AP® English Language and Composition 2021 Scoring Guidelines

Rhetorical Analysis 6 points

On February 27, 2013, while in office, former president Barack Obama delivered the following address dedicating the Rosa Parks statue in the National
Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol building. Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist who was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give
up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Obama
makes to convey his message.

In your 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.

© 2021 College Board

AP® English Language and Composition 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Scoring Criteria
Category
Row A 0 points 1 point
Thesis For any of the following: Responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical
(0-1 points) • There is no defensible thesis. choices.
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the issue with no apparent or
coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt. • Respond to the prompt rather than restating or rephrasing the prompt
• Fail to address the rhetorical choices the writer of the passage makes. and clearly articulate a defensible thesis about the rhetorical choices Obama
makes to convey his message.
• Describe or repeat the passage rather than making a claim that requires a
defense.
Examples that do not earn this point: Examples that earn this point:
Restate the prompt Present a defensible thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices
• “President Obama gave a speech in 2013 to dedicate a new statue • “Obama uses sympathetic diction, historical references, and quotes from the
honoring Rosa Parks, who was an American civil rights activist.” Bible to convey his message about Rosa Parks.”
• “In 1955, Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her bus seat; 58 years
later, President Obama gave a speech to commemorate a statue of • “In his 2013 speech honoring Rosa Parks, Obama used narrative, descriptive
Parks in the Capitol Building.” language, and Biblical allusions to convey his admiration for the civil rights
activist.”
Make a claim, but do not address the writer’s rhetorical choices
• “On the unveiling of a new statue of Rosa Parks, President Obama gave • “President Obama relies on the audience’s familiarity with the story of Rosa
an eloquent speech honoring Parks’ life and activism.” Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat, using that well-known image of her to call
on his audience to ‘carry forward the power of her principle’ as the best way to
Repeat provided information from the passage
honor her legacy.”
• “In his speech, President Obama praised Rosa Parks for her actions,
which led to three hundred and eight-five days of the Montgomery Bus
Boycott that successfully ended segregation on public transportation.”

Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the passage must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not cite
that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.

© 2021 College Board

AP® English Language and Composition 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Scoring Criteria
Category
Row B 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points
Evidence Simply restates thesis (if EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE:
AND present), repeats Provides evidence that is Provides some specific, relevant Provides specific evidence to Provides specific evidence to support
Commentary provided information, or mostly general. evidence. support all claims in a line of all claims in a line of reasoning.
offers information reasoning.
(0-4 points)
irrelevant to the prompt.
AND AND AND AND
COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY:
Summarizes the Explains how some of the Explains how some of the Consistently explains how the
evidence but does not evidence relates to the student’s evidence supports a line of evidence supports a line of
explain how the argument, but no line of reasoning. reasoning.
evidence supports the reasoning is established, or the
AND AND
student’s argument. line of reasoning is faulty.
Explains how at least one Explains how multiple rhetorical
rhetorical choice in the choices in the passage contribute to
passage contributes to the the writer’s argument, purpose, or
writer’s argument, purpose, or message.
message.
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
Typical responses that Typical responses that Typical responses that earn Typical responses that earn Typical responses that earn 4 points:
earn 0 points: earn 1 point: 2 points: 3 points: • Uniformly offer evidence to
• Are incoherent or do • Tend to focus on • Consist of a mix of specific • Uniformly offer evidence support claims.
not address the summary or evidence and broad to support claims. • Focus on the importance of
prompt. description of a generalities. • Focus on the importance of specific words and details from
• May be just opinion passage rather than • May contain some simplistic, specific words and details the passage to build an
with no textual specific details or inaccurate, or repetitive from the passage to build argument.
references or techniques. explanations that don’t an argument. • Organize and support an
references that are • Mention rhetorical strengthen the argument. • Organize an argument as a argument as a line of reasoning
irrelevant. choices with little or • May make one point well but line of reasoning composed of multiple supporting
no explanation. either do not make multiple composed of multiple claims, each with adequate
supporting claims or do not supporting claims. evidence that is clearly explained.
adequately support more • Commentary may fail to • Explain how the writer’s use of
than one claim. integrate some evidence or rhetorical choices contributes to
• Do not explain the fail to support a key claim. the student’s interpretation of
connections or progression the passage.
between the student’s claims,
so a line of reasoning is not
clearly established.
Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response may observe multiple instances of the same rhetorical choice if each instance further contributes to the
argument, purpose, or message of the passage.

© 2021 College Board

AP® English Language and Composition 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Reporting
Scoring Criteria
Category
Row C 0 points 1 point
Sophistication Does not meet the criteria for one point. Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical
(0-1 points) situation.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point may demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a
• Attempt to contextualize the text, but such attempts consist complex understanding of the rhetorical situation by doing any of the following:
predominantly of sweeping generalizations (“In a world where…” 1. Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer’s rhetorical choices (given the
OR “Since the beginning of time…”). rhetorical situation).
• Only hint at or suggest other arguments (“While some may argue 2. Explaining a purpose or function of the passage’s complexities or tensions.
that…” OR “Some people say…”). 3. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
• 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.

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

© 2021 College Board

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