Introduction to The Ultimate Guide to 2016 AP® English Language FRQs
Do you remember the last time you took a standardized test? If you do, you probably remember feeling nervous before the test. You were probably sitting patiently in your seat, waiting for the proctor to say go, and this feeling of overwhelming dread was settling on you.
It is entirely normal to feel nervous before a test. If you think about it, taking any test is a lot like being the first explorer to cross into uncharted territory. You have no idea what awaits you on the next page, and you are unsure of your readiness. The question is: what can we do to change it?
One of the key things you can do to eliminate that nervous energy before the test is to study. You can learn the layout of the exam, the primary skills you need to prepare and ensure you are ready for what is on the next page. That is why this guide exists, to walk you through the 2016 Free Response Questions from the AP® Language exam.
If you stick to the skills and tips given in this AP® Language FRQ guide it will go a long way towards preparing you for the test; the first step is to learn how the test breaks down.
Test Breakdown
The Free Response Questions (FRQs) are the essay portion of the AP® Language exam. The exam itself has two parts, the first is a multiple choice section, and the second is the FRQs. This guide provides an overview, strategies, and examples of the FRQs from the CollegeBoard. There is a guide to the multiple choice here.
The FRQ section has two distinct parts: 15 minutes for reading a set of texts and 120 minutes for writing three essays. The 15 minute “reading period” is designed to give you time to read through the documents for question 1 and develop a thoughtful response. Although you are advised to give each essay 40 minutes, there is no set amount of time for any of the essays. You may divide the 120 minutes however you want.
The three FRQs are each designed to test a different style of writing. The first question is always a synthesis essay – which is why they give you 15 minutes to read all of the sources you must synthesize. The second essay is rhetorical analysis, requiring you to analyze a text through your essay. The third paper is an argumentative essay.
Each essay is worth one-third of the total grade for the FRQ section, and the FRQ section is worth 55% of the total AP® test. Keep that in mind as you prepare for the exam, while the multiple-choice section is hard, the essays are worth more overall – so divide your study time evenly.
The scale for essay scores ranges from 1-9. A score of 1 being illegible or unintelligible, while a score of 9 is going to reflect the best attributes and aspects of early college level writing. You should be shooting to improve your scores to the passing range, which is 5 or above. Note that if you are struggling with the multiple choice section, a 9-9-9 on the essays can help make up for it.
The Tale of Three Essays
If you are currently taking an AP® class, you have probably experienced the style and formats of the three assignments. You may have learned about the specifics of the different types of essays in class, and you may have already found out which of the three is easiest for you. However, you must possess skill in all three to master the AP® test.
The First Essay (Synthesis)
The first essay on the test is going to be the synthesis essay. This essay can be the trickiest to master, but once you do get the hang of it, you will be one step closer to learning the others. The synthesis requires you to read six texts, which can be poems, articles, short stories, or even political cartoons.
Once you have read and analyzed the texts, you are asked to craft an argument using at least three of the documents from the set. The sources should be used to build and support your argument, and you must integrate them into a coherent whole.
On the 2016 FRQ section of the AP® exam, the synthesis essay focused on the decline of foreign language learning in English speaking countries. The complete prompt for the section is below:
If we break down the task, it is asking you to use the six sources to create a “coherent, well-developed argument” from your own position on whether or not monolingual English speakers are at a disadvantage in today’s world. As you read this you might have some experience with the issue; perhaps you have discussed it in your foreign language or English classes. You can use that experience, but your response needs to focus on the given texts.
To find the actual documents you can go here. Taking a look at the documents will provide some context for the essay samples and their scores.
The question is scored on a scale from 1-9, with nine being the highest. Let’s take a look at some examples of student essays, along with comments from the readers – to break down the dos and don’ts of the FRQ section.
Do’s
You should always strive to get the highest score possible. Writing a high scoring paper involves learning some practices that will help you write the best possible synthesis essay. Below are two examples of what you should do taken from student essays.
Connect Your Sources and Reasoning
One of the things you should do is make an explicit connection between the sources given and your reasoning. When you utilize the sources provided, make sure you are giving enough details and information to connect them to your arguments effectively. Let’s look at a student example:
Examining the example above we can see how a high scoring essay integrates the sources provided with their commentary and arguments. Notice that the student blends the source materials from source A with their arguments showing the benefits of multilingual learning in the current workforce.
The student starts with the specific argument that “English speakers who can communicate with those who speak other languages are at a great advantage in their professional lives.” The student then uses the two pieces of information from source A (increasing the strength of their industry, and making themselves more employable) to provide proof for their claim.
To score high, ensure that you explicitly connect your argument in each paragraph to the sources you are using as support.
Have at Least One Source per Reason
The second thing you should do to earn a high score on the first essay is organize the sources you use into different reasons you can use to argue your claim. Let’s look at how a high-scoring student organized her ideas:
Notice that the student was able to create three strong reasons from the information given in the sources. One of the best skills you can pick up while you practice for the AP® Lang FRQs is to choose sources that will allow you to create a coherent argument with clear reasons behind it.
Don’ts
There are some practices that students should avoid on FRQ 1 of the test. Students who do these things can expect to receive low scores on their essays, and if you wish to score above a five, you should avoid them at all costs.
Don’t Misread the Sources
Do not misread the information that a source is providing. Students will sometimes think that they can use a source to argue a point that it doesn’t support, those students are wrong. Every person grading the AP® Lang FRQs has read and is intimately familiar with the source material on the test, so fooling them is not an option. Let’s look at an example:
This student misreads the source and tries to fit the evidence from the article in a place that it doesn’t fit. The argument that Berman makes in his article has very little to do with reassuring that “an individual’s culture is best for them” – and the evidence that the student offers doesn’t make any mention of choosing a best or better culture.
In the source, Berman is offering an alternative reason why someone might learn a language in contrast to the argument that learning languages should be entirely utilitarian. When you are writing your essay ensure that you always read the text correctly.
Don’t Give Inadequate Detail
Do not use sources and provide an inadequate explanation for what they mean or how they relate to your argument.
If you notice in the example above the student doesn’t elaborate on the evidence in much detail. The student mentions some general ideas like that the human brain becomes “smarter, faster, and wittier…” as a result of second language acquisition, but the student doesn’t provide much explanation of how that happens, or why that even matters to their argument about the value of language acquisition.
When you are working on your test make sure that you adequately explain the evidence you use. Make explicit connections between the evidence, and your argument. Any source that is left unexplained will count against you in the long run.
AP® Readers’ Tips:
- Read every text before you start your essay. One of the pitfalls of many students is that they do not use enough sources and try to fit them in after the fact.
- Plan ahead. Ensure that you understand what you are going to be saying and how you will incorporate the different sources into your writing. You will need at least three sources to get above a 6, so ensure you have at least that many mapped in your plan.
The Second Essay (Rhetorical Analysis)
The second essay on the FRQ section is always a rhetorical analysis essay. This essay will focus on analyzing a text for an important aspect of the writing. In the case of the 2016 FRQ, the analysis was supposed to concentrate on rhetorical strategies:
The prompt asks the reader to carefully read the eulogy presented by Margaret Thatcher in honor of Ronald Reagan, and write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies she uses in the speech. Rhetorical strategies are things like the rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical devices.
Let’s examine the do’s and don’ts for the second essay.
Do’s
Utilize Specific Examples from the Text in Your Analysis
In this high scoring essay, the student analyzes the text very effectively. The student points out how Thatcher uses precise diction, a rhetorical device, to get her point across. In this case, it is the idea that Thatcher is trying to “twist perception in her favor” by using the specific words “evil empire” when referring to Russia.
The student goes into further detail with their explanation that this choice in diction also allows Thatcher to show the “similarities in thinking” between the British and American peoples. This level of insight shows that the student has a distinct command of the material.
Using this level of detail in your analysis will ensure you score higher on the exam. It would be prudent then, to explain each piece of text you use in greater and more precise detail.
Whatever you identify in the text for your analysis, you should be able to point out precisely how it supports your main point. The more depth you can give in your analysis, the more accurate you can be with your comments, the better you will do.
Use Outside Knowledge Effectively to Strengthen Your Argument
The ability to pull in outside knowledge from your classes or books you have read will help enhance your analysis and can make it look like you know a lot more about the text itself. Let’s take a look at how a student did this on the 2016 exam:
In the example above, the student can provide a more in-depth analysis of Thatcher’s words by connecting her mention of the cold war to background knowledge of what the cold war meant to many Americans at the time.
The student can flesh out the meaning behind Thatcher’s words because the student understands so much about the cold war. The student can comment on how people felt during specific events and connect that to Thatcher’s words about the actions of President Reagan.
Whenever possible, bring in background information that will help with your analysis. It might only seem like extra knowledge about the topic or author, but it could provide some insight into why they chose to write about something or show the full effect of their argument.
Don’ts
Some things to avoid on the literary analysis essay include specific examples of evidence from the text, and understand the rhetorical strategies that you point out.
Don’t Fail to Provide Specific and Supportive Evidence from the Text
Everything you assert about the text should be supported by specific examples. Let’s look at an example of a student essay that fails to provide specific examples:
The student who wrote this essay doesn’t give their analysis the time or detail that it requires to be well done. The student glosses over the “evidence” by stating that the example of pathos (a rhetorical strategy) can be found in “lines one and two,” but they don’t ever give a specific example.
It is unfortunate that the student fails to provide a specific example, because if Thatcher is using pathos that would be a quality rhetorical strategy that the student could explain. The student’s failure to provide specific examples of text left them to only write a very general and simplistic analysis. The student doesn’t explain why Thatcher wants to be “showing her strong emotion for Ronald Reagan” or what that would do to the audience.
Overall, the student’s lack of both textual evidence and analysis led to their receiving a low score.
Don’t Try to Examine Rhetorical Strategies that You do not Understand
If you are pointing out a particular rhetorical strategy in the text, you need to make sure that you know how that strategy works. Here is an example of a student that tried to use a strategy they didn’t understand:
This student tries to point out how Thatcher uses logos (an appeal to logic) in her eulogy. However, the student says that Thatcher’s use of logos “makes her a credible source” which, while it is an indirect effect of using logos – is not the main goal when using factual or logical arguments.
If Thatcher’s desire was to make herself a credible source, she would have used ethos in her eulogy, because that is an appeal to the character of the speaker – having to do directly with credibility.
In your essay, make sure that you understand the rhetorical strategies you point out, and explain how those strengthen the author’s argument. The explicit connection between the strategy and the argument must be made to explain the effect of the strategy.
AP® Readers’ Tips
- Pay attention to both the holistic (overall) and analytic (particular) views of the piece. You will need to understand both the text as a whole and the specific parts of the text to analyze it effectively.
- Don’t just analyze the rhetoric used, but instead connect the rhetoric to the specific purpose that the author hopes to achieve through their speech. This rule applies to any rhetorical analysis essay.
The Third Essay (Argument)
The third and last essay of the FRQ does not respond to a particular text. Instead, the prompt focuses on crafting an argument about a particular issue. Your essay will need to argue a particular position, though most of the questions put forth by the exam will not be simple either/or questions.
Let’s look at the prompt for the third essay from 2016:
Before we get into the do’s and don’ts of the essay, let’s talk about the particular challenge of this task. You are presented with a scenario, in this case, it deals with disobedience as a means to create social progress, and you are asked to create an argument about that issue.
For 2016, the scenario asks you to argue what part disobedience plays in social progress. You are asked to explain the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid, and use evidence from sources of your reading, observation, and experience.
The Do’s
A few of the most important things you can do to ensure you score well on the essay include using an analogy to make your claim more clear and thoroughly connect the evidence you provide to your claim.
Use Analogy to Clarify Your Claim
Though it is tricky, one of the most effective strategies to show you have a command of language and understand the rudimentary skills required for crafting an argument is to use an analogy to introduce your claim. Let’s look at an essay that uses the strategy of analogy very well:
Instead of a very definite thesis statement, this student chooses to go with an analogy in their introduction. They still provide us with a claim, “… it is through disobedience and rebellion that social progress can be made” but they don’t lay out exactly how they are going to argue it.
The analogy itself, comparing social change through rebellion to Newton’s first law of motion works to make the rest of their argument more coherent. The idea that to change the trajectory of an object it must be acted on by a force provides a great model for thinking about social change – like the essay is going to establish through the rest of their writing.
If you can utilize analogy effectively in your writing, it can work to make your writing clear to the reader. Beyond clarity, it will show you have a command of the English language and argumentative strategies.
Make Explicit Connections between Your Evidence and Claim
The best essays are going to make clear and convincing connections between the evidence they provide and the claim they are trying to support. If there are no explicit connections made between the evidence and the argument, the entire essay will be unconvincing and result in a low score.
Let’s take a look at one example of how this connection works:
The student does a very good job connecting their evidence (the social change brought about by non-violent protests during the civil rights movement) and their claim (that social change happens through rebellion). The connection is demonstrated very well through their explanation, and they expand on the ideas in the subsequent sentences.
The sentence, “Although they seem like small steps, these efforts were part of a larger effort to get America to realize that segregation was wrong” demonstrates the students understanding of how their evidence supports the claim of the essay. It also shows that they can break down their argument, and ensure it stands up to criticism (that the boycotts didn’t end segregation).
Overall, this student can effectively connect their evidence to the claim which resulted in a higher score.
Don’ts
If we take a look at the essay samples from 2016 FRQ, there are few examples that stand out as don’ts. In particular, you should avoid misunderstanding the evidence you use, and the use of unnecessary information and phrases.
Don’t Fail to Explain Your Evidence
When you are making an argument, and it is based solely on your experiences and reasoning, it can be easy to get bogged down in the details and fail to explain your evidence adequately. You need to take your time and ensure you make clear connections between your evidence and claim.
Let’s take a look at a sample from an essay that fails to explain its evidence:
The essay presents the novella Animal Farm as evidence. However, it fails to explain how it is evidence. In the passage above, the student says that the novel is an analogy of the Soviet Union and Communism but then says that the characters in the novel and the people in the Soviet Union caused them to disobey against their leaders.
This example is a wholly confusing paragraph. First, the question arises of who the characters and Soviet Union are causing to rebel. Second, it doesn’t explain how this shows that rebellion brings about social progress. In the novella, which many of the essay graders will have read, the animals rebel, and it eventually leads to tragedy.
This student uses a source they don’t quite understand and as a result fails to argue their point effectively. You must uses sources that you understand in your essay, and the sources you use must be directly related to your argument – unlike this student’s use of animal farm.
Don’t Use Illogical Sentences
It can be difficult to make sense when you are under time pressure, but your sentences must make sense in the context of your essay. Here is an example from a low scoring essay with sentences that don’t make sense:
The student begins the paragraph by talking about how critical thinking is necessary for rebellion, which may be true. However, this has nothing to do with showing how rebellion leads to social progress.
As you read the rest of the paragraph, the student focuses more on how critical thinking is a valuable quality that shouldn’t be wasted, not on how it works to advance social change through rebellion.
If you cannot think of an argument that supports your claim, then find evidence that supports an argument or reason you wrote about earlier. Unrelated reasons and arguments do not help you score high.
AP® Readers’ Tips
- Keep track of all parts of the prompt. One of the easiest ways to drop points is to forget to answer an important aspect of the prompt. In the case of the 2016 prompt, the essay needs to talk about the value of Wilde’s idea and argue about the role of rebellion in social progress.
- Try to reference literary examples in your writing. Using things you have read provides a chance to go into more depth and detail about what you are writing.
General Tips from AP® Graders
- Make a plan. One of the best things you can do for any essay you are writing under a time crunch is to make a thought-out plan. Sometimes, in the heat of writing, it is easy to forget where we are in our arguments. Having a simple outline can save you from that misfortune.
- Answer the question in your introduction, and be direct. Directly answering the prompt is one of the easiest ways to ensure you get a higher score.
- Clearly, indent your paragraphs, and ensure that you always have an easy to navigate structure. Topic sentences are a must, so make sure those figure into your structure.
- Use evidence especially quotes from the texts, and explain what they mean. You need to make an explicit connection between the evidence you use, and how it supports your points.
- Part of all great writing is variety. Vary your sentence structures, don’t make all of your sentences short or choppy, but instead try to inject some creativity into your writing. Utilize transitions, complex sentences, and elevated diction in your writing.
- Use active voice, and make every word add to the paper as a whole. Avoid fluff; you don’t want your paper to look irrelevant because you are trying to pad your word count.
Go Forth and Conquer
Now that you better understand the expectations of the AP® Language and Composition FRQ section, you are one step closer to getting your five on the exam. Take what you have learned in this guide, and work on applying it to your writing. So, now it is time to go practice to perfection.
If you have any more tips or awesome ideas for how to study for the AP® Lang FRQ add them in the comments below.
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