra Revelation
9: 1-3 2: 20-23
10: 10-19 12: (all)
Proverbs 17: (all)
31: 10-31 19: 1-9
Song of Solomon (all)