Haven't I Seen This Before?

Sometimes students do better on their AP Exams if they feel more comfortable with the test. One way of becoming comfortable is to know the works discussed on the test. The following list is of the most frequently cited works (novels, poems, etc.) on the AP test.
20 Invisible Man
17 Wuthering Heights
14 Great Expectations, Moby Dick
13 Crime And Punishment, Jane Eyre
12 King Lear, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness
11 The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby
10 The Awakening, Billy Budd, Catch-22, Light in August
9 Ceremony, Portrait of the Artist
8 As I Lay Dying, Candide, Othello, Their Eyes Were Watching God


*The number is the number of times cited.

And if the motivation of an AP test weren't enough, these books are great works of literature (my personal favorite is Catch-22) and fun (opinion!) to read. Besides, can People Magazine really educate you on the values of the twenties like The Great Gatsby can?
I think not.

Picking a Novel to Write About

AP Exam Overview:
The exam includes a writing portion with 3 questions. One is about a poem, another about a short story or a selection from a story dating anywhere from the 1700s to the 1900s, and the other prompt (and today's topic!) is an analysis question about a novel or one of comparative literary merit.
So what should you choose- a book from the list or one of your own? The answer- both! Sometimes a novel you choose will fit the prompt better than one on the list. Plus, you may not have read/ remember all the books on the list.
The important point of today is that you should remember to answer the prompt in the best way you can, and that it is a good idea to become well-read, or at least familiar with some works.