Good Morning! Please take out yesterday’s MC

practice; answer sheet and packet Please finish copying down your

agenda Be ready for Good, Bad, or Ugly! HWK: Vocab review skits tomorrow;

Gatsby 4-6 for Thurs.; Vocab Mid-term Friday; Exam Corrections Monday

Multiple Choice

How to Kick Some Serious Booty(or even improve just a tiny bit)

MC Section of AP Exam

Often the most difficult part of the test

Constitutes 45% of the exam If you score at least an average of 5

on free-responses, you can miss almost HALF the MC questions and earn a 3 (passing score).

Types of Questions

1. Main idea2. Function/Purpose (May also be piece to

a whole)3. Meaning in Context (Vocab)4. Tone/attitude5. Rhetorical strategies (90/90 terms)6. Grammar(ish)

Most questions can be categorized into one of these categories. Knowing which type of question

it is will help you decide if you should attempt it or leave it.

Strategy #1: Get the Easy Strategy #1: Get the Easy PointsPoints Combination of easy, medium and difficult

questions

Skim through exam; answer easy ones first…get all the points you can for ones you know (this might include rhetorical strategies Qs)

Strategy #2: 2 Above, 2 BelowStrategy #2: 2 Above, 2 Below

Word in context or line reference questions often direct you to a specific place in the text

Reading 2 sentences above and 2 below the given line ensures you are getting the context, which helps to pick the BEST answer EX: In line 15, Abbey… (Here you would read from

line 13 through line 17) Some students find while using this method that you

don’t have to read the passage all the way through the first time as they will end up reading in chunks

Strategy #3: Let ‘em Go!Strategy #3: Let ‘em Go!

Let’s talk about guessing versus leaving a question/s blank…

Leave blank until the bitter end

Multiple Choice: Should You Guess?

2 Points 1 Point 0 Points

Eliminating 3 25% 50% 25%

Eliminating 2 12% 44% 44%

Eliminating 1 6% 37% 57%

Eliminating 0 4% 32% 64%

No points off for incorrect answer!Example: You guess on two questions. There are only three outcomes:

Right + Right= 2 PointsRight + Wrong= 1 PointWrong + Wrong= 0 Points (but no penalty points, either!)

What’s your percentage if you guess?:

What if I can’t Eliminate Two Answers?

If you don’t know, don’t waste time…Move on!

Example: (60 questions)Example: (60 questions)

Student RightRight WrongWrong BlankBlank ScoreScore

Diddy 36 24 0(He hoped he guessed right)

36

Rhianna 36 16 8 (Some guesses)

36

Snoop 36 8 16(Skipped

hardest ones)

36

Macklemore 31 4 25 (Almost ½

blank)

31

Strategy #4: Manage Your TimeStrategy #4: Manage Your Time

Clock ticking and you have a ton of questions left?

Find line reference and rhetorical strategy questions

These take the least amount of time

Strategy #4: Manage Your TimeStrategy #4: Manage Your Time

At the beginning of the exam, count the number of passages

Divide by time allotted If you have 15 minutes per passage,

let’s say, follow the clock, not your own pacing

Remember, the goal is to find as many easy/medium questions as you can and get to them!

Strategy #5: Read ActivelyStrategy #5: Read Actively

If you do read the passage first, annotate briefly as you go

Annotations will Keep you engaged Help you find spots in the text quickly for

main idea, etc. questions Help you eliminate certain answer

choices

Strategy #6: POE!!Strategy #6: POE!!

Process of Elimination is the test-taker’s SAVIOR.

Your brain NEEDS to see fewer options. Cross off to help your brain make the best

decision If you use POE, it should help you make a

quick decision as to whether you should answer the question or leave it blank.

When We Score:

Note the correct answer on your paper

Do NOT despair…this is HARD stuff and your first attempt.

2012 MC Practice1. D2. C3. D4. A5. B6. D7. C8. D9. E10. C

11.A12.E13.B14.A15.B16.D17.D18.B19.A20.E

2012 MC Practice21. A22. A23. C24. B25. C26. A27. A28. D29. A30. B

31.B32.A33.D34.D35.C36.E37.E38.B39.C40.C

2012 MC Practice41. A42. D43. E44. E45. D46. C47. D48. B49. A50. A

51.D52.B53.B54.E55.C

On a separate sheet of paper, make a chart of the 6 question types.

List each missed question in one of the 6 sections.

You do not need to chart questions you didn’t have time to answer—chart only attempted answers.

Identify which type of question is the biggest struggle for you

Main idea

4, 10, 7, 51, 55, 43

Function/Purpose

2, 22, 31

Meaning in Context

14, 28, 47

Tone

Rhetorical strategies

Grammar(ish)

5, 13, 37, 39, 50

For the question category where you performed the poorest:

You will do this for ONLY the question type that had the most incorrect answers

Fill out a grade correction sheet You may work with a partner on this Points for figuring out why you got the

question wrong and for analyzing your exam score/performance!