Coming into this exam, I kind of knew what to expect. After hearing how hard the first multiple choice exam was from the first trimester AP Literature students, I decided to review some of the "Need to Know" list of literary devices that we were given as a part of our Summer Reading Assignment during the three day weekend following first trimester. While some literary devices were review from AP Language and Composition, others were devices that I didn't even knew existed. But as I took the Diagnostic MC test in 5 Steps to a 5 on Wednesday, I soon discovered that AP Literature was so much more than literary devices and learning how to apply them.
After grading my multiple choice section, I was surprised to see that I had performed at a higher level than my expectations. Although I did think it was pretty challenging, the skills that I had learned last year in AP Language and Composition helped me pinpoint the right answer (for the most part). In addition to my past experience in AP Comp, I was also very lucky when taking this test because I had guessed correctly on 5 of the questions that I was unsure of how to answer. My strengths seemed to be evident in the questions that involved literary devices and questions that had specific line references (Ex. Line 12 is an example of...). However, it was also evident that I was lacking in my ability to pick out the important details in the work of literature and understanding what the author was actually trying to say.
Although I had carried some of the skills that I had learned from AP Language and Composition, I realized that I had started straying away from SOAPStone (which we had to memorize word for word in AP Comp). Instead of circling the adjectives to understand the tone of the author and underlining the subject of the story, I found myself going back to my old habits of just skimming through the passage and not retaining important information. From now on, I am going to make sure I use these SOAPStone strategies that I learned in AP Comp (especially the strategies I listed in the previous sentence) and apply it to these multiple choice practice tests. By doing this, I can hopefully understand the author's tone a little better, pick up on possible sarcasm/irony, and become more aware of the author's purpose in writing the piece.
In addition, I need to become more open to multiple interpretations. Looking through my multiple choice test, I noticed that I like crossing off multiple choice answers that I know are incorrect. However, sometimes one of the answer choices that I cross off happens to be the right answer. In a crunch for time, I tend to only consider the obvious answer which leads me to ignore the hidden correct answer that can be revealed through deeper analysis. In the section of the book Literature and Composition labeled "Thinking about Literature", the authors point out that effective readers have to be "many-minded" because "Literature rarely offers simple answers to simple questions" (Carol 11). I hope that knowing this, I can be more cautious when selecting the seemingly obvious answer and reconsider the other options. To help develop my "many-mindedness" and help myself become a more effective reader, I will utilize the Thanksgiving break and Winter break that we have during second trimester to take three multiple choice exams from previous years that are on CollegeBoard Central. By exposing myself to more works of literature and styles of writing, I hope that I can go beyond the surface level meaning of a particular work of literature and avoid picking the obvious answer choice on future MC tests.
Another one of my goals is to pay more attention to the significant details. In the book Literature and Composition, the authors talk about some of the important things to keep in mind when one is analyzing literature. One of the big take-away themes that I got is that "no detail is unimportant, so notice, notice, notice" (Carol 14). I found this especially true on question #12 on the MC test where it asks about the setting of the passage. Had I overlooked the small but significant detail in line one that said "the sea-reach of the Thames...", I would have missed crucial information that would be needed to answer that question. In addition, staying focused throughout the piece and paying attention to which phrase modified which noun was critical to understanding what "Death's second self" referred to in question #25. In order to help myself focus more on the details of a particular work of literature, I will make a 5 bullet summary of the most significant details in the piece. By doing this, I can not only process what I have read and organize my thoughts on paper but also have a quick summary to the passage to refer to when answering the MC questions.
Hopefully by meeting these goals and doing more and more practice MC tests, I can improve my literary analysis skills and raise my MC test scores.
Wen,
ReplyDeleteI think you're off to a great start in Lit., not only because you did well on the diagnostics test but also because you seem to have a very clear idea of where you need to improve and a plan to help you do so. It was a good idea for you to look over the "Need to Know" list of literary devices; I think I'll do the same as I've forgotten a lot of the important vocabulary. It seems like vocabulary is one of your strengths but there is a helpful glossary from page 225 to 227 of the 5 Steps to a 5 book if you ever come across any literary devices or terms you don't know on any future practice tests. I also have the same problem with failing to recognize alternative interpretations of a poem and not delving deep enough. I think your plan to take more multiple choice tests is a good one but you might also want to consider reading a few extra poems and attempting to analyze them so that you become more comfortable with the process. Here's a good website I found with poems similar to the ones the AP test will have you analyze http://edsitement.neh.gov/feature/twenty-one-poems-ap-literature-and-composition . I also liked the quote you pulled from Literature and Composition about taking into account the details. This is something I failed to do on some of the multiple choice questions and I think your technique of writing down a summary of the important details will pay off as long as it doesn't take too much of your test-taking time. If you stick with the plan you've outlined in your post, I'm sure you'll see noticeable improvements on the tests we take in class.
Good luck!
Zain Ali
It's good to hear that you did better than you expected. With a good start and your clear goals, I'm sure you'll very much improve and be prepared for the upcoming AP exam. I haven't taken AP Composition and I constantly read about this, "SOAPStone" strategy. It seems like a great strategy to stick with and I wish I had something like that to help me stay structured as I read. I would encourage you to utilize strategies like so. It seems like you were already prepared for these figurative language techniques considering you read the, "Need to Know" list. The fact that you said even after reading this you felt unprepared was surprising and shows that developing a deeper understanding of figurative languages is exposure and practice. I would read different poems and different styles of literature and look out for specific types of figurative language that you know, or look one up that you are unfamiliar with. There's nothing better than just constantly being exposed to different techniques in different types of literature. I like the goals that you have set up for yourself, summarization is one of the best techniques of understanding pieces of literature. I myself struggle with getting the big picture, or even looking at the smaller ones that make up the bigger picture. I think your goals are realistic and achievable. I hope you stick with your game plan; it's a good one.
ReplyDeleteGood luck,
Jercell Respicio