2022 AP English Language Multiple Choice Help (MCQ)

Introduction

Multiple-choice seems to be inescapable from any English-related test. Whether it's the ACT, SAT®, or AP® Lang, you'll have to take on the challenge of multiple reading passages 📖

Fortunately, Fiveable has your back with help on the AP Lang multiple-choice section. Let's take a look at what the multiple-choice section entails and then dive into the two types of questions.

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Overview of AP Lang Multiple Choice

Let's break down how the multiple choice section functions:

• 45 Multiple Choice Questions
• 45% of Your Score
• 60 Minutes
• 23-25 reading questions
• 20-22 writing questions

The multiple-choice section is organized into five sets: two sets of reading questions and three sets of writing questions. Reading sets assess analysis of nonfiction prose, and writing sets ask you to revise passages for rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style.

Reading questions assess how well you can analyze rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style in nonfiction prose. Writing questions ask you to make revision choices that improve those same areas in a draft.

AP Lang MCQs assess both reading and writing skills across four big areas: rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style. Reading questions ask you to analyze how a text works; writing questions ask you to choose revisions that improve a draft in those same areas.

For more information about the concepts covered in the multiple choice section in addition to the structure of questions, check out our Lang multiple choice study guide. 

There are different strategies for reading and writing questions though—let's start with reading!

Reading Questions

One of the best tools that you have at your disposal is your pencil. In fact, using your writing utensil effectively is the first tip for reading questions.

1. Annotate all over your reading passages 📝

Many AP Lang teachers will agree that the best way to prepare yourself for any multiple choice question is by effectively annotating. Because the AP English Language multiple-choice section gives you 60 minutes for 45 questions, you need to read efficiently and avoid unnecessary rereading.

Note that whenever you annotate, it's crucial to make notes and identify some key things:

• Author's purpose
• Audience
• Main claims and supporting evidence
• Line of reasoning or organization
• Tone, style, and rhetorical choices

The purpose of annotation is to foreshadow possible questions you may have to answer later on. By making notes early on, you are proactively helping yourself to score higher on reading questions!

2. Understand the types of questions and how to answer them ❓

You may be wondering: what are the different types of reading questions?

The reading section of multiple-choice breaks down into these categories of questions:

• Comprehension of the passage
• Inference [The author implies___/suggests___]
• Claims and evidence
• Relationship between ideas or parts of the text
• Line of reasoning and organization
• Identification and analysis of rhetorical strategies
• Function of lines/paragraphs
• Effect of syntax and word choice

Moreover, the multiple choice section typically covers nonfiction prose from a variety of contexts and disciplines, including science, history, politics, culture, and more. Here's some advice from one AP Lang student:

3. Practice questions on skills that you're weak on 🏋️

A great way to ace the multiple-choice section is to practice efficiently. What that means is that you are not just taking practice tests, grading them, and throwing away your test.

My recommendation is that you make a journal, Google Doc, or even a sheet of notebook paper to track the types of questions you're getting wrong. Here's advice from another great AP Lang student:

The most important part of multiple-choice practice is understanding what the questions are actually asking. Here's the advice from a high-scoring AP Lang student:

Ultimately, permanent practice makes perfect. By keeping track of what you're getting right or wrong and aligning your practice to skills that you're weaker in, your multiple-choice raw score will improve significantly in the long run 📈

Writing Questions

1. Read strategically, not exhaustively

AP English Language multiple-choice includes writing questions that ask you to make revision decisions, such as improving organization, development, precision, and style in context.

Do not try to read every writing passage as slowly and fully as you would a reading passage, but do read enough of the surrounding context to understand the writer's purpose, line of reasoning, and what the sentence or paragraph needs to accomplish.

2. Use process of elimination when you're unsure

Use process of elimination to remove choices that are unsupported, too extreme, irrelevant to the rhetorical purpose, or ineffective in context. Then select the one best answer—the choice most fully supported by the passage or that most effectively improves the draft in context.

Rather than trying to find the best answer immediately, eliminate the wrong answers until you get to the strongest remaining choice. Often times, you'll have two answer choices narrowed down. In that instance, directly compare them and pick the better choice!

3. Always answer in context.

This is the most important aspect of the AP Lang writing section! Many writing questions will ask which choice best develops a paragraph, improves a transition, sharpens a claim, adds relevant evidence, or creates a more effective style.

In that case, make sure that you're always plugging in the answer choices in context to see which answer choice does the best job!

Multiple Choice Resources

Here are some great resources if you need to practice multiple choice:

• Course & Exam Description Practice MC [pg 115]- Official Practice Questions from the College Board.
• CrackAP - Unofficial AP Lang practice tests & MC passages.
• Khan Academy SAT English - supplementary grammar/editing practice only. It is not fully aligned to AP Lang writing multiple-choice, which focuses on rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style in context.

Closing

AP Lang's multiple-choice section isn't too bad—you got this! Through effective practice, the process of elimination, and good test-taking practices, you will score high on the AP Lang MC section, helping you earn the coveted 5️⃣ on the AP Lang exam.