WorksheetsSynthesis Essay AP Language
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 20mins
What point is known for its difficulty, and is also known as the "unicorn point"?
Thesis Point
Evidence/Commentary Point
Sophistication Point
Complexity Point
The thesis can be in which of these places?
The introduction
The body paragraphs
The conclusion
All of the above as long as it is clear and prominent
Place holder words are....
confusing to the reader
excellent to use when in a time contrainst
recommended for students to use in commentary
used to increase the length or complexity of the essay
frowned upon
The author's voice, also known as "your voice" is how you (a)
How does mastering the synthesis point help with future essays?
It does not, teachers recommend just focusing on thesis and evidence/commentary in order to pass.
Once a student knows what to put, they can carry it to other essays.
True or False
You can change your original position.
True/ It is called a revised position and comes after seeing new evidence provided in the sources
False/ Students should have integrity in their own opinions and writing about the opposite of the sources allows them to develop a deeper understanding of synthesis.
Why is a revised position normalized?
It is human nature to change after seeing new challenging perspectives.
Sources can be biased towards one perspective over the other, and it would be easier to use them if the position was simply changed.
All of the above
What is one way the author's voice (your voice) can be lost?
Using too many sources
Using words that you know and use alot, which causes the essay to become informal
By using too many specific words that connect with the message of the essay
Not using enough sources
How can learning about placeholder words help with writing synthesis essays?
Learning about it defeats the purpose as it can cause students to only remember placeholder words
Writers will be able to identify the placeholder words, and instead use more specific word choice and vivid adjectives.
How is thesis defined?
An arguable statement
A factual statement
An opinionated statement that is not arguable
A summary of the essay
What is "persuasive style"?
A type of writing used to
A type of writing used to tell a memory from the author's point of view.
A type of writing used to inform the audience about factual evidence.
A type of writing used to convince the audience of a certain belief or opinion.
Where are multiple sources for the synthesis essay found in the AP Lang. Final Exam?
On the final page of the exam after passage citations.
Under the prompt of Q3, they should be separated by both letter and author
Under the prompt of Q2, the sources are in one big passage
Under the prompt of Q1, they should be separated by both letter and author.
Bias is the (a)
True or False
You can write a synthesis essay for Q1 without using a persuasive style
True, as long as you incorporate the needed sources, using any style is fine.
False, it defeats the purpose of the prompt because using any other style does not allow the writer to defend their thesis in an argumentative way.
Some examples of author's choices include:
The sources used
How much the prompt is answered
Usage of vivid language and specific word choice
Amount of context used in the introduction
Context is the (a) around the argument
Sources with high bias is not always good because (a) .
True or False
The more sources the better.
True, more sources show that you had a high understanding of the prompt and sources. Scorers will be more likely to give you more points because of it.
False, most students do not know how to incorporate high amounts of sources under pressure, therefore their own message would get lost in the evidence (making it appear like a summary.)
When should the writer add more context?
If time permits it, they can add more context. If not, they should keep it short and specific.
They should never add more context since it is only used in Rhetorical Analysis.
They should always add more context even in a time constraint.
At the last 10 minutes of the essay
Why is knowing "author's choices" so valuable?
The more choices you know gives the writer a large variety to choose from instead of forcing themselves to use only one or two.
It can lead to a deep understanding of how to write synthesis essays. Some choices can be used in a variety of topics and still retain its effectiveness.
They are not valuable because each choice changes from different types of essays.
Knowing different choices allows for evidence to be integrated well.
