English Literature and Composition (Cliffs AP) [Paperback]

Allan Casson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764586866 | ISBN-13: 978-0764586866 | Publication Date: December 29, 2000 | Edition: 2

CliffsAP study guides help you gain an edge on Advanced Placement* exams. Review exercises, realistic practice exams, and effective test-taking strategies are the key to calmer nerves and higher AP* scores.

CliffsAP English Literature and Composition is for students who are enrolled in AP English or who are preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition. Inside, you’ll find hints for answering the essay and multiple-choice sections, a clear explanation of the exam format, a look at how exams are graded, and more:

• Six full-length practice tests
• An in-depth look at the types of literature covered by the exam
• Study strategies to help you prepare
• Comparison of this exam to the AP Language and Composition exam
• Explanation of how AP exams relate to college credits

Sample questions (and answers!) and practice tests give you the best preparation bang for your buck, so that you'll have plenty of time left to read more of the literature that this exam is really all about. CliffsAP English Literature and Composition includes the following material to help you succeed:

• Poetry and prose analysis techniques
• Sample student essays
• How to approach the open essay question
• Definitions and terms used in AP Literature exams
• Actual passages used in previous exams
• Recommended authors to study for the exam

This comprehensive guide offers a thorough review of key concepts and detailed answer explanations. It’s all you need to do your best — and get the college credits you deserve.

*Advanced Placement Program and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The inside tips and tricks you need to score big When it comes to pinpointing the stuff you really need to know, nobody does it better than CliffsNotes^™. This fast, efficient test-prep guide delivers a complete program to help boost your score on the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exam.

• Expert test-taking strategies
• Focused reviews and exercises
• Realistic full-length practice exams
• Comprehensive exam overview
• Action plan for effective preparation
• Accurate self-assessment tests

With a thorough review of key concepts and terms and detailed answer explanations, this comprehensive guide is all you need to do your best — and obtain the college credits you deserve. Visit the Test Prep ThinkTank @ cliffsnotes.com Free test samples and schedules Free test-taking tips and tricks Free info on other test resources Free CliffsNote-A-Day^™ tips Plus hundreds of downloadable Cliffs titles 24 hours a day Get the credit you deserve with CliffsAP CliffsAP guides are available for most Advanced Placement exams. See inside for a complete listing of these and other titles from the experts at CliffsNotes.

About the Author

Allan Casson has been active in the reading and writing of the AP exams in English for more than 25 years. He was a member of the AP English Development Committee from 1985 to 1988 and Chairman from 1988 to 1992.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes; 2 edition (December 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764586866
• ISBN-13: 978-0764586866
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #414,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

About the Author Allan Casson has been active in the reading and writing of the AP exams in English for more than 25 years. He was a member of the AP English Development Committee from 1985 to 1988 and Chairman from 1988 to 1992.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Studied a little, helped a lot, August 19, 2004

By 

R. Chan (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: English Literature and Composition (Cliffs AP) (Paperback)

To be honest, I was never a good writer, I got a 650 on my SAT2 writing test. I didn't take the English AP Language course because I didn't like the teacher too much, so I never had any preparation for it. I didn't do any writing in my English honors class either, but we did read a lot.

I did a few multiple choice questions to familiarize myself with the types of questions they would ask, and when I read the questions and I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of technical terms I never learned like "allegory" and all that stuff, so I went to the back and memorized those terms. I read a lot of the essays in the book so I would know what they were looking for. This book helped a lot on the essay. It teaches you how to structure your essay, write up an introduction, write a pretty sentence, and do some analyzing. I didn't do any of the full-length practice tests, so I never really learned how to time myself. And during the actual test, I never reached the last passage of the multiple choice exam. I was panicking so much, I seriously thought of cancelling my score. But because I actually tried, and paid for it.. I didn't. I ended up getting a 4 on the test, which I'm really proud of.

You have to keep practice writing the essays here, that's where it really counts.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than I Expected, May 15, 2006

By 

Misty Twain "Misty" (Oconomowc, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Literature and Composition (Cliffs AP) (Paperback)

When I bought this book, I wondered how a book could help you review for the AP Lit exam, since there are no facts to really cover like in other exams. However, this book is extremely useful for those seeking a high score. It brings you step by step through the process of writing prompts, pointing out important details and giving a plethora of examples. The tips on the multiple choice questions allow you to review all the major terms you need and offers many opportunities to test yourself, with the why behind the answer included. Plus, you will feel better about the test because it is written by a former test writer. This makes it feel like you can trust what he is saying about the test, and I do not remember him being wrong once when it came to the actual exam. In conclusion, buy this book or don't buy one at all.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable, though slightly outdated, May 10, 2006

By 

Carloushka Barloucina "Une fille de l'est" (Lebanon/US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English Literature and Composition (Cliffs AP) (Paperback)

PROS:
This book offers substantial advice; the most useful piece of which (in my opinion) was "In the essays, be sure to ANSWER THE ESSAY QUESTION, the whole question and nothing but the question." It also walks the reader through several multiple choice passages.

CONS: The literary term list was somewhat basic, and in general, the essay-writing advice seemed confining and old fashioned.

For a more jazzy, student-friendly AP English Lit. Prep book, see the Princeton Review.