After a
stressful weekend and testing day, I finally had some time to look back over my
AP Literature assessment and reading. I arrived at a few conclusions. Firstly,
There is a lot of room for improvement in this class. The first, most noticeable
thing was a matter of time. I simply failed to complete the multiple choice
section of the test in the allotted time period. I kept stumbling over myself
trying to ENSURE the answers were correct rather than trusting instinct
(Although I admit this trust should inherently only go so far) and occasionally
getting the question wrong in entirety. Part of this problem laid in the fact
that I do not have a strong backing in the literary terms used, having learned
most of them Sunday night. A better understanding of the language would have
granted me four missed questions and possibly more valuable time. Lastly, my
grasp of symbolism and literary meanings is weaker than it should be. Although
I feel at a slight disadvantage—not having taken AP Composition—All hope isn’t
lost.
I say this
primarily because in the part of the test I did complete, I only missed about 9
questions. This, at my best estimate from hearsay, is a fairly good percentage.
If I can master improving my efficiency, even IF I didn’t improve anything
else, I would likely keep a decent, although undesirably low score. On to the
actual concerns at hand. From what I understood, I did very well at questions
asking to recall information or bits from the text. In reference to the third
reading, I was easily able to establish that this was both an essay and that
citations were not allowed. When it came to the finer details of symbolic
questions like question 35’s
“The speaker is likely responsive to the beloved’s constancy” I am at a loss
for how that even presented itself in the texts.
All hope
isn’t lost, but that doesn’t mean I should become complacent. As previously
mentioned, complacency is that virus which ruins potential. I know I can
succeed. So, let’s set some goals. Firstly, I think that one good goal to have
is to become a better test taker. I can do this by learning to read faster, and
perhaps take practice ACT/SAT tests for accuracy to improve my comprehension.
Then, it’s easier to move on to more advanced texts and do more active reading
and note taking. In this way, I can simultaneously read faster and write notes
for better recall. This will, in the long run, save time and stress. This goal
is easily measurable, with a long term goal of getting perfect, or near perfect scores. I can simply take more AP Literature practice exams and
make it my goal to finish within set parameters.
Another
goal I think pertinent is to get better acquainted with literary devices. I can
do this by firstly finishing up my learning of them individually, then
identifying them to my best capability in any texts we read in class. If I miss
one that is later commented on, I will write it down and explain why it matches
that particular device. Lastly, I will do my best to knowingly incorporate them
into my writing (at least two new ones per paper) so that I may measure
my comprehension of the subject. My last goal is to work on improving my grasp
of symbolism and literary meaning. This is a tough one, but I think it is
doable if I work on identifying them in texts I have already read, and (similar
to above) write down and explain any that I missed. By then incorporating them
into writing, I will be able to identify, explain, and create, thereby getting
closer to mastering AP Literature.
