AP® English Language and Composition

Flashcards

250 cards with the terms and ideas you need to know cold. The ones you find hard come back sooner.

Multiple choice practice

375 exam-style questions, timed like the real exam, with every answer explained.

Practice exam

The whole multiple choice section: 45 questions in 1 hour, weighted by unit like the real exam. A fresh mix every time.

Must-know sheet

The facts, rules and terms to know cold on exam day, on one page. Filter it by unit, or print it.

Free-response practice

18 free-response questions like the ones on the exam. Score your answer with the rubric and a model answer, or sign in for free AI scoring.

Rhetorical Situation, Claims and Evidence

6 topics · 34 videos

• Every text responds to a situation: writer, audience, purpose, context and exigence
• Writers make choices because of their situation
• An argument is a claim that needs defending
• Evidence only works when it fits the claim

Audience, Appeals and Thesis

6 topics · 34 videos

• Good arguments start from what the audience believes and values
• Appeals connect a message to readers' emotions, values, reasoning and trust
• Evidence is chosen for its effect on a particular audience
• Weak or too little evidence weakens a claim
• A thesis is the main position the whole text defends

Commentary, Line of Reasoning and Development

6 topics · 34 videos

• Commentary explains why evidence supports a claim
• A line of reasoning links claims in a logical order
• Sources join a conversation and must be credited
• Flawed reasoning weakens an argument
• Narration and cause-effect are ways to develop an argument

Introductions, Conclusions and Thesis Structure

5 topics · 28 videos

• Introductions orient readers and show why the topic matters
• Conclusions pull the argument together and point to its significance
• A thesis can preview the line of reasoning without listing every point
• Comparing, defining and describing shape how readers understand a subject

Body Paragraphs, Coherence and Word Choice

6 topics · 33 videos

• Each body paragraph should move the argument forward
• Coherence comes from clear connections between ideas
• Transitions signal how ideas relate
• Word choice shapes tone and how readers react
• A word's associations can matter as much as its dictionary meaning

Synthesis, Sources and Tone

7 topics · 36 videos

• In synthesis, your argument leads and the sources back it up
• Some sources deserve more trust than others
• Two sources can share a position but come from different perspectives
• A thesis can change when new evidence turns up
• Tone comes from word choice, and a tone shift often signals a shift in thinking

Qualifying Claims and Building Sentences

6 topics · 36 videos

• Introductions and conclusions frame an argument for the reader
• Absolute claims are easy to knock down; qualified claims hold up
• Coordination shows equal ideas; subordination shows unequal ones
• Where a word or clause sits changes what it emphasizes
• Punctuation is a choice that shapes meaning

Audience, Style and Sentence Choices

6 topics · 32 videos

• A comparison only works if the audience understands it
• Diction and syntax affect whether readers trust the writer
• Evidence, organization and language should fit the audience
• Style is the mix of a writer's choices
• Irony comes from a gap between what's said and what's expected

Counterarguments: Concession, Rebuttal and Refutation

4 topics · 22 videos

• Arguments join conversations that started before you
• Evidence can support, complement or contradict your thesis
• Conceding a fair point can make you more believable
• Rebuttal offers another view; refutation shows a claim is wrong
• Not every argument needs a counterargument