AP English Literature Exam Prompts

AP Lit and Comp

Vivian

Deconstructing the AP promptwhat constitutes an AP English prompt or question??

By Barbara Murphy, 5 Steps to a 5

Remember, a prompt is just that, a suggestion, or hint, or timely instruction as to what is expected of you as a writer in a specific circumstance.

As we have said before, the two major writing tasks that AP English courses are preparing for are: 1) analysis of text; and 2) argumentation. Therefore, AP English prompts are aimed at developing and evaluating your skills in writing the essay of analysis or a clearly presented and supported argument.

Generally, you could say that the AP English prompt is made up of THREE parts:

SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT. Sound familiar? Youre right; it looks like the basic components of a sentence. And, if you keep this idea in mind, youll not easily forget to look for each of these three parts when you begin to deconstruct any given prompt.

The SUBJECT refers to the given text on which both prompt and your essay are based. For example:

Read the following passage from

In her book, the author makes the following observation about

In the following passage, the speaker discusses

Read the following poem

Read the following short story

Writers often highlight

The author wrote

The VERB specifically tells you what to do with the given text. For example:

Analyze the rhetorical techniques or strategies

Defend, challenge, or qualify the writers ideas

Analyze how the poet uses imagery

Analyze how the author uses literary techniques or devices

Choose a literary work and show how

Discuss the poems controlling metaphor

Explain how

Other verbs that could be used include: compare, contrast, evaluate, explain, justify, relate, describe, identify and discuss, identify and explain.

The OBJECT is the GOAL. It makes it clear what the overall purpose of your essay is to be. For example:

Two conflicts within one character illuminating the meaning

Reveals the speakers response to

Authors exploration of

Expression of the attitude of the speaker

Revelation of character

Retelling of an experience

A fourth component of an AP prompt that MUST be considered is the recognition of KEY WORDS and PHRASES. These are clues that let you know what the creator of the prompt is looking for in the organization and structure of your presentation. For example:

Consider such stylistic devices as: diction, imagery, syntax, pacing, structure, tone and selection of detail.

Using your own knowledge and experiences or readings

Choose a suitable literary work

Choose a work of literary merit

Consider formal elements such as structure, syntax, diction and imagery

Consider literary elements such as point of view, selection of detail, figurative language

Consider such poetic elements as imagery, metaphor, rhythm, form and rhyme

A fifth and final component that many prompts contain is the inclusion of incidental data. These are remarks that are made about the given text that can often prove to be quite helpful in both your understanding and analysis of the text. Pay attention to such information as titles, authors names, date of publication, the genre of the text, and any other background that the test maker provides. If the information is given to you, it must be important in your consideration of the text and the preparation of your essay. Note: when a prompt reads such as, you can choose from among the ideas presented, or you can choose to develop your own ideas, strategies and devices. But, be aware that you must adhere to the requirements dictated by the prompt. If it asks for more than one item, you cannot develop only one. No matter how well you develop this one idea, it will fall short of the basic requirements of the prompt.

Once you know what is expected, you will be able to:

Read in a more directed manner;

Be sensitive to those details that will apply;

Write an essay that will adhere to the given topic.

Application: Strengthening your deconstructing muscles

The following is a previous AP prompt. Using your deconstructing knowledge, carefully read and notate the prompt and answer the questions that follow.

A. Carefully read the following passage from George Eliots novel Middlemarch (1871). Then write an essay in which you characterize the narrators attitude toward Dorothea Brooke and analyze the literary techniques used to convey the attitude. Support your analysis with specific references to the passage. (AP Lit, 1998)1) Highlight the subject of the prompt.

2) Underline the key verbs of the prompt.

3) Bracket the object/goal of the prompt.

4) For this prompt, is it important to pay close attention to the time period of the novels setting?

5) Is the writer expected to address all of the possible literary techniques in this passage?

6) Based on the demands of the prompt, can the essay be an abstract discussion?

7) Based on the demands of the prompt, can the writer discuss his or her own attitude toward Dorothea?

8) Based on the demands of the prompt, can the writer explain the plot occurring in the prompt?