2. WHAT IS A PROMPT?
A specific question given to you on the
AP English Literature exam that you must
answer in essay form
3 essay questions on the exam
Essay response to a prose passage
Essay response to a poem
Free response
3. THE #1 PROBLEM WITH STUDENT
ESSAYS?
Failure to answer the questions of the
prompt
5. EXAMPLE #1
Read carefully the following poem by Marilyn Nelson Waniek. Then
write an essay analyzing how Waniek employs literary techniques to
develop the complex meanings that the speaker attributes to The
Century Quilt. You may wish to consider such elements as structure,
imagery, and tone.
6. STEP 1: READ THE PROMPT
CAREFULLY.
Read carefully the following poem by Marilyn Nelson Waniek.
Then write an essay analyzing how Waniek employs literary
techniques to develop the complex meanings that the speaker
attributes to The Century Quilt. You may wish to consider such
elements as structure, imagery, and tone.
7. STEP 2: TURN IT INTO A QUESTION
Read carefully the following
poem by Marilyn Nelson
Waniek. Then write an essay
analyzing how Waniek employs
literary techniques to develop
the complex meanings that the
speaker attributes to The
Century Quilt. You may wish
to consider such elements as
structure, imagery, and tone.
How does the author use
literary techniques (like tone,
imagery, and structure) to
develop the different
meanings that the speaker
gives to the quilt?
What are the different
meanings the speaker gives to
the quilt and how does the
author show those meanings
through literary devices?
8. EXAMPLE #2
In the following speech from Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Cardinal
Wolsey considers his sudden downfall from his position as
advisor to the king. Spokesmen for the king have just left
Wolsey alone on stage. Read the speech carefully. Then write a
well-organized essay in which you analyze how Shakespeare
uses elements such as allusion, figurative language, and tone to
convey Wolsey’s complex response to his dismissal from court.
How do allusion, figurative language, and tone show the range
of emotions that Wolsey feels about his dismissal from court?
