AP® English Literature FRQs
We understand the apprehension you may feel thinking about the AP® English Literature FRQ portion. We’ve all been through it. Students experienced the same fear in 2015, but we have proof that they made it out the other side. We find that looking at their successes and failures can help calm nerves and teach us what to avoid and what to implement into our own writing tool box.
In 2015, 401,076 students took the AP® English Literature and Composition test. Only 30,347 scored a 5, which equates to only 7.6%. In this blog we’re going to unlock the secrets of the 7.6% so you, too, can be in that minority when you take the test.
We’ll go through, question by question, actual prompts and essays from the 2015 test along with comments and tips from actual graders. We’ll leave you with a great game plan for your own test so when you open that first page you’re prepared and ready. We’d love for you to follow along with us at the CollegeBoard website.
2015 FREE RESPONSE QUESTION #1:
Remember that you can tackle the AP® English Literature FRQs in any order you desire. Create a game plan for yourself that will make you feel confident and prepared when you open that packet the day of the test.
The first question is hard. Why? Because poetry is hard. The language is often less accessible, the devices more subtle, and the meaning more complex than it appears at first glance. Historically, the lowest-scoring question on the AP® English Literature FRQ section is the first. And 2015 was no different.
As we go through what to implement in your essay and what to avoid, think about when in the order of questions you’d like to conquer poetry. Are you the type that likes to climb the highest mountain first and then coast down the rest of the way? Or do you prefer to gain confidence with the smaller beasts before facing that final foe? The choice is all yours.
The Prompt
If you’re not reading the prompt first, you’re basically driving without directions and hoping you somehow stumbled into the right place. The prompt is your guide. Read it! And read it first.
For the 2015 AP® English Literature FRQ, the poetry excerpt included both the unfamiliar and the familiar. The poem was written in the 20th century so the language was easier to understand for the test takers. But the writer was from the Caribbean, a place with a culture and history most test-takers wouldn’t be expert on. This means the test-taker had to focus the analysis solely on the text itself. This is good to note: in the first question always focus on the text. The test takers want to see your command of poetic devices in the poem.
As a quick side note, we knew it was a 20th century poet because of the copyright information at the bottom of the page. Think of it like a P.S. Prompt.
One final point before we dive into examples. We always like to underline what exactly the prompt says that needs to be answered. In this case there were two components and missing one because you didn’t fully read the prompt would be devastating to your score. The prompt says, “discuss the speaker’s recollection AND analyze how Walcott uses poetic devices to convey the significance of the experience”. Underline them both. Answer them both.
The Good
The Good shows what we should do to score 9’s.
Make a Point
Answering the prompt could be done by saying the author uses alliteration, imagery, and sensory details to convey the significance of the experience. However, what makes a 9 is going one step further. To say the experience is significant to the author is rather obvious. In fact, it’s stated quite clearly in the prompt itself. What makes a 9 is arguing what exactly that significance is in the poem. This example focuses on how it brought the narrator closer to his brother. Test-graders were particularly impressed by this argument.
So when you’re taking your test, think about taking that one extra step. Not only will it help make a great first impression on your grader, but it will help focus the rest of your essay. Instead of writing about the ambiguous “significance”, this example wrote about how the poem impacted the author’s relationship with his brother.
Don’t be afraid to make a point.
Focus on Connotation over Denotation
In case you haven’t heard these terms yet, let’s take just a moment to go over them together and then see how it makes a huge difference in your essay. The best way to think about denotation is the dictionary definition of a word. (In fact, we use the alliteration to help us remember which is which!) Connotation is a little trickier to understand. It’s the meaning or association of the word in that specific instance within the text.
Let’s look at the above example to help us see the difference. The test taker points to “dasheen leaves” in the poem. The denotation of dasheen leaves would be the definition you see if you were to look it up in a dictionary. But dasheen leaves in this poem connote “the thrill of independence and danger”. This is analysis.
Ask yourself during the poetry section: what does this imply? What tone does it convey? Why this word over another?
The Bad
The Bad shows us what we can avoid doing to go from 6 to a 9.
Just Restate the Prompt
Consider the difference between this thesis and the one we showed you above that scored a 9. Whereas the 9 thesis built on the prompt and made a specific argument, this thesis merely restates the prompts with slightly different wording. “Special” replaces “significant”. Instead of detailing the different poetic devices, this essay keeps it vague and unclear.
Starting out strong is a great way to set yourself up for success. When writing your own thesis remember not to just rewrite the prompt. Expand upon the question, make your own argument, and be specific about what evidence you will be using to support that claim.
Misunderstand the Poetic Devices
With standardized tests we all fear the same words: choose the most correct answer. Unfortunately, a most correct answer exists in the AP® English Literature FRQ section as well. In the above example, the line used by the test taker does included alliteration. However, this is not the most correct answer. The graders indicated that this was figurative language meant to create a metaphor for the reader, not a feeling of shivers. Especially with easily identifiable devices, like alliteration, make sure you ask yourself if it’s serving a larger purpose in the text as a different device.
Don’t just jump on the first correct answer. Find the most correct answer and you’ll see your score jump.
The Ugly
The Ugly shows us what to avoid at all costs. The Ugly are point killers.
Simply Summarize the Poem
Nothing will lose you points faster than simply summarizing the events of the poem. Graders of the AP® English Literature FRQ can sniff out summaries like hounds. If it is not directly answering the prompt, leave it out. And one thing you can be sure of is that you will never be asked on a Free Response Question, ever, is to summarize.
Impress the graders with everything you know about poetic devices. Don’t bore them with summaries of a poem they themselves read and reread and reread again. Trust us, they already know what the poem’s about.
Don’t Analyze
Beware lists. Look at the example above. That is a list. If you find yourself writing a sentence if your essay and it’s starting to look like a grocery list, you’re probably missing some analysis. This is similar to summarizing really, but worse. Instead of re-wording the poem, this sentence simply rewrites the words.
Now don’t get us wrong. Citing direct quotes from the text is a fantastic idea. But it needs to be followed by analysis. What poetic device is being used in the text? How does that impact the work? How does it show the specific significance of the experience to the narrator? In other words, why? Why is it there.
Tips from the Graders:
- Move from denotative to connotative meanings. To do this, push beyond the dictionary definition of a word and instead prove to the grader that you understand how that word is used in the specific text.
- While close reading is important and citing specific lines is key, don’t forget the work as a whole. Make sure to explain how your examples impact the rest of the text.
2015 FREE RESPONSE QUESTION #2:
The Prompt
Early on in the article, we described the prompt as the guide for your journey through the excerpt you are about to read. In the 2015 AP® English Literature FRQ #2, the prompt gave extra helpful guidance that any test taker would have been smart to heed. Whenever a prompt says, “You may wish to consider” read that as “You should definitely consider”. The 2015 prompt pointed the test takers to three types of literary devices to use in analyzing the author’s depiction of the impact of the environment on the two children in the excerpt: tone, imagery, and selection of point of view.
While these may not always be a part of the prompt, if you see them on your test we suggest marking the excerpt with a shorthand for the indicated devices. In this case we may suggest “T” for tone, “I” for imagery, and “POV” for selection of POV. While you can certainly veer from the path, it’s a good idea to use these as a framework for your essay.
If this proves anything, it proves that the test takers want you to succeed. Sometimes it’s hard to remember when you see large chunks of literature to decipher and analyze. But keep it in mind. And take the guide’s help.
The Good
The Good shows up what we should do to score 9s.
Sustain Your Ideas Throughout the Essay
The test taker makes the point in the opening paragraph that the environment impacts Karl’s emotions and then continues and expands upon that, throughout the entirety of the essay. The above example is from the final paragraph of the essay.
Think of your argument, which you state clearly and elegantly in your first paragraph, as a string that you weave throughout your essay. Each and every paragraph adds a bead of evidence to that string and you end with a knot that holds everything together.
Pay Attention to what isn’t Written
A great tool in analyzing literature is to ask yourself: why wasn’t this written in a different way? There are infinite numbers of ways to write and the author of each piece chose a particular way in order to convey a meaning.
In this example, the test taker noted how the environment was described broadly, when it could have been described using “individual characteristics”. From this, the essay made an argument. If you find yourself confused on a passage, consider what the author could have written, but didn’t. And why?
The Bad
The Bad shows us what we can avoid doing to go from 6 to a 9.
Hold the Gavel
Your job in the AP® English Literature FRQ portion is to analyze literature using the devices you’ve been learning and practicing. Think of yourself more as an investigator, not a judge. You look at the clues, draw connections, and put together theories.
The above shows an example of a judge. It casts an indictment on the morality and personality of the characters. If you ever find yourself writing that a character is good or bad in a certain way, you’re being a judge.
Throw away the gavel and pick up the magnifying glass.
The Ugly
The Ugly shows us what to avoid at all costs. The Ugly are point killers.
Speculate, don’t Analyze
We think of the difference this way:
Analyzing uses the text as evidence. Speculation uses your own thoughts and opinions as evidence.
If you stick to the text, you’ll avoid this point killer. If you’re still struggling seeing when you’re speculating, look out for the word “seem” in your essay. Put that word on your never-ever-ever use list and you should do better at avoiding speculation. Replace it with instead a specific line from the text.
Write Unclearly
We understand that the AP® English Literature FRQ can be very stressful. It’s timed. There’s a lot of pressure to show everything you’ve learned all year. And if you have a lot of great ideas you’re often in a rush to get them all down. But never sacrifice your writing. If a grader can’t understand what you wrote, it doesn’t matter how great of a point you meant.
The best way to practice writing clearly and quickly is to take practice tests, and lots of them.
Tips from the Graders:
- Organize your essay in a logical, effective way. Think of each paragraph building on your argument. An easy way to see if your argument is building throughout your essay is to reorder your paragraphs. If it still makes sense, then you need to work on organizing your argument. Aim for building blocks, not separate, disjointed pieces.
- Avoid a reading of the passage that is “too neat”. This means if your reading has no complexities, paradoxes, or contradictions, it’s probably wrong.
2015 FREE RESPONSE QUESTION #3:
Whether you’re writing this question first or last, enjoy it. It’s your chance to show off all you’ve learned during the year and is almost always the highest scoring of the three.
The Prompt
It is rare for the prompt of the third FRQ to have only one question for you to answer. In the case of the 2015 AP® English Literature FRQ #3, it asked the test takers to analyze “how cruelty functions in the work as a whole” and “what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim”. When you take your exam make sure you read the third prompt carefully so you catch all the different components you’re asked to answer. Otherwise you’ll lose points unnecessarily.
Let’s take a look at how your peers tackled this prompt: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
The Good shows up what we should do to score 9’s.
Go Below the Surface
Many weaker essays focused on a single effect of cruelty in a piece of literature. What impressed the test takers with this response was acknowledgement that cruelty had two different effects on characters. This showed a strong grasp of the material and the complexities involved. When writing your essay ask yourself: can I dive deeper into this question?
This also starts with your reading throughout the school year. Pay attention to the different layers in your literature, because it will get you more points than skimming the surface on the AP® English Literature FRQ.
Articulate Your Ideas Clearly
We mentioned earlier that poor writing can result in losing points. But the opposite is also true. Practice your writing, improve your vocabulary, and hone your syntax and demonstrate it on your essays. It could mean the difference between a 7 and 8, or even an 8 and a 9.
The Bad
The Bad shows us what we can avoid doing to go from 6 to a 9.
Describe the Plot
If your response on the AP® English Literature FRQ could easily be found on a summary SparkNotes or CliffNotes or any other “notes”, then you’re describing. Trust us, the graders know the plots of most, if not all, of the pieces of literature you’ll be writing about. That’s not why they’re there. They’re there to see your interesting and insightful analysis of that literature. Wow them with something they hadn’t considered before. Take that as your challenge.
Description is a waste of words you could be using to earn points. Don’t waste your words.
Don’t Develop Your Claim
Starting well will earn you a six. Ending well will earn you a nine. The test takers noted that this essay began strongly with the above thesis. But it failed to develop it throughout the essay. Remember what we said about the string that you weave through the essay? This is an example of gathering all the string and not using it. The beads go everywhere and you’re left with a mess.
Your last paragraph is the final impression on the grader. Use it as an opportunity to show all the work you did in the rest of your essay. And don’t forget it!
The Ugly
The Ugly shows us what to avoid at all costs. The Ugly are point killers.
Ignore the Greater Context of the Work
These great works of literature were not written in a vacuum. And while you don’t need to provide your test grader with a history lesson, it’s important to acknowledge the political, historical, and social factors at play in a work. If you do ignore it you’ll end up with overly simplified arguments like the one above, which quite misses the complex point of To Kill a Mockingbird.
When you’re reviewing the literature you’ve studied before the test, take a minute to refresh yourself not just on plot, theme, and character, but also the greater context.
Tips from the Graders:
- Prepare. It sounds simple, but the graders saw a lot of students who didn’t know the basics of a work they used. Make sure you know the correct book title, author name, character names, and a general idea about the theme of the book.
- Remember the time and place of a novel. As we also mentioned, the graders wanted to see the test takers hone in on the cultural and historical aspects of a piece of literature.
Now it’s Your Turn
You’ve now gone over the successes and failures of the 2015 AP® English Literature FRQ portion of the exam. But what do you do with all this new information?
We recommend putting it to the test right away. Carve out some time, set up a timer, and take the 2015 test yourself. Try to avoid the mistakes that lost your peers points and try to implement a few new tricks you learned from those stellar 9’s. Use the CollegeBoard website to score yourself and make a list of things you did well and things you want to improve on.
Do you have any good, bad, or ugly to share with us from your experiences practicing? Tell us in the comments below!
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