AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
Part I: Multiple Choice. Questions will be of the type found on the AP
English Language and Composition Exam. Each reading selection will be
followed by 10 – 15 questions. The following rhetorical terms will be
helpful:
clarify:
to make something easier to understand
digression:
a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing
discredit:
to damage the reputation of someone or something; to prove something untrue
enigmatic:
full of mystery and hard to understand
epithet:
a word or phrase adding a characteristic to a person's name
equivocal:
having two possible meanings; subject to multiple interpretations (sometimes used
purposefully to confuse)
establish:
to institute; to make firm or stable
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
euphemism:
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or
blunt.
Example: “downsizing” in place of “cuts”
evocation:
the act of bringing something into the mind or memory
exemplify:
to show or illustrate by example
illustrate:
to explain or make clear by using examples
justification:
the action of showing something to be right or reasonable
literary:
concerning the writing, study, or content of literature, especially of the kind valued
for quality of form
provocative:
causing annoyance, anger, strong reaction, or sexual interest/desire, especially
deliberately
reiterate:
to repeat numerously for emphasis or clarity
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
qualification:
a quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable or eligible for a particular
job or activity
validate:
to check or prove the validity or accuracy of something
vindicative:
having or showing the desire for revenge
voice:
The textual features, such as diction and sentence structure, that convey a writer's or
speaker's persona.
Part II: Vocabulary. All definitions are from the book and examples are from
quizzes. Questions will be multiple choice and will be based on the
following:
effrontery: (n.) shameless boldness
Synonyms: nerve
Consumers are increasingly annoyed with the effrontery of telemarketers who
call at the most inconvenient times
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
raiment: (n.) clothing, garments
Synonyms: apparel, attire
The society lady’s closets were packed with expensive raiment: designer
dresses, lavish hats, silk wraps and shawls, and stoles of all kinds.
counterpart: (n.) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a
compliment
Synonyms: match
In some ways the British prime minister is the counterpart to our president.
misanthrope: (n.) a person who hates or despises people
Synonyms: people-hater
In the view of some literary critics, a misanthrope is a suitable character for a
comedy because there is something inherently incongruous about a human
being who hates his own kind.
pertinacious: (adj.) very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or set of
beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied
Synonyms: stubborn, determined, dogged
He was as pertinacious in the pursuit of his own ends as he was relentless in his
attacks on those who opposed him.
ephemeral: (adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived
Synonyms: brief
During the 1950s, the hula hoop was an ephemeral fad, lasting only a few years
and virtually forgotten today.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
indigent: (adj.) needy, impoverished
Synonyms: penniless, poverty-stricken
The food and clothing collected in the charity drive were distributed to
indigent families in the community.
furtive: (adj.) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen
Synonyms: covert, surreptitious
At that crowded railroad station, pickpockets operate with furtive efficiency;
they are always on the watch for passengers who seem confused or distracted. indictment: (n.) the act of accusing; a formal accusation
Synonyms: charge, accusation
The grand jury handed down felony indictments against several of the officials
involved in the scandal.
diatribe: (n.) a bitter and prolonged verbal attack
Synonyms: tirade
Someone who has just quit smoking might launch into a diatribe against the
evils of cigarettes.
travesty: (n.) a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the
clothing of the opposite sex
(v.) to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion
Synonyms: parody, caricature, farce, burlesque
Ex: Poodles in tutus made a travesty of the ballet Swan Lake.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
surveillance: (n.) a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined
observation
Synonyms: observation, scrutiny, monitoring
In Britain, there continues to be considerable debate about the potential
conflict between civil liberties and the system of electronic surveillance by
hidden cameras that have been installed in many cities and towns.
inane: (adj.) silly, empty of meaning or value
Synonyms: idiotic, moronic, fatuous
Some chatter on talk shows is inane and boring.
intermittent: (n.) stopping and beginning again; sporadic
Synonyms: fitful, spasmodic, random
Although the weather forecast had called for steady rain, all we got were
intermittent showers.
indubitable: (adj.) certain, not to be doubted or denied
Synonyms: unquestionable, indisputable
For centuries, the Newtonian laws of physics were held to be indubitable, and
no physicist called them into question.
testy: (adj.) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation
Synonyms: irritable, peevish, waspish, petulant
Though I'm normally a fairly even-tempered sort of guy, I can become
surprisingly testy when I'm tired or frustrated.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
acuity: (n.) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)
Synonyms: keenness, acuteness
“It doesn't take a great deal of mental acuity,” I observed wryly, “to realize
that two and two don't make five.”
sophistry: (n.) reasoning that seems plausible but us actually unsound; a fallacy
Synonyms: specious reasoning
A media analyst might label many advertising practices as mere sophistry and
manipulation.
idiosyncrasy: (n.) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
Synonyms: eccentricity, quirk, mannerism
We had great respect for our chemistry professor, but we found her
idiosyncrasies both odd and curiously unsettling.
fiat: (n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness
Synonyms: edict, dictum, ukase
By fiat of the emperor, someone entering the Walled City without authorization
might suffer the death penalty.
enervated: (v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble,
hamstring
Synonyms: impair, cripple, paralyze
The officer was so enervated by recurrent bouts of malaria, contracted in the
jungles of Southeast Asia, that he could no longer perform his professional
duties on a regular basis.
garnered: (v.) to acquire the result of effort; to gather and store away, as or future
use
Synonyms: collect, accumulate, accrue
All that autumn, black squirrels were busy in our backyard garnering nuts
against the rigors of the winter ahead.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
delineate: (v.) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to
represent pictorially
Synonyms: depict, picture, render
At a lengthy meeting with reporters and writers, the new editor-in-chief
delineated her long term goals for the magazine.
hallow: (v.) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly,
revere
Synonyms: venerate, bless
Arlington National Cemetery is considered America's most sacred and hallowed
burial ground, reserved for those who have died in service to their country.
mordant: (adj.) biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly
harsh
Synonyms: mean, cynical
Sentence: A person with a mordant personality is not likely to be popular with
those he criticizes.
pusillanimous: (adj.) contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
Synonyms: afraid, gutless
sentence: Blaming the victim is a pusillanimous response to human suffering
and deprivation.
frenetic: (adj.) frenzied, highly agitated
Synonyms: frantic, overwrought
During the final seconds of the game, our fans grew frenetic with excitement
when Simpson scored the winning shot.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
recumbent: (adj.) in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping
or resting
Synonyms: prone, prostrate, supine, inactive
Sentence: Pediatricians emphasize that recumbent infants breath best when
placed on their backs
halcyon: (n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher
(adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden;
prosperous, affluent
Synonyms: tranquil, serene, placid
Journalists and novelists often portray the 1950s with a touch of nostalgia,
contrasting this supposedly halcyon era with the war-torn 1940s and the
economically grim 1930s.
propriety: (n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; standards of what is proper
or socially acceptable
Synonyms: fitness, correctness, decorum
The Film strayed outside the bounds of commonly accepted propriety.
sacrilege: (n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
Synonyms: desecration, profanation, defilement
In ancient Greece, to violate the laws of hospitality was considered a sacrilege,
and offenders could expect prompt and severe punishment from the gods.
celerity: (n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
Synonyms: promptness, speed, quickness
Contestants on quiz shows like “Jeopardy” must answer with celerity as well as
accuracy.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
Part III: Grammar. Questions will include problems on phrases and
clauses, misplaced and dangling modifiers, faulty parallelism/faulty
coordination.
- Phrases
• Prepositional
- preposition + object
• Appositive
- renames something
• Verbals
- Participial
• past ends with -ed, present ends with -ing
• acts as an adjective
- Gerund
• present, always ends with -ing
• acts as a noun
- noun can be: S, DO, IO, OP, PN, APP
- Infinitive
• to + verb
- Clauses
• Independant
- a sentence
• Dependent (Subordinate)
- Noun Clause
• can be found where nouns are found (S, DO, IO, OP, PN, APP)
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
- Adjective Clause
• begins with relative pronoun or adverb and follows a noun
- relative pronouns: that, which, who, whom, whose
- adverbs: before, since, when, where, why
- Adverb Clause
• begins with subordinating conjunction
- after, although, as, because, before, even though, how, if, since, until,
while, etc.
- Sentence Types
• Simple
- One independent clause
• one subject and one verb
• Compound
- two independent clauses + coordinating conjunction
• Complex
- one independent clause + subordinate clause
• Compound Complex
- two independent clauses + subordinate clause
- Run-ons
• A run-on sentence consists of two or more sentences that are not properly joined
or separated
• Example: Judy types daily she is trying to finish a research paper
- Fragments
• an incomplete sentence
• Example: Which can be found in any reputable reference book
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
- Misplaced Modifiers
• A misplaced modifier seems to modify the wrong word in a sentence. It should be
placed as close as possible to the word it modifies
- Example: The old woman bumped into the bench walking her dog.
• “walking her dog” modifies woman not bench. The bench is not walking the
dog, the woman is
- Dangling Modifiers
• A dangling modifier seems to modify the wrong word or no word at all because
the word at all because the word it should modify has been omitted from the
sentence
- Example: Closing the trunk, her keys had been misplaced.
• There is nothing in the sentence for “closing the trunk” to modify
- Faulty Parallelism
• Parallelism is the placement of equal ideas in words, phrases, or clauses of
similar types. Faulty parallelism does not correctly do that. Often, faulty
parallelism is put in different tenses.
- Example: Smoking, drinking, and to gamble should be avoided.
• After correcting faulty parallelism, the sentence should read: “Smoking,
drinking, and gambling should be avoided.”
- Faulty Coordination
• When two sentences that do not belong together are joined
- Example: Charles Goodyear invented a vulcanization process for rubber, and I
need a new pair of front tires.
- Voice
• Active Voice
- Subject performs the action
• Example: The early frost damaged the crops.
• Passive Voice
- Action is performed upon the subject
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
• Example: The crops were damaged by early frost.
Part III: Rhetorical Terms. Be able to write a definition for the selected
rhetorical terms, giving an example when possible. Review the Rhetorical
Terms Test we had in Quarter 1. Review the glossary of terms in Models for
Writers.
oversimplification:
a drastically simple solution to what is clearly a complex problem
hasty generalization:
in inductive reasoning, a generalization that is based on too little evidence or on
evidence that is not representative
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc:
"After this, therefore because of this." Confusing chance or coincidence with
causation. One event coming after another does not necessarily mean that the first
event caused the second
begging the question:
assuming in a premise something that needs to be proven
false analogy:
making a misleading analogy between logically unconnected ideas
either/or thinking:
seeing only two alternatives when there may in fact be other possibilities
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
non sequitur:
"It does not follow." An inference or conclusion that is not clearly related to the
established premises or evidence
ethos:
having to do with the authority, credibility, and, to a certain extent, morals of the
speaker/writer
logos:
related to the subject and is the effective presentation of the argument itself;
exploits logic
pathos:
having most to do with the audience's emotional appeal
abstract:
describes a word with the general qualities, conditions, ideas, actions, or
relationships that cannot be directly perceived by the senses
allusion:
passing reference to a familiar person, place, or thing, often drawn from history, the
Bible, mythology, or literature
analogy:
a special form of comparison in which the writer explains something unfamiliar by
comparing it to something familiar
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
anecdote:
a short narrative about an amusing or interesting event
argumentation:
the act of attempting to persuade the reader to agree with a point of view, to make a
given decision, or to pursue a particular course of action
attitude:
a writer's ________ reflects his or her opinion of a subject
audience:
the intended readership for a piece of writing
beginning:
the sentence, group of sentences, or section that introduces an essay
ending:
the sentence or group of sentences that brings an essay to a close
cause and effect:
this type of analysis explains the reasons for an occurrence or the consequences of an
action
citation:
a reference to a published or unpublished work that indicates that the material being
referenced is not original with the present author
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
cliché:
an expression that has become ineffective through overuse
coherence:
a quality of good writing that results when all sentences, paragraphs, and longer
divisions of an essay are naturally connected
colloquial expression:
an expression that is characteristic of or appropriate to spoken language or to writing
that seeks the effect of spoken language
combined strategies:
these enable writers to develop their ideas in interesting ways
comparison and contrast:
this method is used to point out the similarities and differences between two or more
subjects in the same class or category
conclusion:
another name for an ending
concrete:
this type of word names a specific object, person, place, or action that can be
directly perceived by the senses
connotation:
the implied or suggested meaning of a word
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
denotation:
the dictionary meaning of a word
controlling idea:
another word for "thesis"
coordination:
the joining of grammatical constructions of the same rank to indicate that they are of
equal importance
deduction:
the process of reasoning from stated premises to a conclusion that follows
necessarily; moves from general to specific
definition:
a statement of the meaning of a word
description:
this tells how a person, place, or thing is perceived by the five senses
details:
the small elements that collectively contribute to the overall impression of a person,
place, thing, or idea
dialogue:
the conversation of two or more people as represented in writing
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
diction:
a writer's choice and use of words
direct quotation:
material borrowed word-for-word that must be placed within quotation marks and
properly cited
division and classification:
rhetorical patterns used by the writer first to establish categories and then to arrange
or sort people, places, or things into these categories according to their different
characteristics, thus making them more manageable for the writer and more
understandable and meaningful for the reader
documentation:
the act or the instance of supplying documents or references as to where they may be
found
dominant impression:
the single mood, atmosphere, or quality a writer emphasizes in a piece of descriptive
writing
emphasis:
the placement of important ideas and words within sentences and longer units of
writing so that they have the greatest impact
evaluation:
an assessment of a piece's effectiveness or merit
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
evidence:
the information on which a judgment or argument is based or by which proof or
probability is established
example:
illustrates a larger idea or represents something of which it is a part
facts:
pieces of information presented as having objective reality
figure of speech:
a brief, imaginative comparison that highlights the similarities between things that
are basically dissimilar
focus:
the limitation a writer gives his or her subject
idiom:
a word or phrase that is used habitually with special meaning
illustration:
the use of examples to explain, elucidate, or corroborate
induction:
the process of reasoning to a conclusion about all members of a class through an
examination of only a few members of the class
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
inductive leap:
the point at which a writer of an argument, having presented sufficient evidence,
moves to a generalization or conclusion
introduction:
another name for the beginning
irony:
the use of words to suggest something different from their literal meaning
jargon:
technical language, or the special vocabulary of a trade, profession, or group
logical fallacy:
an error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid
metaphor:
a direct comparison that specifically does not use "like" or "as"
narration:
the telling of a story or what happened
opinion:
a belief or conclusion, which may or may not be substantiated by positive knowledge
or proof
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
organization:
the patterns or order the writer imposes on his or her material
paradox:
a seemingly contradictory statement that is nonetheless true
paragraph:
the single most important unit of thought in an essay; a series of closely related
sentences
parallelism:
the repetition of word order or grammatical form either within a single sentence or in
several sentences that develop the same central idea
paraphrase:
a restatement of the information a writer is borrowing
perhapsing:
using speculative material when the facts necessary to develop a work of nonfiction
are not known or available to the writer
personification:
giving a nonhuman thing human qualities
persuasion:
an attempt to convince readers to agree with a point of view, to make a decision, or
to pursue a particular course of action
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
plagiarism:
the use of someone else's ideas in their original form or in an altered from without
proper documentation
point of view:
the grammatical person in an essay (first, second, or third)
process analysis:
a rhetorical strategy used to explain how something works or to give step-by-step
directions for doing something
purpose:
what the writer wants to accomplish in a particular piece of writing
rhetorical modes:
spoken or written strategies for presenting subjects, the most common of which are
argument, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, definition, division and
classification, exemplification, narration, and process analysis
rhetorical question:
asked for its rhetorical effect but requires no answer from the reader
sentence:
a grammatical unit that expresses a complete thought
signal phrase:
a phrase alerting the reader that borrowed information follows
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
simile:
a comparison using "like" or "as"
slang:
the unconventional, informal language or particular subgroups in our culture
specific:
describes words that name individual objects, qualities, or actions within a class or
group
general:
describes words that name groups or classes of objects, qualities, or actions
strategy:
a means by which a writer achieves his or her purpose
style:
the individual manner in which a writer expresses his or her ideas
subordination:
the use of grammatical constructions to make one part of a sentence dependent on,
rather than equal to, another
summary:
a condensed form of the essential idea of a passage, article, or entire chapter
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
syllogism:
an argument that uses deductive reasoning and consists of a major premise, a minor
premise, and a conclusion
symbol:
a person, place, or thing that represents something beyond itself
syntax:
refers to the way in which words are arranged to form phrases, clauses, and
sentences, as well as to the grammatical relationship among the words themselves
thesis:
the main idea of an essay
title:
a word or phrase set off at the beginning of an essay to identify the subject, to state
the main idea of the essay, or to attract the reader's attention
tone:
the manner in which a writer relates to an audience, the "tone of voice" used to
address readers
topic sentence:
states the central idea of a paragraph and thus limits the content of the paragraph
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
transition:
a word or phrase that links sentences, paragraphs, and larger units of a composition
to achieve coherence
unity:
the quality of oneness in an essay that results when all the words, sentences, and
paragraphs contribute to the thesis
verb:
strong ____s make writing for specific, more descriptive, and more action-filled,
while weak ones just suck ass
voice:
verbs are classified as being either active or passive, describing this quality of verbs
writing process:
the sequence of activities that most writers follow most of the time when composing
a written work
prewriting:
the first stage in the writing process in which one selects his subject and topic, gather
ideas and information, and determine the thesis and organization pattern or patterns
of a written work
drafting:
the second stage in the writing process in which one creates his first version of his
writing in which he lays out his ideas and information and through revision
subsequently prepares more focused and polished versions referred to as second and
third drafts, and more if necessary
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Detroit Catholic Central High School
1st Semester Exam Review
Exam Written By: Mrs. Michele Valant
revision:
the third stage in the writing process in which one reconsiders and possibly changes
the large elements of his writing, such as thesis, purpose, content, organization, and
paragraph structure
editing:
the fourth and final stage in the writing process in which one reconsiders and possibly
changes all the small elements of his writing, such as grammar, punctuation,
mechanics, and spelling
Part IV: Essay. Prompt will focus on a discussion of how authors choose the
topics on which they write. Be prepared to consider Dante, Shakespeare,
Dumas, and Swift (or an author of your own choosing).