Writing the Essays

In the second section of the AP Chemistry Exam, you should begin all questions by numbering your answer. You do not need to work the questions in order. However, the graders must be able to identify quickly which question you are answering. You may wish to underline any key words or key concepts in your answer. Do not underline too much, however, because doing so may obscure your reasons for underlining, hi free-response questions that require specific calculations or the determination of products, you may also want to underhne or draw a box around your final answer(s). 

After you have written the problem number, restate the question in as few words as possible, but do not leave out any essential information. Often a diagram will help. By restating the question, you put the question in your own words and allow time for your mind to organize the way you intend to answer it. As a result, you eliminate a great deal of unnecessary language that clutters the basic idea. Even if you do not answer the question, a restatement may be worth one point. 

If a question has several parts, such as (a), (b), (c), and (d), do not write all of the restatements together. Instead, write each restatement separately when you begin to answer that part. In these practice exams, you will see many samples of the uses of restatements. 

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Part I contains the following sections Questions Commonly Asked About the AP Chemistry Exam, Strategies for Taking the AP Chemistry Exam, Methods for Writing the Essays, Mathematical Operations, and Mathematics Self-Test. 

Some recent test takers report that they were shocked by the small amount of space they were given on their answer sheet to write the essay. Although you can use the test booklet to take notes and organize your thoughts, only what is written on the answer sheet will count. The practice tests in Chapters 4-6 include the same amount of space you ll encounter when taking the SAT, so you will be able to walk into the test confident that there will be no surprises. 

I ve already answered this but I suppose the only bit to add is how I ll choose what to read once I have got hold of the books on the reading list for this course. I shall be really careful to check the index because once I just went for the chapter that looked as if it was the most relevant. I missed another reaUy important part of the book because I was in a rush, and couldn t be bothered to go and plough through the index and look up aU the references for the subject I was writing the essay about. Because of that I missed an important bit in my essay and got a really bad mark for it. It meant that I missed out a whole lot of important ideas because they were not in the chapter I had been looking at. I think it s reaUy important to look at the index carefuUy and not just look at the titles of the chapters in books. 

Once you are out of college, you will find that the essay is the basis of nonfiction books, newspaper and magazine articles, speeches, legal briefs and opinions, and persuasive business communications. Regardless of what profession you choose to enter, you are going to be called on to use the principles you learned in writing the essay to present your ideas to others. 

Write an essay of approximately 2000 words on the history and the various definitions of the concept of resonance, resonance energy, and aromaticity. 

Read a recent article from the column Analytical Approach, published in Analytical Chemistry, or an article assigned by your instructor, and write an essay summarizing the nature of the problem and how it was solved. As a guide, refer back to Figure 1.3 for one model of the analytical approach. 

For each of the following questions, write mini-essays that are at least a page long and... 

When you begin Section II, the essays, the last thing you want to do is start writing immediately. Take a minute and scan the questions. Find the questions that you know you will have the most success with, and put a star ( ) next to them in your booklet. You do not have to answer the questions in order however, you must number them clearly in your response book. 

The book is divided into seven parts, each covering a different aspect of the essay writing process ... 

Begin with the Goof-Proof Rules for journaling and personal inventory, which help you to collect the raw data from which you can create one or more personal statements. Look at the topics available, and learn great ways to approach each one. Try on a number of them to find the best fit. Then, create notes from which you can write your essay. 

Rachel Klein, a college counselor at Milton Academy in Mil-ton, Massachusetts, advises her students to keep journals to help with essay writing because they can "give them back their own words." Journals, Klein says, are like "your mind coming out on paper." When you are writing your essay, you can use the journal as a reference for tone and word choices that convey your authentic voice. 

Once you begin the essay writing stage, your journal will become an invaluable tool. It can help you use the right tone, neither too casual nor too formal, so that your essay sounds like you. While rereading it, make note of the words you use, and what your voice sounds like when you write. Also make note of the ideas and topics that hold your interest. Sometimes you may not be aware of your feelings about something until you take the time to explore them. Use your journal entries to search for possible essay material. 

Writing an essay on, for instance, what it felt like to drive a car alone for the first time, or why you enjoy... 

Fill out a personal inventory that encourages you to mine your life and experiences for the raw material you will draw on to write your essay. 

Spend time on your rough draft. Organize your essay so it moves logically from paragraph to paragraph, and understand your audience and what they are looking for. Use each part of the essay, introduction, body, and conclusion effectively, and avoid common errors that can weaken your writing. 

Your essay is also referred to as a personal statement. It is not your writing skills or intellectual prowess that will wow the admissions committee. What they are looking for in the essay is the personal or emotional connection they can make with you. 

Most schools require you to limit your personal statement to 500 words, or two pages. That means you can t waste wards. Learn the most common, unnecessary word wasters so you can avoid them when writing your essay. 

Content refers to the personal information you are writing about. The essay is not the place to repeat information that can be found elsewhere on the application. For instance, you have already listed your extra-curricular activities and GPA that have been noted by the admissions committee there is no need to remind them of these accomplishments. Use your essay to tell your readers something they don t know about you. 

When writing your essay, you must choose your words carefully. That means understanding their meanings and being sensitive to their power. The wrong words not only make you seem less intelligent, but they can also confuse, annoy, or even offend your reader. 

AP U.S. Government and Politics AP U.S. History AP World History 11 Practice Tests for the AP Exams Writing the AP English Essay... 

In your opinion, are the risks of manufacturing and using pesticides greater or less than the benefits Write a short (half-page) essay that explains your point of view. Include specific examples to back up your argument. (You may want to carry out further research on pesticides, and the effects of pesticides, before writing your essay.)... 

The famous French scientist Antoine Laviosier (1743-1794) is considered by many to be the first modern chemist. Lavoisier created a calorimeter to study the energy that is released by the metabolism of a guinea pig. To learn about Lavoisier s experiment, go to the web site above and click on Web Links. What do you think about using animals in experiments Write an essay to explain why you agree or disagree with this practice. 

You can use the space on the pages following Part 2 to record your answers and write your essay. Or, if you prefer, simply circle the answers directly for Part 1. Obviously, if this book doesn t belong to you, use separate sheets of lined paper to write your responses. 

Set a timer for 30 minutes. When you re ready to begin, carefully read the following essay assignment. Use the space provided to write your essay. Stop writing when 20 minutes have elapsed, even if you haven t completed your essay. When you re finished, look at the scoring chart in the answer key to estimate your essay s score. 

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