Grammar in General

Writing Free-Response Essays

Helpful Hints

Some questions, in the free-response section of an examination (paricularly the Latin AP exam), instruct the students to write either a short essay or a long essay that is 'well developed'. In both instances, the students may be asked to:

• Interpret the text.
• Analyze critical statements about the text.
• Compare and contrast different aspects of the form, structure and/or content of the text.
• Evaluate some issue of importance relevant to the text.

Essays receiving the highest scores are analytical and interpretive, rather than merely descriptive or narrative. In both types of essays, the students must refer specifically to the Latin throughout the passage or poem to support their statements. When students are asked to refer specifically to the Latin, they must write out the Latin and/or cite line numbers. They must also translate, accurately paraphrase or otherwise, make clear in their discussion that they understand the Latin. When referring to a relatively long portion of Latin text, students may either cite the line numbers or use ellipsis ("word...word"). When referring only to words or phrases, students should write them out. The responsibility rests with the student to convince the reader that the student knows Latin text and is drawing conclusions from the Latin text and not from a general recall of the passage.

When writing their essays, students should:

• Use the Latin, most appropriate to support their argument and cite it properly;
• Understand that referring to the Latin 'throughout' the poem or passage means that they should, at a minimum, use material from the beginning, middle and end of the text;
• Connect the cited Latin to the point that they are making and explain the connection;
• Omit any information that they have learned, when it is not relevant to the specific question;
• Refer to a figure of speech or aspect of meter, only when it can be used to make their analysis of the passage stronger, unless the question specifically asks them to do so;
• Avoid making figures of speech, scansion or sound effects which would affect the basis or major focus of their essays;
• Refer to other poems or passages by the same author, only if there is a strong connection that strengthens the point that they are making.

Additional New Information In The Course Description Booklet:

'Write out and translate or accurately paraphrase in short identification passages (Choice Authors)'

When students are required to demonstrate their understanding of the Latin that they cite, they may either write a translation or an accurate paraphrase. (Previously, the directions were to "write out and translate.")

For example: sine uxore -

• without a wife
• unmarried

Gratias ad Shelley Haley of the AP Latin Committee
for sharing this information at ACL 2003
Joan Jahnige, 2004

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