AP SSC English (Third Language) cheat sheet

Main idea: ask what the whole passage is about, not what one paragraph says; the answer must cover the beginning, middle and end.

Title choice rule: a correct title is broad enough for every paragraph but narrow enough to exclude unrelated topics.

Inference is a conclusion the text supports but does not state; if a word in the option is not implied by the passage, reject it.

Vocabulary-in-context: replace the word in the sentence with each option and keep the one that preserves the sentence's meaning, not the dictionary's first sense.

Tone and attitude words to classify: positive (appreciative, admiring), negative (critical, sarcastic), neutral (informative, objective).

Reference questions (what does 'it/they/this' refer to): look at the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and makes sense.

Sequence and cause-effect questions: scan for time markers (first, then, later, finally) and connectors (because, therefore, as a result).

True/false and 'not stated' items: an option is wrong if the passage contradicts it OR never mentions it; only 'contradicts' is false, 'silent' is not stated.

Seen-passage questions test details, character and theme already taught in the textbook; quote the exact line before choosing the option.

Simple present: habitual actions, universal truths, timetables. Present continuous: action happening now or fixed near-future plan (I am meeting him tomorrow).

Present perfect (have/has + V3) links past to present; use with since (point of time) and for (duration). Past perfect (had + V3) marks the earlier of two past actions.

Passive voice formula: object of active becomes subject + correct form of be + past participle + (by + agent). Tense of 'be' must match the active tense.

Passive is impossible with intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive, die) because they have no object to promote.

Reported speech: shift present to past, will to would, can to could, may to might; shift pronouns to the reporter's point of view.

Reported questions use statement order: 'Where do you live?' becomes 'He asked where I lived' (no do/does/did, no question mark).

Reported imperatives: 'said to' becomes told/asked/ordered + object + to-infinitive; negatives use not to + verb.

Relative clauses: who for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for place, when for time; defining clauses take no commas.

Conditionals: Type 1 if + present, will + V1; Type 2 if + past, would + V1; Type 3 if + had + V3, would have + V3.

Concord rules: each/every/either/neither + singular verb; 'one of the + plural noun' takes a singular verb; 'a number of' takes plural, 'the number of' takes singular.

Synonyms are rarely exact: match the part of speech and the register first, then the shade of meaning (e.g. 'famous' vs 'notorious').

Antonym traps: some words have no true opposite; use prefixes (un-, in-, im-, dis-, il-, ir-) to test a formed opposite before choosing.

Word-form families must keep the same root: beauty (noun), beautiful (adjective), beautifully (adverb), beautify (verb); the blank's grammar decides the form.

Common idiom meanings: 'a blessing in disguise' = apparent misfortune that turns out well; 'to let the cat out of the bag' = reveal a secret; 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely.

More idioms: 'to beat about the bush' = avoid the main point; 'a bolt from the blue' = sudden shock; 'to burn the midnight oil' = study or work late.

Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: give up (surrender), give in (yield), give away (donate/reveal), give out (distribute/exhaust).

Separable phrasal verbs allow the object between verb and particle (turn the light off / turn off the light); pronouns must go in the middle (turn it off).

One-word substitutes: one who studies stars = astronomer; one who loves mankind = philanthropist; a speech made to oneself = soliloquy; that which cannot be avoided = inevitable.

More substitutes: a place where books are kept = library; a person who eats too much = glutton; government by the people = democracy; a word opposite in meaning = antonym.

Formal letter layout order: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), subject line, body, subscription (Yours faithfully/sincerely), signature.

Informal letter: address and date, salutation (Dear + name), body in relaxed tone, subscription (Yours lovingly/affectionately), first name only.

'Yours faithfully' pairs with 'Dear Sir/Madam'; 'Yours sincerely' pairs with a named addressee. Reversing them is a standard error.

Notice format: the word NOTICE at the top, name of the issuing body/school, date, a heading, a short body (who/what/when/where/whom to contact), and the writer's name and designation.

Notice word limit is usually about 50 words; use impersonal, third-person style and never add a salutation or subscription.

Message format: date and time at the top, addressee's name, brief body, and sender's name at the end; keep it under about 50 words and include only essential details.

Paragraph structure: one topic sentence, three to five supporting sentences with examples, and a closing sentence that returns to the topic.

Paragraph coherence: use linkers (firstly, moreover, however, therefore, in short) and keep one tense pattern unless the content requires a shift.

Guided composition supplies hints; expand each hint into a full sentence and connect them, but do not invent new points that the hints exclude.

Essay plan: introduction stating the stand, two or three body paragraphs each with one idea plus example, and a conclusion that restates without repeating wording.

Essay types and their signals: argumentative (should/ought), expository (explain/describe), narrative (recount), and reflective (your view with reasons).

Report format: title, reporter's name and date, then objective, factual findings, and conclusion or recommendation; use past tense and passive voice for events, no personal opinion in a news report.

Story writing: use the given opening or ending exactly as supplied, build one conflict, and resolve it; keep to a single tense and a consistent point of view.

Story technique: show rather than tell (describe actions and dialogue), and end with a twist or a moral only if the prompt asks for it.

Dialogue writing: one speaker per line, name followed by a colon, natural contractions, and no quotation marks around each line.

Dialogue must carry the conversation forward; include greetings, questions, replies and a closing, and keep the register consistent with the relationship.

Word-count discipline: extended compositions usually run 150-200 words; a short accurate piece scores higher than a long rambling one with errors.

For poetry, identify the rhyme scheme by marking end sounds (abab, aabb, abcb) and count stresses to name the metre only when asked.

Poetic devices and their tests: simile uses like/as; metaphor states one thing is another; personification gives human qualities to non-human things; alliteration repeats initial consonants.

More devices: hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration; oxymoron joins contradictory words (bitter sweet); onomatopoeia imitates sound (buzz, hiss); irony says the opposite of the intended meaning.

Theme questions ask for the central idea in one sentence, supported by one line or event from the text, not a plot summary.

Character questions require a trait plus evidence: name the quality (loyal, impulsive) and cite one action or speech that proves it.

Prose answers should follow point, evidence, explanation: state the answer, quote or cite the incident, then explain how it supports the point.

Poetry answers should name the device, quote the line, and state the effect on meaning or mood; naming the device alone earns partial credit.

Distinguish author from speaker in a poem: the speaker is the voice in the poem and is not automatically the poet.

Non-detailed questions test plot, characters, setting and theme at the level of the whole book, not line-by-line language analysis.

Plot answers should follow the chain of causes: what happened, why it happened, and what changed as a result.

Character contrasts are common: state how two characters differ in one trait and support each with a separate incident.

Setting questions expect time and place plus how the setting shapes the action (e.g. a village limiting a character's choices).

Theme statements must be general enough to apply beyond the story but specific enough to need this story as evidence.

Chapter-sequence items: recall the order of major events; a summary that reorders events is marked wrong even if the events are correct.

Quotation questions: give the speaker, the context and the significance of the quoted line, not just who said it.

Extensive reading items may ask for the moral or message; phrase it as a general truth the events illustrate, then link it to one incident.