AP: Classical Foundations Exam

classicalnotes.pngThe Classical Foundations exam is still a week away, but there’s no time like the present, if you’d like to download the complete set of notes for the exam. Either click on the picture or go to the Classical Foundations folder in the AP downloads. It’s a big file, so be patient about downloading and sensible about printing, please.

Topics on the exam include:

  • Beowulf
  • Hector
  • The Ramayana
  • Antigone
  • The Bible and the Qu’ran
  • Araby
  • Feminist and Aristotelian Criticism
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AP Mind Torn Asunder Essays

Reading and Revising Your Essays

The best way to see the comments would be to download your essay from this folder. If you have Microsoft Word, download the essay in that format and you can click on each of the comments to see exactly what the problem area was. If not, download the PDF version, which will allow you to see the comments more cleanly than the B&W print version.

Revisions are due in class on Wednesday. Please attach the original draft with comments to the new version. I do not want revisions to be sent in electronically. Remember, they are due in class.

A Sample of an ‘A’ Paper

If you would like to see what an A paper looks like on this prompt, you can certainly check this one out. The goal is not for you to replicate the style of this writer, but to match the organization, detail, and clarity.

Some General Thoughts About the Essays

  • They certainly can be short, but be careful that you are doing an adequate job of development. A paper that doesn’t reach one page is just very unlikely to do the job.
  • Thesis statements need a great deal of work. They should be clear and complete. If you have questions about thesis statements, check out the writing guide resource on writing them.
  • Plot summary is the bane of effective analysis. You should assume that the reader has read the work in these, and all the essays we write this year. Don’t relate the events of the story; demonstrate a mastery of the way the author uses those events to make his/her argument.
  • Introductions tended to be quite bland. We’ll spend some time Monday or Tuesday discussing them.
  • Topic sentences need to be arguments, not statements of the plot. Make sure that your topic sentences advance the thesis and present a clear argument for the paragraph that will follow.

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AP Essay Submission

How do you format it?

  • I would prefer 10 point font, to save the trees. Stick with a legible, easy to read font. 1″ margins are certainly wide enough.
  • Double space the essay body, but you can single space the header. The header should include your name and the essay, as noted below.
  • Sample formatting here.
  • You do not need a title

How do you send it?

  • Please send your essay as an attachment, not pasted into the e-mail.
  • Send the essay to essays@pogreba.com
  • If you are unsure how to attach a file to an e-mail. you can use this site or this site as a guide.

What if you don’t have Microsoft Word?

 

  • Please save your document in Word or RTF format. (Just use “Save as…”)
  • Google Docs is incredibly easy to use and free. (Once you are done, just select “Share” and Choose send as an attachment)
  • Open Office is a free, stand-alone browser that works as well as Word for 97% of functions.

 

What are some works you might use?

  • Huck Finn
  • The Scarlett Letter
  • The Grapes of Wrath
  • Julius Caesar
  • Beloved
  • 1984
  • Ceremony
  • Anna Karenina (You’ve all read it, right?)
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Labor Day

No school on Monday, September 1 for Labor Day

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