2022 AP Exam Administration Student Samples and Commentary - AP English Language and Composition FRQ 2

2022

English Language

and Composition

Sample Student Responses

and Scoring Commentary

Inside:

Free-Response Question 2

Scoring Guidelines

Student Samples

Scoring Commentary

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AP® English Language and Composition 2022 Scoring Guidelines

Rhetorical Analysis 6 points

rn in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Sonia Sotomayor was appointed a United States Supreme Court Justice in 2009, becoming the first

Latina justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She delivered the speech “A Latina Judge’s Voice” at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in

2001 when she was an appeals-court judge. The following passage is an excerpt from that speech. Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that

analyzes the rhetorical choices Sotomayor makes to convey her message about her identity.

In y

our response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.

• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

AP® English Language and Composition 2022 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting

Category

Scoring Criteria

Row C

Sophistication

(0–1 points)

0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.

1 point

Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical

situation.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point:

• Attempt to contextualize the text, but such attempts consist

predominantly of sweeping generalizations (“In a world where . . .”

OR “Since the beginning of time . . .”).

• Only hint at or suggest other arguments (“While some may argue

that . . .” OR “Some people say . . .”).

• Examine individual rhetorical choices but do not examine the

relationships among different choices throughout the text.

• Oversimplify complexities in the text.

• Use complicated or complex sentences or language that is

ineffective because it does not enhance their analysis.

Responses that earn this point may demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a

complex understanding of the rhetorical situation by doing any of the following:

1. Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer’s rhetorical choices (given the

rhetorical situation).

2. Explaining a purpose or function of the passage’s complexities or tensions.

3. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.

Additional Notes:

• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the student’s argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

Sample 2A (1 of 3)

Sample 2A (2 of 3)

Sample 2A (3 of 3)

Sample 2B (1 of 2)

Sample 2B (2 of 2)

Sample 2C (1 of 1)

English Language and Composition 2022 Scoring Commentary

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Question 2

Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Overview

Students responding to this question were expected to read an excerpt from a 2001 speech delivered

by Sonia Sotomayor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law when she was an

appeals court judge and then write an essay that analyzed the rhetorical choices Sotomayor made to

convey her message about her identity. Students were expected to respond to the prompt with a

thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices; select and use evidence to support their line of

reasoning; explain how the evidence supports their line of reasoning; demonstrate an understanding

of the rhetorical situation; and use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating their

argument.

As per the Course and Exam Description (RHS-1.A, STL-1, CLE-1, REO-1), students were expected

to be able to read and understand the rhetorical situation and address the strategic choices related to

that rhetorical situation, explain how the writer/speaker’s rhetorical choices contributed to the

purpose of the address, identify and describe their claims, and analyze and select the appropriate

evidence to support their claims.

Sample: 2A

Score: 1-4-1

Thesis (0–1) points: 1

The response earned the thesis point for the final sentence of the first paragraph, which analyzes the

speaker’s rhetorical choices: “However in light of debates between a homogenous vs. heterogeneous

society in regards to cultural identities, Sotomayor argues that these identities aren’t and shouldn’t be

black and white by sharing her narratives and experiences with this conflict.”

Evidence and Commentary (0–4 points): 4

The response uniformly supports its claims with specific evidence, focusing on well-chosen, direct

quotes that are precisely relevant to the overall claim regarding the complex, layered nature of identity,

such as the use of Sotomayor’s description, in paragraph 2, of being a “‘born and bred New Yorker of

Puerto Rican-born parents’” and the use of the academic description of what being a Latina means.

The evidence is explained consistently and clearly throughout, and the underlying assumptions in the

speech are made explicit in analyses such as “even when living in one of the biggest cities in the

United States, somewhere that could be called the epitome of all things American, she still managed to

retain her cultural identity” in paragraph 2 and “She debunks the assumption that all Latinos speak

spanish” in paragraph 3. The line of reasoning is made clear in a variety of ways, both within

paragraphs (“She continues this dual identity narrative” and “she gives another example of

misconception”) and between paragraphs (“She continues this point”). The final paragraph again

makes the central argument clear, reiterating the same line of reasoning in the argument that “She

maintains that there are so many factors that contribute to cultural identity … that drawing distinct

seperations between them just cannot be done.”

English Language and Composition 2022 Scoring Commentary

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Question 2 (continued)

Sophistication (0–1 points): 1

The response consistently displays a sophisticated understanding of the significance or relevance of

the passage’s complexities and tensions. In every paragraph, the response clearly ties the specific

evidence to the tension that exists within Sotomayor’s complex identity. The response further

situates the rhetorical situation in a sophisticated way by addressing Sotomayor’s understanding of

“assumption[s]” and “misconception[s].” The response does show a strong control of language, but it

does not employ a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive, and thus the response earned the

Row C point for its nuanced understanding rather than its style.

Sample: 2B

Score: 1-3-0

Thesis (0-1) points: 1

The response earned the thesis point at the end of the first paragraph with an idea-driven thesis that

analyzes the speaker’s choices: “Sonia Sotomayor’s 2001 speech at the University of California,

Berkely highlights her experiences and the cultural significance of her life as a Latina woman.”

Evidence and Commentary (0–4 points): 3

The response uniformly offers evidence to support all claims, in the form of specific references, such

as Sotomayor’s “vivid, eloquent descriptions of meals, music, and games” in paragraph 3 and her

choice to “detail her academic life” in paragraph 4. There is a line of reasoning about the diversity of

culture in the United States, as the response moves through multiple ways that the speaker conveys

this message. The commentary offers explanations that focus on specific details of the passage and go

beyond summary and paraphrase, but they remain somewhat abstract and less full compared to the

detailed, specific explanations typically seen in responses that earn a 4 in row B. For example, the

explanation that “while other cultures can observe and gain an understanding of other cultures, you

can never gain a full understanding. This point serves to highlight the importance of keeping strong

cultural and ethnic identities in America” (paragraph 4) does not effectively integrate evidence into the

analysis. The ongoing discussion in this paragraph about the “‘melting pot’” and the “‘salad bowl’”

continues to develop the line of reasoning, but the lack of integration of specific evidence is

characteristic of a response that would earn a 3 in row B.

Sophistication (0–1 points): 0

The response does not address the passage’s complexities or tensions. Although there is an

understanding that cultural identity is important, there is no discussion of the potential tensions

regarding identity that might be addressed, as in responses that did earn this point. The response

focuses on specific elements of the text without addressing the nuance of the situation and thus does

not display sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation.

While the response demonstrates an adequate control of language, the style is neither vivid nor

persuasive.

English Language and Composition 2022 Scoring Commentary

Question 2 (continued)

Sample: 2C

Score: 1-1-0

Thesis (0-1) points: 1

The response opens with a defensible thesis that analyzes the speaker’s choices: “Sonia Sotomayor

uses the rhetorical choices of using her life experiences, and the culture that she grew up with to

convey her message about her identity as a Latina.”

Evidence and Commentary (0–4 points): 1

The response contains some direct, specific quotes, but there is little explanation of how they

connect to the argument. Attempts at commentary instead substitute paraphrase and summary with

repeated phrases such as “She believes” and “[she] thinks.” The response does not explain how the

evidence supports the argument (e.g., “Sotomayor thinks it’s simply that because you’re born in a

culture that you identify with your families culture”).

Sophistication (0–1 points): 0

The response remains primarily at the level of summary and thus does not explore the complexities or

tensions of the speech. While recognizing the message that Sotomayor is focused on identity, the

response simply reduces this concept to “one’s experiences and the bonds they make that define who

they are in their culture” without a nuanced understanding of the rhetorical choices Sotomayor uses in

this exploration. The weak control of language contributes to a style that is neither vivid nor

persuasive.

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