AP English Language
Multiple-Choice Project
Write a multiple-choice test over your novel.
Requirements:
1. The test will include 15 multiple-choice AP quality questions. The questions
should require analysis of the material and should not be obvious, so choose your
passages accordingly. Look for passages in your book which contain rhetorical
elements we have been studying in class.
2. For each question provide 5 plausible choices. Do not use “Dr. Gunter” as a
choice—only use answers that could be correct.
3. At least 1 question will come from each of at least 3 chapters/sections. If your
book is not divided into chapters or sections, provide a passage from the first
third, second third and third third with at least 1 question corresponding to each.
4. Include at least 1 question from each of the 11 categories (question types)
5. Provide an answer key. Put the key on a separate page at the end. Beside each
question on the key, include the page number on which the answer can be found.
Project Checklist
_____ 15 multiple-choice questions
_____ Each question contains 5 plausible choices
_____ At least 1 question comes from each chapter/section
_____ At least 1 question from each of the 11 categories (types)
_____ Key provided with page number on which answer can be found
_____ Passages provided for analysis is adequate
_____ Questions are deep and insightful, representative of AP material
Types of Multiple Choice Questions
AP English Language and Composition
1. Characteristic of the speaker (physical or otherwise)
The speaker of the passage is most likely a
A. student
B. parent of a student
C. law enforcement officer
D. resident of a college town
E. returning college graduate
The passage describes the responses of
A. an enthusiastic fan
B. a cynical observer
C. an unwilling participant
D. a first-time spectator
F. a sports broadcaster
2. Literary devices, terminology
Terms include 5 choices: 1 key, 2 possibles and 2 distracters
Throughout the passage, the speaker uses which of the following most often?
A. ironical understatement
B. syllogisms
C. ad hominem argument
D. sports jargon
E. anadiplosis
The lengthy opening sentence draws its unity chiefly from the speaker’s use of
A. parallelism
B. alliteration
C. irony
D. understatement
E. onomatopoeia
3. Roman numerals
In relation to the passage as a whole, the first paragraph functions in which of the following
way?
I. It establishes the scene for the actions described
II. It conveys a mood that contrasts with that of the rest of the passage.
III. It establishes the speaker’s attitude toward subjects described later.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
I only
III only
I and II only
I and III only
I, II, and III
4. Negative Questions (all are correct except)
The speaker most likely includes the image of the islands dancing down the river for all of
the following reasons EXCEPT to
A. undercut the description in the preceding paragraph
B. add a poetic element to the description of the mangrove trees
C. expand on Pliny’s report on mangrove islands
D. convey a sense of wonder to the reader
E. enlarge the reader’s perspective on the subject
5. Doubles and Triples
In the passage, the speaker maintains a tone most accurately describe as
A. melancholy and reproachful
B. remote and disinterested
C. outraged and intolerant
D. sarcastic and embittered
E. elevated and authoritative
6. Antecedent/Modification Questions
Which of the following are, respectively, the antecedents for “it” (line 11), “it” (line 12), and
“it” (line 24)?
A. Ice, motion, design
B. Ice, rink, motion
C. Rink, motion, speed
D. Mirror, rink, speed
E. Mirror, speed, design
In the sentence “But he had time…fresh passion and fresh triumph with” (lines 35-39),
the words “recklessly, heedlessly, successfully” modify
A. time
B. had
C. remained
D. expendable
E. that
7. Style, Transition, Sentence Identification
The use of sentences beginning with “Then” in lines 11, 15, and 25 has which of the
following effects?
A. it helps to make the chronology of events somewhat less exact and thus conveys
the confusion or the speaker
B. it provides a rhetorical parallelism that emphasize the changes in the scene and
in the speaker’s reaction
C. it provides a series of transitions that focus the reader’s attention on the speaker
D. it emphasizes the repetitive nature of the action on the ice
E. it obliges the reader to consider what is being described from several points of
view
In the passage, one prominent characteristic of the speaker’s style is the
A. carefully balanced compound sentences
B. use of short, simple sentences in groups of twos and threes
C. stringing together of several adjectives and adverbs
D. use of the first person to give a sense of immediacy
E. relative paucity of qualifying adjectives
8. Function of Sentence/Word
In lines 49-50, the reference to “the European rapier or the Frontier pistol” serves which of
the following purposes?
A. it helps explain a difficult technical aspect of the game of hockey
B. it implies that the speaker disapproves of the violence inherent in hockey
C. it forms the basis of the speaker’s central thesis in the passage
D. it suggests that the violence in hockey is allied with skill and daring.
E. it suggests that hockey has a long history of conflict
9. Inference Questions
The images
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
in lines 33-47 combine to form an impression of
struggle and desperation
isolation and suspicion
gestation and growth
danger and entrapment
rising and falling
10. Modes of Writing
The rhetorical purpose of the third paragraph (lines 16-20) can best be described as
A. expository
B. speculative
C. analytical
D. deductive
E. argumentative
11. Diction/Synonyms/Simple Meaning
Which of the following does the author use as a synonym for “homologous”
A. Meaningful
B. Genealogical
C. Functional
D. Intrinsic
E. Superficial
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION CREATION
Rhetorical Analysis / Close Reading
1. What is the author's attitude toward the subject of this passage?
1a. The author's attitude toward the subject is......
2. The passage is about......
3. The phrase "______" means......
4. The style of the passage is best characterized as...paired adjectives or paired tone
nouns such as...
a) informal and colloquial
b) light and uncomplicated
c) ironic and sarcastic
d) complex and formal
e) pedantic and ornate
5. Which of the following best summarizes the main point in......?
5a. What is the main point in......? (the passage, the second paragraph, etc.)
6. Which of the following best describes the result of...?
7. Which of the following best restates the meaning of...?
8. Which of the following best defines the phrase...?
9. Which of the following best states the speaker's purpose in lines...?
10. Which of the following best restates the meaning of the phrase...?
11. The allusion...best reflects the thought that...
12. The tone of the passage is...
13. Which of the following best defines the word…as controlled by the context?
14. Which of the following best describes the diction and style of the passage?
15. In lines..., the speaker asserts that...
16. ....is described as...because it...
17. The structure of the third sentence (lines...) is marked by...
18. In sentences...the speaker develops or implies contrasts between all of the
following EXCEPT...
19. Which of the following best describes the effect the speaker achieves by pairing
the quotations from...?
19a. What is the effect of...?
20. Which of the following best describes the dominant technique used in...?
21. In lines... "_____" is the metaphorical way of saying...
22. Juxtaposing...and...serves the purpose of...
23. The speaker accomplishes all of the following EXCEPT...
24. The choice of words in...shows that the speaker believes that...
25. In lines...the speaker depicts himself as...
26. The shift in point of view from...has the effect of...
27. The theme in the second paragraph involves which of the following?
28. The phrase...signals a shift from...to...
29. The statement...is best described as which of the following?
30. The...is represented as...because...
31. The syntax of the sentence in lines...serves to...
32. Which of the following best describes what...symbolizes?
33. The speaker's attitude toward...is best described as one of...
34. In...the author asserts that...
35. The term...conveys the speaker's belief that...
36. The speaker assumes that the audience's attitude toward...will be one of...
37. In the first paragraph, the speaker seeks to interest us in the subject of the
discussion by stressing the...
38. It can be inferred by...that...
39. The second sentence is unified by metaphorical references pertaining to...
40. The speaker's mention of...is appropriate to the development of the argument as
an illustration of...
41. As the sentence in lines...constructed, ...is parallel to which of the following?
42. It can be inferred from the description of...that the following qualities are valued
by the speaker...
43. According to the passage, ...is...because...
44. In the context of the passage,...is best interpreted as...
45. Which of the following best describes the sentence...?
46. The antecedent for "it" in the clause...is...
47. The type of argument employed by...is most similar to which of the following?
48. The speaker describes...in an order best described as...
49. It can be inferred that...
50. The pattern of exposition exemplified in the passage is best described as...
51. The point of view indicated in...is that of...
52. A major purpose of the statement...is to...
53. The atmosphere established in the fourth sentence is mainly one of...
54. Despite its length, the fourth sentence...remains coherent chiefly because of its
use of...
55. All of the following qualities are present in the scene described in line...EXCEPT...
56. In the fourth sentence, which of the following moat suggests a humorous
attitude on the part of the author?
57. In line...the use of...instead of...accomplishes which of the following?
58. In line...the author emphasizes...because...
59. The passage's use of...suggests most strongly that...
60. The...referred to in lines...is called...because...
61. All of the following may be found in the passage EXCEPT...
62. In the first paragraph...
63. What is the function of the three clauses introduced by...in line...
64. The author's discussion...depends on which of the following?
65. The subject of the sentence in lines...is...
66. Which of the following is true about the various assertions made in the passage?
67. By...the author most probably means...
68. The sentence...contains which of the following?
69. In context, all of the following meanings are probably contained in the
word...EXCEPT...
70. One may infer from the passage that...
71. The author apparently believes that...
72. In lines...the phrase...is used to refer to...
73. The author believes that we should...
74. The last sentence of the passage...is chiefly remarkable for its...
75. Which of the following would the author be least likely to encourage in a person?
76. Which of the following best describes the function of the third paragraph in
relation to the two paragraphs that precede it?
77. What is the author's attitude toward the subject?
78. What does the phrase...mean?
79. How would you characterize the style of the passage?
80. What is the main point of the passage?
81. Restate the phrase...
82. Define the phrase...
83. What is the speaker's purpose in writing this passage?
84. What is the speaker's purpose in lines...?
85. Why does the writer use the allusion to...?
86. What is the tone of the passage?
87. How would you characterize the diction and the style of the passage?
88. What is the speaker asserting in lines...?
89. Describe the structure of the sentence in lines...
90. What contrast does the speaker develop in lines...?
91. What effect is achieved by the speaker's using the phrases...?
92. What dominant technique is the speaker using in lines...?
93. In lines... , ...is a metaphorical way of saying...
94. By juxtaposing...and...the author achieves...
95. What does the speaker accomplish in this paragraph?
96. What does the choice of words show about the speaker's beliefs?
97. A shift of tone occurs in the passage in lines...
98. The syntax in lines...serves to...
99. The speaker's attitude toward the subject is one of...
100. The speaker makes the following assumption about the audience...
101. The author seeks to interest us in the first paragraph by...
102. The author uses which method to develop his argument?
103. Line...is parallel to what other line in the paragraph?
104. You can infer what about the author's attitude toward his subject?
105. The antecedent for...is...
106. The atmosphere established in lines...is best described as...
107. The sentence in lines...is coherent despite its length chiefly because...
108. By using...in lines...instead of...the author accomplishes...
109. What is the function of...in the passage?
110. The subject of the sentence in lines...is...
111. The sentence in lines is remarkable because...
112. What is the function of paragraph...or lines...?
Stems for Reading Composition
Rhetoric (how language works):
· The shift in point of view has the effect of...(time, tone, attitude, point of view)
· The syntax of lines __ to__ serves to ... (abstraction, effect)
· Which of the following choices best describes what ,"_____" symbolizes? (simple
metaphorical statement, tenor and vehicle)
· The ____ sentence is unified by metaphorical references to... (controlling
metaphor)
· As lines ____ and ____ are constructed, "____" is parallel to which of the
following? (parallelism in structure or content)
· The antecedent for "____" is...
· The third sentence remains coherent because of the use of ________. (structure-parallelism, pronoun antecedent, etc.)
· The phrase "_______" has the effect of...(abstraction)
· The style of the passage can best be characterized as... (formal, didactic, slang,
bombastic: tonal)
· The sentence "______" is chiefly remarkable for its... (structure)
Meaning and Purpose:
Attitude toward Audience, Point of View (subjective v. objective), Attitude toward
Subject, Intent, Persuasion, Style, Syllogism) (word or phrase)
· Which of the following best identifies the meaning of "______".
· Which of the following best describes the author's purpose in the last sentence?
· The main purpose of "______" is to make clear...
· The author emphasizes "______" in order to...
· What is the function of __________ ?
· By '-----,' the author most probably means... (tone/attitude)
· In context, which of the following meanings are contained in "______" ?
(metaphorical/symbolic)
Main Ideas:
· The theme of the second paragraph is... (major premise).
· The speaker's attitude is best described as one of... (audience or subject attitude)
· It can be inferred from the description of which of "_____" that which of the
following qualities are valued by author? (tone toward the abstraction)
· In context, the sentence "______" is best interpreted as which of the following?
(proof, elaboration, assertion)
· The atmosphere is one of... (mood)
· Which of the following would the author be LEAST likely to encourage? (inferred
idea)
· Which of the following is true about the various assertions made in the passage?
(parallelism)
· All of the following ideas may be found in the passage EXCEPT...
Organization and Structure:
· The quotation "________" signals a shift from.... (rhetorical shift)
· The speaker's mention of "______" is appropriate to the development of his/her
argument by...
· The type of argument employed by the author is most similar to which of the
following? (reasoning in a circle, begging the question, etc.)
· The relationship between -- and -- is explained primarily by the use of which of the
following? (causal, primary)
· The author's discussion depends on which of the following structures? (inductive,
deductive)
· Which of the following best describes the function of the third paragraph in relation
to the preceding two? (extension, shift from general to specific or specific to general)
Rhetorical Modes:
· The author's use of description is appropriate because.... (clarification by figurative
language)
· Which of the following best describes the author's method? (effective, ineffective)...