Writing the Reasoning
The 8 things you want to do during the test. Panic-free.
Okay, you have 40 minutes to make the tester give you a perfect grade. The AP Lang exam awards most of the possible points (5 out of 6) for reasoning:
1 point for the “thesis,” which has to answer the prompt. The thesis is your premise, written in a full sentence. You get 0 points if your thesis is indefensible or if it simply repeats the prompt.
4 points for “evidence and commentary.” By “evidence,” the test authors mean “claims and evidence”—the facts and universal beliefs (or, at least, what the audience believes.” And by “commentary,” they mean showing how the facts support your line of reasoning. Yeah, that darn line again.
And you get another point for “sophistication,” a subjective measure that essentially rewards your ability to write well. Piece of cake, right? No? Well, you probably should practice. Your teacher should be able to get you access to sample tests. You’ll want to practice all three types of essays in the exam—a synthesis, an analysis, and an argument. Here’s how the AP people describe those three:
Synthesis Question: After reading 6–7 texts about a topic (including visual and quantitative sources), students will compose an argument that combines and cites at least 3 of the sources to support their thesis.
Rhetorical Analysis: Students will read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer’s rhetorical choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text.
Argument: Students will create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.
Basically, you’ll want to use the same method to write all three:
1. Read the prompt carefully.
Note key words. Then read the prompt again. And again. Three times minimum. Remember, you get a point if you show you’re responding well to the prompt. You get zero if you show that you didn’t read the prompt carefully. Take your time. Give it a full five minutes if you want—even longer if you’re required to read a lot of material.
2. Note your audience.
The prompt may tell you; if not, imagine a single person: a teacher—maybe your teacher. Many writers find it easiest to think of a single reader in any case. Imagine the prompt says you’re writing to a group of college-educated citizens who are passionate about the environment. Imagine a single person who fits that category, and think about what she believes, expects, and values. This shouldn’t take you more than a minute.
3. Write an enthymeme,
consisting of your premise and conclusion. This is your thesis. Make sure it responds directly to the prompt. Rewrite it at least once. A well-written thesis will guide you through the rest of the essay; all you have to do is defend it. A poorly thought-out thesis will send you off a cliff. Take several minutes for this.
4. Jot down your evidence,
The scorer will be looking for at least three facts or examples. Just write a word or phrase for each. Think about how each fact supports your line of reasoning—which come right from your thesis. This should be fairly easy, since you’ll be given the facts. Just two or three minutes.
5. Jot down other ways you’ll support your argument:
Analogy, hypothetical situation, concession and rebuttal. Another two or three minutes.
6. Rewrite your thesis one last time.
You might find it change a bit after looking at your claims and evidence. Take a minute for this.
7. Scribble a quick outline.
Another minute; you’re just arranging your notes in an order that shows a line of reasoning.
8. Now write your essay.
If you followed all the steps, this thing will practically write itself. You’ll have about 25 minutes left, which should be plenty of time.
Does this still sound scary? Well, sure, writing with reasoning isn’t easy. It takes practice. Just make sure you follow the steps:
I love it when students ask, “Isn’t manipulation bad?” The answers lead to delightful rabbit holes and cool conspiracy theories.