English language - Barbara L. Murphy 2021
Practice exam 1
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Practice Exam 1
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Practice exam 1
Answer sheet for multiple-choice questions
The multiple choice section of the exam will have 45 questions.
✵ 20—25 will be related to close reading/analysis.
✵ 20—25 will be related to the rhetorical situation.
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I did 
did not finish all the questions in the allotted 1 hour.
I had _____ correct answers. I had _____ incorrect answers. I left _____ blank.
I have carefully reviewed the explanations of the answers, and I think I need to work on the following types of questions:
The current AP English Language exam divides the multiple choice section of the exam into “Reading” and “Writing” categories with separate texts for each type. However, for our purposes, each of the texts in the practice exam contains both “Reading” and “Writing” questions.
Practice exam i advanced placement english language
Section I
Total Time—1 hour
Carefully read the following passages and answer the questions that follow.
Questions 1—10 are based on the following passage excerpted from Charles Dickens’s Pictures from Italy.
1. The purpose of the passage is to
A. condemn the squalor of Florence
B. entice visitors to Florence
C. praise the Grand Duke
D. present the dichotomy existing in Florence
E. reveal the author’s worldliness
2. The primary rhetorical strategy used by the author is
A. narration
B. description
C. analysis
D. process
E. argument
3. In developing his purpose, the author uses all of the following rhetorical devices except:
A. spatial organization
B. metaphor and simile
C. comparison and contrast
D. imagery
E. chronological order
4. Which of the following lines contains an example of paradox?
A. line 17
B. lines 18—19
C. lines 4—5
D. lines 26—27
E. line 29
5. The most probable function of the selected detail which focuses on the murder of the young girl by the old man (20—22) is
A. to emphasize the brutality of the citizens
B. to establish a tone of pathos
C. to criticize the city’s government
D. to warn visitors about the dangers of the city
E. to emphasize the contrasts evident in the city
6. The abrupt shift caused by a lack of transition between paragraphs 1 and 2 serves to do all of the following except:
A. reemphasize the unexpected nature of murder
B. reinforce the idea that there is no connection between the two paragraphs
C. reinforce the element of contrast
D. reinforce the author’s style
E. immediately whisk the reader to a place of safety away from the murder scene
7. What can be inferred from the following details taken from the passage
— “small distrustful windows” (4)
— “walls of great thickness” (5)
— “enormous overhanging battlements” (8)
— “secret passage” (29)
A. Florence was not architecturally sound.
B. Florence was designed to protect its artwork.
C. Florence had experienced both warfare and intrigue.
D. Florence was unsuited for habitation.
E. Florence was preparing for war.
8. Lines 11—22 contain examples of which of the following rhetorical device?
A. antithetical images
B. anecdotal evidence
C. parallel structure
D. denotation
E. inversion
9. If one were building a house of horrors, which of the following would be best suitable as a model or inspiration?
A. Piazza of the Grand Duke (6—7)
B. Fountain of Neptune (7)
C. Palazzo Vecchio (8)
D. Ponte Vecchio (23)
E. Gallery of the Grand Duke (28)
10. The tone of the passage can best be described as
A. somber and distant
B. reportorial and appreciative
C. respectful and dispassionate
D. satirical and angry
E. melancholy and reflective
Questions 11—20 are based on the following passage from Margaret Atwood’s “Origins of Stories.”
11. One reason Atwood gives for the presence of stories in children’s lives is
A. scandalous gossip
B. family secrets
C. supernatural influences
D. listening
E. radio and television
12. The close association between the reader and the author is immediately established by
A. a first person, plural point of view
B. placing the reader into a family situation
C. using accessible diction and syntax
D. being emotional
E. appealing to the child in the reader
13. The last sentence of paragraph 2, “From all these scraps . . .” to “forbidden knowledge,” contains all of the following except:
A. parallel structure
B. a periodic sentence
C. prepositional phrases
D. a compound-complex sentence
E. an ellipsis
14. The phrase “forbidden knowledge” in the last sentence of the second paragraph can best be categorized as
A. a paradox
B. a biblical allusion
C. hyperbole
D. antithesis
E. understatement
15. According to the author, the writer is like a child because
A. “We are likely to accept these stories being of the same level of reality as the kitchen stories” [paragraph 4]
B. “. . . we are taught to regard one kind of story as real . . .” [paragraph 4, next to last line]
C. “We remained tale-bearers” [paragraph 3]
D. “We will have old husbands’ tales” [paragraph 5]
E. “. . . the kinds of stories that are told to children have been called nursery tales . . .” [paragraph 5]
16. A careful reading of the last two paragraphs of the excerpt can lead the reader to infer that
A. society does not value the storyteller
B. women should be the storytellers
C. storytelling should be left to children
D. men can never be storytellers
E. the author is a mother herself
17. The predominant tone of the passage is best stated as
A. scathingly bitter
B. sweetly effusive
C. reverently detailed
D. wistfully observant
E. aggressively judgmental
18. The author makes use of which of the following rhetorical strategies?
A. narration and description
B. exposition and persuasion
C. process and analysis
D. anecdote and argument
E. cause and effect
19. A shift in the focus of the passage occurs with which of the following?
A. “If we’re lucky” [paragraph 4]
B. “Perhaps this is what writers are . . .” [paragraph 3]
C. “Traditionally, . . .” [paragraph 5]
D. “Perhaps this reflects the extent to which North American children have been deprived of the grandfathers . . .” [paragraph 5]
E. “But as things are, language, including the language of the earliest-learned stories . . .” [paragraph 5]
20. The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. plead for men to tell more stories
B. criticize censorship
C. idealize children
D. analyze storytelling
E. look at the sources of storytelling
Questions 21—30 are based on the following passage from “The American Dream and the American Negro,” James Baldwin’s debate with William F. Buckley at The Cambridge Union Society at Cambridge University in 1965.
This debate was between arch conservative William F. Buckley, the editor of the National Review, and James Baldwin, an African American playwright, essayist and poet. The topic was, “That the American dream has come at the expense of the American Negro.” Below is an excerpt from Baldwin’s famous speech.
21. The thesis is which sentence in the first paragraph?
A. 1
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
E. 6
22. The primary audience for this speech is
A. readers of the New York Times and the London Times
B. William S. Buckley
C. Cambridge students and the Cambridge Union Society
D. Cambridge University class in world politics
E. Cambridge University History faculty
23. Which of the following best describes Baldwin’s exigence for this piece?
A. the need to confront the cultural bias toward black Americans
B. a distrust of William F. Buckley and his political viewpoints
C. the need to get publicity for his newest novel
D. the desire to advocate for equal rights for black Americans
E. the desire to win the debate
24. Which of the following best identifies Baldwin’s purpose?
A. to win the debate
B. to show how inadequate conservatives are when dealing with race relations
C. to call for a rebellion on the part of black Americans
D. to convince the audience of the dire consequences of refusing to afford black Americans equal partnership in the promise that is America.
E. to build support for the civil rights movement in the United States
25. In paragraph 2, the speaker employs which of the following rhetorical strategies to further develop his thesis?
A. cause/effect
B. comparison/contrast
C. description
D. process
E. definition
26. The primary rhetorical strategy employed in paragraph 2 introduces the audience to Baldwin’s sense of
A. history
B. optimism
C. inevitability
D. humility
E. irony
27. In context, paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 could be used to support which of the following claims about the writer’s tone?
A. His tone when discussing white Americans is condescending.
B. His tone when discussing the situation of black Americans is bitter and ominous.
C. He tone is beseeching when discussing what white Americans can do when dealing with the black population.
D. He adopts a reverent, admiring tone when dealing with racial equality.
E. He adopts a detached, impersonal tone when addressing the situation of black Americans.
28. In the third paragraph, Baldwin introduces Martin Luther King, Jr., into his argument primarily to
A. question the effectiveness of the methods King uses
B. underscore his own involvement in the civil rights movement
C. affirm the righteousness of the civil rights movement
D. emphasize the complexity and difficulty that black Americans have dealing with what white Americans say and what they do
E. encourage civil rights activists to follow the example set by Martin Luther King, Jr.
29. The final paragraph is both a warning and a condemnation that is based primarily on which of the following rhetorical devices?
A. metaphor
B. juxtaposition
C. parallel structure
D. hyperbole
E. allusion
30. A primary purpose of Baldwin’s switching between first, second, and third person when referring to himself is to
A. connect with the audience and its own history
B. prosecute white America for its treatment of blacks
C. motivate his audience to sympathize with black Americans
D. advocate for required sensitivity training in all American schools
E. emphasize that blacks are individuals and a part of all that makes up America: its history, its promise, its triumphs, its failures
Questions 31—40 are based on “Making the World Safe for Stupidity,” by Leonard Pitts, Jr., which appeared in the Chicago Tribune on May 30, 2000.
1 kudzu is an invasive species of climbing vine that overwhelms the surrounding vegetation.
31. The exigence for Pitts’s column is most probably
A. frustration with the dumbing down of ads and warning labels
B. anger toward the advertising world
C. seeing consumers take warning labels too seriously
D. one too many warning labels
E. a desire to seek revenge on corporations he sees as paternalistic
32. The thesis is located in which paragraph?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 11
E. 16
33. Which rhetorical strategy does Pitts primarily use to support his thesis?
A. comparison/contrast
B either/or alternatives
C. cause/effect
D. exemplification
E. narration
34. The tone of the essay can best be described as
A instructive
B. sarcastic
C. exhortative
D. congratulatory
E. pensive
35. Which of the following paragraphs does NOT help develop the tone of the essay?
A. 5
B. 6
C. 10
D. 11
E. 12
36. The function of the rhetorical questions used throughout the essay is to
A. win the involvement and favor of his audience
B. lead the audience through a series of accusations
C. introduce each new claim
D. transition to a different time frame
E. strengthen his portrayal of corporate America
37. The primary audience for this column is most likely
A. advertising agencies
B. retail salespeople
C. the average consumer
D. injury attorneys
E. corporations
38. Which of the following is not included in the creation of Pitts’ primary purpose?
A. to chide the stupidity of the American consumer
B. to criticize corporations’ opinions about the American consumer
C. to offer a valid, universal solution to stupid ads and warnings
D. to advocate for laws prohibiting unneeded warnings
E. to make readers aware of the corporate world’s dumbing down of the American consumer
39. The writer uses which of the following organizational patterns to develop his line of reasoning?
A. deduction
B. familiar to unfamiliar
C. induction
D. chronological
E. unfamiliar to familiar
40. The writer has decided NOT to use the following sentence to begin paragraph 12.
I believe humanity is rapidly going downhill, and if you remember your high school days, you’ll agree with me.
Which of the following would NOT be a reason for his decision?
A. A transition is already in place.
B. The writer has already involved the reader.
C. The second sentence lets the reader know the reference is to high school.
D. The logic of the argument needs clarification.
E. The sentence may lead the reader to think that a new subject is being introduced.
Questions 41—45 are based on the passage written by poet John Ciardi who was a long time member of the staff of the now extinct literary weekly, The Saturday Review.
1 shapen: having a designated shape
41. Located in which paragraph, the thesis indicates which organizational pattern for this passage?
A. paragraph 1, deduction
B. paragraph 2, deduction
C. paragraph 4, induction
D. paragraph 5, induction
E. paragraph 6, induction
42. If one accepts that form follows function, one may conclude that the third paragraph is composed of only one sentence because
A. Ciardi is illustrating his control of syntax
B. it’s the most important paragraph in the passage
C. the complex content demanded a complicated presentation
D. listing makes it easier to read
E. the contents of the drawer are observed and noted in a single glance
43. Ciardi contrasts the topics and syntax of paragraphs 3 and 6 with that of paragraph 4 and 5 primarily to
A. create a logical “nest” in which to place personal thoughts about himself
B. explain the complexities of keeping a desk drawer neat and useful
C. emphasize the difference between the objective world and the world of ideas
D. provide specific examples of comments given in paragraphs 1 and 2
E. suggest a method of keeping track of what is superficial and what is meaningful
44. Which of the following rhetorical devices is not used by Ciardi to develop the gentle humor of the passage?
A. repetition of the word “average”
B. hyperbole
C. parenthetical comments
D. irony
E. metaphor
45. After carefully considering the thesis and the logic involved in the organization of the passage, the reader could best describe Ciardi’s purpose as
A. an inventory of his desk drawer
B. a description of his relationship with his grandchildren
C. a self-reflection
D. an examination of his writing process
E. a nostalgic and whimsical memoir piece
End of section I
Section II
Total Time—2 hours
Question 1
Suggested Writing Time: 40 minutes
A new word has entered the American vocabulary: affluenza. A 1997 PBS documentary titled Affluenza introduced this new term and defined it: “ n. 1. The bloated, sluggish, and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste, and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.”
Since then, scholars, journalists, political leaders, artists, and even comedians have made America’s ever-increasing consumption the subject of dire warnings, academic studies, social commentary, campaign promises, and late-night TV jokes.
Carefully read the following sources (including any introductory information). Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources, take a position that supports, opposes, or qualifies the claim that Americans are never satisfied. They are constantly wanting new things and are never content with what they have. There is a superabundance of “stuff,” and Americans have lost their sense of meaning. As Sheryl Crow’s 2002 lyrics state, “it’s not having what you want. It’s wanting what you’ve got.”
Make certain that you take a position and that the essay centers on your argument. Use the sources to support your reasoning; avoid simply summarizing the sources. You may refer to the sources by their letters (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the identifiers in the parentheses below.
Source A (Aristotle’s Ethics); Source B (The Declaration of Independence); Source C (John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism); Source D (Cartoon by Jim Sizemore); Source E (Jessie H. O’Neill’s The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence); Source F (Lewis Lapham’s Money and Class in America); Source G (“Wealth” by Andrew Carnegie)
✵ Provide evidence from at least three of the provided sources to support the thesis. Indicate clearly the sources used through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. Sources may be cited as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the description in parentheses.
✵ Explain the relationship between the evidence and the thesis.
✵ Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
✵ Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating the argument
Source A
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Certainly the future is obscure to us, while happiness, we claim, is an end and something in every way final. . . . If so, we shall call happy those among living men in whom these conditions are, and are to be fulfilled.
Happiness is desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else. But honor, pleasure, reason, and every virtue we choose indeed for themselves, but we choose them also for the sake of happiness, judging that by means of them we shall be happy. Happiness, on the other hand, no one chooses for the sake of these, nor, in general, for anything other than itself. Happiness, then, is something final and self-sufficient.
He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life.
To judge from the lives that men lead, most men seem to identify the good, or happiness, with pleasure: which is the reason why they love the life of enjoyment. The mass of mankind are evidently quite slavish in their tastes, preferring a life suitable to beasts.
With regard to what happiness is (men) differ, and the many do not give the same account as the wise. For the former think it is some plain and obvious thing, like pleasure, wealth, or honor. They differ, however, from one another—and often even the same man identifies it with different things, with health when he is ill, with wealth when he is poor.
Source B
The Declaration of Independence
From the opening paragraph of The Declaration of Independence.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights: that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed . . .
Source C
Utilitarianism, written by John Stuart Mill, an eighteenth-century British philosopher, in 1863. Available at http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill2.htm.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 2 entitled “What Utilitarianism Is.”
. . . The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure. . . .
. . . no intelligent human being would consent to be a fool, no instructed person would be an ignoramus, no person of feeling and conscience would be selfish and base, even though they should be persuaded that the fool, the dunce, or the rascal is better satisfied with his lot than they are with theirs. They would not resign what they possess more than he for the most complete satisfaction of all desires which they have in common with him. If they ever fancy they would, it is only in cases of unhappiness so extreme, that to escape from it they would exchange their lot for almost any other, however undesirable in their own eyes. A being of higher faculties [humans] requires more to make him happy, is capable probably of more acute suffering, and certainly accessible to it at more points, than one of the inferior type [animals]: but in spite of these liabilities, he can never really wish to sink into what he feels to be a lower grade of existence. . . . Whoever supposes that this preference takes place at a sacrifice of happiness—that the superior being, in anything like equal circumstances, is not happier than the inferior—confounds two very different ideas, of happiness and content. It is indisputable that the being whose capacities of enjoyment are low, has the greatest chance of having them fully satisfied; and a highly endowed being will always feel that any happiness which he can look for, as the world is constituted, is imperfect. But he can learn to bear its imperfections, but only because he feels not at all the good which those imperfections qualify. It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than the fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides.
Source D
Cartoon by Jim Sizemore
Available at http://www.cartoonstock.com/blowup.asp?imageref=jsi0087&artist=Sizemore,+Jim&topic=consumerism.
This cartoon appeared in a recent issue of The New Yorker.
Source E
O’Neill, Jesse H. The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence, The Affluenza Project: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1997.
The following is adapted from passages in Jesse H. O’Neill’s book and from the mission statement of The Affluenza Project founded by O’Neill. http://www.affluenza.com.
The malaise that currently grips our country comes not from the fact that we don’t have enough wealth, but from a terrifying knowledge that has begun to enter our consciousness that we have based our entire lives, our entire culture and way of being on the belief that “just a little bit more” will finally buy happiness.
Although many people in our culture are beginning to question the assumptions of the American Dream, we still live in a time of compulsive and wasteful consumerism.
Statistics to consider:
✵ Per capita consumption in the United States has increased 45 percent in the past twenty years.
✵ During the same period, quality of life as measured by the index of social health has decreased by roughly the same percentage.
✵ The average working woman plays with her children forty minutes a week—and shops six hours.
✵ Ninety-three percent of teenage girls list shopping as their favorite pastime.
Source F
Lapham, Lewis. Money and Class in America: Notes and Observations on Our Civil Religion, Grove Press: New York, 1988.
The following is a passage from Mr. Lapham’s text.
I think it fair to say that the current ardor of the American faith in money easily surpasses the degrees of intensity achieved by other societies in other times and places. Money means so many things to us—spiritual as well as temporal—that we are at a loss to know how to hold its majesty at bay. . . .
Henry Adams in his autobiography remarks that although the Americans weren’t much good as materialists they had been “so deflected by the pursuit of money” that they could turn “in no other direction.” The natural distrust of the contemplative temperament arises less from the innate Philistinism than from a suspicion of anything that cannot be counted, stuffed, framed or mounted over the fireplace in the den. Men remain free to rise or fall in the world, and if they fail it must be because they willed it so. The visible signs of wealth testify to an inward state of grace, and without at least some of these talismans posted in one’s house or on one’s person an American loses all hope of demonstrating to himself the theorem of his happiness. Seeing is believing, and if an American success is to count for anything in the world it must be clothed in the raiment of property. As often as not it isn’t the money itself that means anything; it is the use of money as the currency of the soul.
Against the faith in money, other men in other times and places have raised up countervailing faiths in family, honor, religion, intellect and social class. The merchant princes of medieval Europe would have looked upon the American devotion as sterile stupidity; the ancient Greek would have regarded it as a form of insanity. Even now, in the last decades of a century commonly defined as American, a good many societies both in Europe and Asia manage to balance the desire for wealth against the other claims of the human spirit. An Englishman of modest means can remain more or less content with the distinction of an aristocratic name or the consolation of a flourishing garden; the Germans show to obscure university professors the deference accorded by Americans only to celebrity; the Soviets honor the holding of political power; in France a rich man is a rich man, to whom everybody grants the substantial powers that his riches command but to whom nobody grants the respect due to a member of the National Academy. But in the United States a rich man is perceived as being necessarily both good and wise, which is an absurdity that would be seen as such not only by a Frenchman but also by a Russian. Not that the Americans are greedier than the French, or less intellectual than the Germans, or more venal than the Russians, but to what other tribunal can an anxious and supposedly egalitarian people submit their definitions of the good, the true and the beautiful if not to the judgment of the bottom line?
Source G
“Wealth” written by Andrew Carnegie,1 published in North American Review, CCCXCI, June 1889. Available at http://facweb.furman.edu/~benson/docs/carnegie.htm.
The following is excerpted from the article by Andrew Carnegie.
The problem of our age is the proper administration of wealth, so that the ties of brotherhood may still bind together the rich and poor in harmonious relationship. The conditions of human life have not only been changed, but revolutionized, within the past few hundred years. In former days there was little difference between the dwelling, dress, food, and environment of the chief and those of his retainers. The Indians are today where civilized man then was. When visiting the Sioux, I was led to the wigwam of the chief. It was just like the others in external appearance, and even within the difference was trifling between it and those of the poorest of his braves. The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us today measures the change which has come with civilization.
This change, however, is not to be deplored, but welcomed as highly beneficial. It is well, nay, essential for the progress of the race, that the houses of some should be homes for all that is highest and best in literature and the arts, and for all the refinements of civilization, rather than that none should be so. Much better this great irregularity than universal squalor. Without wealth there can be no Maecenas.2 The “good old times” were not good old times. Neither master nor servant was as well situated then as today. A relapse to old conditions would be disastrous to both—not the least so to him who serves—and would sweep away civilization with it. But whether the change be for good or ill, it is upon us, beyond our power to alter, and therefore to be accepted and made the best of. It is waste of time to criticize the inevitable.
1Late nineteenth-century American capitalist and philanthropist
2Patron of the arts in ancient Rome
Question 2
(Suggested time 40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total score for Section II.)
In her 2007 essay, “Two Years Are Better Than Four,” Liz Addison responds to conservative historian Rick Perlstein’s comment that “college as America used to understand it is coming to an end.” Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay analyze the rhetorical choices Addison makes to develop her argument about the community college in America.
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 develop and support your line of reasoning.
✵ Explain the relationship between the evidence and your thesis.
✵ Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
✵ Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.
Two Years Are Better Than Four
Question 3
In his essay “The Wilderness Idea,” Wallace Stegner states the following.
Without any remaining wilderness we are committed wholly, without chance for even momentary reflection and rest, to a headlong drive into our technological termite-life, the Brave New World of a completely man-controlled environment.
Write a well-constructed essay that supports your position on Stegner’s statement about conservation of wildernness.
✵ Respond to the prompt with a defensible thesis that relates to the prompt.
✵ Select and use evidence to develop and support the line of reasoning.
✵ Explain the relationship between the evidence and the thesis.
✵ Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
✵ Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating the argument.
Answer key
1. D
2. B
3. E
4. A
5. E
6. B
7. C
8. A
9. C
10. B
11. D
12. A
13. E
14. B
15. C
16. A
17. D
18. B
19. C
20. E
21. A
22. C
23. A
24. D
25. B
26. E
27. B
28. D
29. C
30. E
31. A
32. C
33. D
34. B
35. E
36. A
37. C
38. C
39. A
40. D
41. D
42. E
43. A
44. B
45. C
Explanations of Answers to the Multiple-Choice Section
The Dickens Passage
1. D. The very first sentence indicates the author’s purpose. Here, the reader is told directly that Florence is both fanciful and somber, rich and stern.
2. B. This selection is based on a quite specific description of Florence and an area within the city. To correctly answer this question, the student needs to be familiar with the different types of rhetorical strategies.
3. E. The reader is brought from the general street scene to a specific prison and then to a specific scene outside the prison. Metaphors, similes, and imagery are found throughout the selection, such as “small cells like ovens,” “distrustful windows.” Contrast and comparison are provided with such phrases as “faded and tarnished Great Saloon” placed next to the “walls which record the triumphs of the Medici.” The passage does NOT follow a specific timeline.
4. A. The test taker needs to know the definition of paradox and must be able to recognize it in a given text. Here, smoke is being used to purify the air even though it is in itself a pollutant.
5. E. Dickens is not warning people away from Florence, nor is he criticizing its government. What the text and its selection of details do is to reinforce the idea of Florence being a city of contrast (youth and age, life and death, bright flowers and squalid prisons).
6. B. There is no support from a close reading of the text that will allow you to defend choice B, which sees no connection between the two scenes described. Obviously both reveal aspects of Florence. Both are descriptive, with the second paragraph containing the selective contrast with the first paragraph.
7. C. Distrustful and secret are indicative of “intrigue,” and building thick walls and huge battlements points to the need for protection from aggression. No other choice provides these same inferences.
8. A. A close look at each of the selected lines reveals opposites being placed side by side. This is the nature of antithesis.
9. C. The Palazzo Vecchio is described using such terms as “ponderous gloom,” “faded” and “tarnished” and “mouldering.” These are evocative of a place that is creepy and frightening. None of the other choices projects these qualities.
10. B. Even though there are images that could be interpreted as melancholy, reflective, or respectful, no other pair of words is appropriate in characterizing the overall impact of the descriptions of Florence other than B. This passage reads like a travel book that provides the traveler with places to see accompanied by interesting details.
The Atwood Passage
11. D. Although you might be inclined to accept A, B, or E as possible correct choices, you should be aware that these are specific things the child hears. Each of these would cancel the other out, because they would be equally valid. Choice C is nowhere to be found in the selection. Therefore, the appropriate choice is D, listening.
12. A. The very first word of the selection is “Our.” This immediately links the writer and the reader. Both are vested with this choice of pronoun.
13. E. If you look carefully, you find examples of all of the choices except E. An ellipsis is punctuation comprising three periods. You find none in this sentence. Its function is to notify the reader that a piece of the text has been omitted.
14. B. The question makes reference to wanting or seeking something not permitted, such as Adam and Eve being warned not to eat of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. The other choices are simply not appropriate to the relationship between forbidden and knowledge.
15. C. This is a rather easy question. The entire third paragraph supports this idea.
16. A. The answer is clearly supported in the last sentence of paragraph 4. That which is immediately practical and helpful in a very tangible way is the more valuable.
17. D. Words, phrases used, and specific details given in this passage support the adjective “wistful” (paragraphs 3 and 4). She is observant throughout the passage as she provides details of the child acquiring her stories. The writer’s wistfulness is reiterated in the last paragraph as she states her yearning for men to share in the language of storytelling.
18. B. The only choice that presents two strategies actually present in the text is B. The entire passage employs exposition to support the author’s purpose. Even the final paragraph, which attempts to persuade, uses exposition to strengthen the appeal to have men welcomed into the language of storytelling. (If you are not crystal clear about the terminology used in the choices, this may be one of those questions you choose to skip, because it can be time consuming trying to determine the correct choice.)
19. C. The abruptness of “Traditionally,” provides no real connection with the previous paragraph or the previous sentence. It is an obvious break that grabs the reader’s attention and leads him or her to Atwood’s point.
20. E. Throughout the passage, Atwood is taking a close look at the beginnings of storytelling. Although she does attempt to persuade us of the need to encourage men to tell their stories, this is not the primary purpose of the piece. It is important to also notice that the title is a clue to this answer.
The American Dream and the American Negro
21. A. The third sentence of paragraph 1 provides a clear, defensible assertion and provides the reader with an idea of the line of reasoning. Each of the other paragraphs develop and support that assertion.
22. C. Remember to always read introductory material. In this case, the reader is told when and where this debate took place. With that in mind, the initial audience is Cambridge students and the members of the debate society that invited him.
23. A. Each of the five choices is most likely part of the basis for Baldwin agreeing to debate Buckley. However, the only choice that specifically references cultural bias toward black Americans is choice A. He tells us in the first paragraph: That this is what concerns me most.
24. D. Of course Baldwin wants to in this debate. That’s the purpose of debating. However, the purpose of this particular argument is to convince his audience of the situation of black Americans. Choices B and C are not a part of the argument as Baldwin presents it. It can be inferred that in developing his argument, Baldwin hopes to build support for the civil rights movement in the U.S. (E). But this is not the primary purpose as given in paragraph 1.
25. B. Throughout his presentation, Baldwin provides example after example of what white America thinks and does about racial equality and what black Americans actually think and experience. The last paragraph does use cause/effect (A), but it is not the primary rhetorical strategy for the entire passage.
26. E Baldwin’s reporting of the RFK comment and the reaction of the residents of Harlem is an example of situational irony. What RFK and white America believed was the message was not what Harlem heard; it was just the opposite.
27. B. Baldwin develops his ominous and bitter tone throughout the passage. He does this using irony/sarcasm, comparison/contrast, historical examples, and a final “grave” prediction. None of the other choices is supported with diction, syntax, or logic.
28. D. MLK, Jr. was an internationally known civil rights leader and a world-renowned religious thinker. Referring to King, Baldwin emphasizes the difficulty of dealing with and explaining the current differences between the perceptions of white versus black Americans.
29. C. The second sentence of the last paragraph of 78 words is constructed primarily using parallel structure. The force of this concluding paragraph is entirely dependent on this one sentence.
30. E. This audience is British; it is primarily white and well-educated. Baldwin’s presentation is not trying to connect these people with their history, nor is he prosecuting white America or motivating or advocating to this group. What he is doing is developing a case that black Americans are individuals with all that is associated with that idea and must be treated as such.
Making the World Safe for Stupidity
31. A. Remember that exigence is that event that gives the writer a kick in the butt to begin to write, to go to the computer. It is what ignites the writer’s engine. The exigence for Pitts’ essay is most probably his frustration with “stupid” ads. The advertising world (B) and warning labels (D) are too general for this essay, and C and E are not part of this passage.
32. C. After carefully reading the given paragraphs, the reader can only conclude that the thesis is located in paragraph 3. The author clearly states his defensible assertion and provides are clear indication of the organization that will be presented in support of the thesis. The other paragraphs support that thesis.
33. D. Most of the paragraphs in the body of the essay are examples that relate to the thesis. None of the other rhetorical strategies is used as the primary method of developing the thesis.
34. B. Remember that sarcasm mocks or ridicules an individual or group by using such devices as hyperbole, humor, verbal irony. In paragraph after paragraph, Pitts employs these devices to illuminate and criticize current ads and warnings and the corporations that create them.
35. E. Paragraph 12 is purely informative, referring to the previous paragraph and anticipating the point made in the final section of his column.
36. A. As with many rhetorical questions, these are used primarily to get the audience involved. Each question assumes the reader will respond, and this leads to Pitts’ comments and examples. The other choices do not describe this purpose.
37. C. Given the types of examples Pitts cites, the use of rhetorical questions, and the concluding paragraphs, this essay is aimed at the average reader/consumer.
38. C. A, B, D, and E can all be included in the primary purpose of Pitts’s column, which is to make readers aware of the corporate world’s dumbing down of the American consumer. The recommendation made in choice C is not. Pitts’ recommended solution is neither valid nor universal. It’s probably just “stupid.”
39. A. Deduction moves from general to the specific, and induction (C) moves from specific to general. In this essay, the writer provides the general (thesis) at the beginning of the column and proceeds to cite specific after specific example.
40. D. Considering both the previous paragraph and tis paragraph, the reader is already aware of the points made in choices A, B, C, E. There is no need to add the extra words that could easily lead to confusion.
John Ciardi’s Desk Drawer
41. D. The rhetorical question in the fifth paragraph (Can the years of man’s life be brought to mere inventory?) leads into the thesis: Let any man look into his own average heart and desk for his own average litters and so learn to describe himself to himself. Here the author presents his assertion, and provides a clear idea of the organization of the material that will be used to support/illustrate this assertion. Paragraphs 1 and 2 act as an introduction to the description of the drawer’s contents. Paragraph 6 continues the content inventory with a couple of personal comments.
42. E. This almost breathless description of the contents of a desk drawer is structured to give the reader the feeling of taking a deep breath and reciting everything that is seen in one gulp of air. Without the period, you are conditioned to keep going and going and. . . . It’s rushed and everything is seen clumped into the whole. Size is not everything (B), just as syntax (A) isn’t the reason for this paragraph (form follows function). This is not the stereotypical list (D), and it does not contain a rundown of complicated items (C).
43. A. Paragraphs 3 and 6 present inventories that are described objectively with little or no personal comments. Paragraphs 4 and 5 are just the opposite—personal commentaries. The power of these two paragraphs rests in their placement between objective lists. The contrast and comments are emphasized. The drawer’s contents are not cited in paragraphs 4 and 5 (B) nor are examples of the general comments made in paragraphs 1 and 2 (D). The objective world and the world of ideas are not discussed (C), nor does the author recommend methods to deal with what is superficial versus what is real (E).
44. B. There is no way to avoid the repetition of “average” throughout the passage. The two longest paragraphs contain numerous examples of parentheticals. Irony is easily located in the parentheticals in paragraph 3, and metaphors are used in paragraphs 2, 3, and 6 metaphor. Hyperbole is not to be found anywhere in the passage; understatement, yes; hyperbole, no.
45. C. Let any man look into his own average heart and desk for his own average litters and so learn to describe himself to himself. This thesis clearly states what Ciardi’s purpose is. The first, second, and third paragraphs illustrate the “litters” with paragraphs four and five presenting the author’s self-reflection.
Sample Student Essays
Rubric for the Synthesis Essay
THESIS = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. Addresses the prompt with a thesis that makes it clear HOW the thesis will be developed.
✵ 0 pts. Merely repeats the prompt, or statement is vague, avoids taking a position, or presents only an obvious fact.
DEVELOPMENT WITH EVIDENCE = 4 Points
✵ 4 pts. With references to at least three of the given sources, the writer presents support for the thesis explaining the relationships between the evidence and the thesis.
✵ 3 pts. With references to at least three of the given sources, the development may be uneven, limited; there may be minor errors or weak links between thesis and support.
✵ 2 pts. With references to at least three of the given sources, the development repeats, oversimplifies, or misinterprets cited references; points made are not supported by the text.
✵ 1 pt. With references to two or fewer of the given sources, the writer merely summarizes the referenced sources, or references to the text are not clear or relevant; provides little or no commentary that links the source to the thesis.
✵ 0 pts. May lack a thesis; or presents irrelevant or too few references to the text in support of a clear thesis; or does not address the prompt; or writes about something totally unrelated to the prompt.
Note: Writing that lacks grammatical or syntactical control that interferes with a clear presentation of ideas cannot earn a 4.
SOPHISTICATION (Complexity and Style) = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. (sophistication of thought or development of complex argument) Writer develops the thesis with nuanced explanation of evidence; and/or recognizes and discusses a broader context; and/or recognizes and engages with opposition; and/or makes strong, convincing rhetorical choices in developing the thesis; and/or prose is especially convincing or appropriate.
✵ 0 pts. Oversimplifies complexities of the text or the thesis; and/or diction and/or syntax does not enhance the presentation; and/or may overuse sweeping generalizations.
Student A
Student B
Note: For our purposes, scoring comments will be followed by one of three letters to indicate one of the three areas used in the AP English Language rubric for the rhetorical analysis essay. Thesis = (A), Evidence/Commentary = (B), Sophistication = (C)
Rating the Student Essays: Affluenza
Student A
This is a high-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ The essay opens dramatically, immediately catching the reader’s attention. It creatively defines the term and implies the argument to follow. (A)
✵ The writer establishes a tone and voice through diction and allusion: shout, tweaked, Bergdorf, and eBay. (C)
✵ The writer illustrates the argument by presenting an extended analogy. (B)
✵ Following a rhetorical question that serves as a transitional device, the writer adeptly incorporates and comments on one of the sources. (B and C)
✵ Personal examples and strong details and images continue to support and develop the writer’s position. (B and C)
✵ The writer employs proper citation guidelines. (B and C)
✵ The conclusion is especially effective because it enforces the opening, leaves the reader with the essence of the argument, and presents the writer’s thesis as a parting comment. (B and C)
Student B
This is a mid-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ The writer states a position on Americans being afflicted with affluenza: “The claim that Americans are never satisfied holds much validity and gains more validity as the economy continues to flourish.” (A)
✵ The writer recognizes and addresses the demands of the prompt. (B)
✵ The writer properly integrates transitions. (B and C)
✵ Varied sentence structure is evident in the analysis. (C)
✵ The development is organized into an orderly presentation. (B)
✵ The essay presents a clear thesis in the next-to-last paragraph: “Money is what drives us to work extra hours, but what will that money buy us? Not happiness, but simply objects—objects that may bring us happiness for a day or so, but will never satisfy us in the long run.” (A)
✵ The analysis of the writer’s sources is brief, leaving the reader looking for more development. (B)
Rubrics for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
THESIS = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. Addresses the prompt with a thesis that makes it clear HOW the thesis will be developed.
✵ 0 pts. Merely repeats the prompt, or statement is vague, avoids taking a position, or presents only an obvious fact.
DEVELOPMENT WITH EVIDENCE = 4 Points
✵ 4 pts. With specific references to the text, the writer develops the thesis with conclusions and inferences that are the result of explaining the relationship between what the author says and what the rhetorical strategy does.
✵ 3 pts. Development may be uneven, limited; there may be minor instances of description rather than analysis; there may be minor errors or weak links between thesis and support.
✵ 2 pts. Development repeats, oversimplifies, or misinterprets cited references; may misinterpret or misunderstand the chosen rhetorical strategies; points made are not supported by the text.
✵ 1 pt. Merely summarizes the text, or references to the text are not clear or relevant; merely restates points made in the text.
✵ 0 pts. May lack a thesis; or presents irrelevant or too few references to the text in support of a clear thesis; or does not address the prompt; or writes about something totally unrelated to the prompt.
Note: Writing that lacks grammatical or syntactical control that interferes with a clear presentation of ideas cannot earn a 4.
SOPHISTICATION (Complexity and Style) = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. (sophistication of thought or development of complex argument) Writer develops the thesis with nuanced explanation of evidence; and/or recognizes and discusses a broader context; and/or recognizes and engages with opposition; and/or makes strong, convincing rhetorical choices in developing the thesis; and/or prose is especially convincing or appropriate.
✵ 0 pts. Oversimplifies complexities of the text or the thesis; and/or diction and/or syntax do not enhance the presentation; and/or may overuse sweeping generalizations.
Addison Passage—Student A
Addison Passage—Student B
Note: For our purposes, scoring comments will be followed by one of three letters to indicate one of the three areas used in the AP English Language rubric for the rhetorical analysis essay. Thesis = (A), Evidence/Commentary = (B), Sophistication = (C)
Rating Student Sample A
This is a high-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ Clear thesis stated with relevant reference to the prompt (paragraph one) (A)
✵ Line of reasoning clearly established using transitions and internal references to the argument (paragraph 2: “Within the first two paragraphs . . . ;” paragraph 3: “Following Addison’s statements about . . . ;” paragraph 4: Later . . .”) (B)
✵ Body paragraphs consistently developed with relevant evidence and meaningful commentary relating both to the thesis (paragraph 2 in reference to “privilege”) (B)
Rating Student Sample B
This is a mid-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ An acceptable thesis statement (paragraph one) (A)
✵ A formulaic introductory paragraph (B)
✵ Body paragraphs present evidence in support of the thesis, but do not follow the line of reasoning presented in thesis (B)
✵ Paragraphs tend toward summary with little commentary (B)
✵ Final paragraph primarily summary (B)
Rubrics for the Argument Essay
THESIS = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. Addresses the prompt with a thesis clearly, takes a position, and makes it clear HOW the thesis will be developed.
✵ 0 pts. Merely repeats the prompt, or statement is vague, avoids taking a position, or presents only an obvious fact.
DEVELOPMENT WITH EVIDENCE = 4 Points
✵ 4 pts. The writer presents support for the thesis clearly explaining the relationships between the evidence and the thesis.
✵ 3 pts. The development may be uneven, limited, incomplete; there may be minor errors or weak links between thesis and support.
✵ 2 pts. The development repeats, oversimplifies, or misinterprets cited evidence; points made are not supported by the text.
✵ 1 pt. The writer provides little or no commentary that links the evidence to the thesis.
✵ 0 pts. May lack a thesis; or presents irrelevant or too few references to the text in support of a clear thesis; or does not address the prompt; or writes about something totally unrelated to the prompt.
Note: Writing that lacks grammatical or syntactical control that interferes with a clear presentation of ideas cannot earn a 4.
SOPHISTICATION (Complexity and Style) = 1 Point
✵ 1 pt. (sophistication of thought or development of complex argument) Writer develops the thesis with nuanced explanation of evidence; and/or recognizes and discusses a broader context; and/or recognizes and engages with opposition; and/or makes strong, convincing rhetorical choices in developing the thesis; and/or prose is especially convincing or appropriate.
✵ 0 pts. Oversimplifies complexities of the text or the thesis; and/or diction and/or syntax does not enhance the presentation; and/or may overuse sweeping generalizations.
Stegner Passage—Student Sample A
Stegner Passage—Student Sample B
Note: For our purposes, scoring comments will be followed by one of three letters to indicate one of the three areas used in the AP English Language rubric for the rhetorical analysis essay. Thesis = (A), Evidence/Commentary = (B), Sophistication = (C)
Rating Student Sample A
This is a high-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ Effectively covers the points made by Stegner in his statement (B)
✵ Clearly takes a position regarding Stegner’s statement (A)
✵ Thoroughly develops the argument with specific examples and historical references (paragraphs 2 and 3) (B and C)
✵ Indicates and discusses the fallacy of Stegner’s statement (paragraphs 4 and 5) (B and C)
✵ Good topic adherence (B)
✵ Thorough development of the points of the writer’s argument (B and C)
✵ Mature voice, diction, and syntax (C)
This high-range essay was written by a student who is both confident and well-versed and one who has balanced the presentation with scientific and introspective illustrations in support of the argument.
Rating Student Sample B
This is a mid-range essay for the following reasons:
✵ Clearly understands Stegner’s statement and the demands of the prompt (A and B)
✵ Creative voice is present (C)
✵ An interesting objectification of humanity (paragraph 2 —“Homo Sapiens”) (B)
✵ Strong conclusion (B and C)
✵ Linkage between man’s destruction of the wilderness and its consequences needs further development (B)
✵ Development of the argument needs further support (B)
✵ A few syntactical errors (C)
✵ Lacks needed transitions (C)
This student writer has a definite opinion to which he or she gives a strong voice. Although there is a strong, clear opening and conclusion, the body paragraphs containing the argument need further development.