Transcript Introduction to the Synthesis Essay

AP Language & Composition
From a Greek root “to put together”
 The process of bringing together
information from various sources to
form a new whole.
 In the context of the AP English
Language exam, it refers to engaging
three or more sources (written or
visual) to develop a position on a
particular topic.

 Explanatory
–
Aims to inform, to make
sure that readers
understand the parts of a
topic.
 While
many people praise
computer-mediated
communication’s potential to
bridge barriers and promote
meaningful dialogue, others
caution that it may have many
dangers.
 Argumentative
–
Aims to persuade, to
convince readers to adhere
to a particular claim.

Although many people praise the
potential of computer-mediated
communication to bridge barriers and
promote meaningful dialogue, in
practice computer mediated
communication threatens to
undermine human intimacy,
connection and ultimately community.
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The synthesis question is like the traditional
argument question with sources.
On the traditional argument question,
students might be asked to “develop a
position” or “defend, challenge or qualify” a
position on a particular subject and are
typically asked to “use appropriate evidence”
and are encouraged to draw on their
“reading, observation or experience”
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An evaluation is simply an analysis with the
force of judgment
Authority
Accuracy
Objectivity
Currency
Coverage
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Although I grant that ____ I still maintain
that____.
Proponents of X are right to argue that
______, but they exaggerate when they claim
that _______.
While it is true that_____, it does not
necessarily follow that______.
On the one hand, I agree with X that _______.
But on the other hand, I still insist that _____.
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“What’s the truth about memoir?”
Imagine the question were not one that
included sources – how would you “take a
position that defends, challenges or qualifies”
the statement?
What “reading, observation or experience”
could you draw on for this question?
Memoir remains a popular genre and form
of nonfiction. Some memoirists, however,
have been accused of misrepresenting
certain events of their lives to suit their
goals, be they aesthetic or commercial. To
what extent, if at all, should a memoirist, in
Russell Baker’s words, be able to “invent the
truth”? How absolute a label is “nonfiction”?
What constitutes the standard for “truth” in
a text that is presented to its potential
audience as a memoir?
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Read the sources, student responses and
commentary carefully.
Take notes on what the responses do well,
and where there are areas for improvement.
Be prepared to SCORE the student responses
– and be able to defend – in class tomorrow
using the standard 1-9 AP scale.