AP English Literature
and Composition
National Exam
A poem or excerpt from a short story or novel or
play will be printed with about 10-12 questions per
section. The questions will be on organization,
content, literary devices, vocabulary, mechanics,
and interpretation.
The content will be:
- Pre-20th Century Poetry/Modern Poetry
- Pre-20th Century Prose/Modern Prose
Multiple Choice
Questions (45%)
POETRY: Either a compare/contrast question with TWO poems
with similar themes OR analyze ONE poem. This question could
feature poems from pre-20th century/modern/combination.
PROSE: This could be an excerpt from a novel or short story,
either from pre-20th century or modern. One year it was a
complete short story (“Birthday Party”).
OPEN RESPONSE: This questions will be focused around
literary device (symbol, characterization, theme, point of view,
plot, setting, etc.) or a theme (exile, childhood, love, lust, etc.).
Most of the time several works of literary merit will be featured
as suggestions about which book/play to write about. The works
will be taken from both pre-20th century and modern writers.
Essay Questions (55%)
The AP English Literature and Composition Exam is three
hours long and consists of two sections. In Section I,
students are given one hour to answer 55 multiple-choice
questions; in Section II, they must answer three freeresponse questions within two hours. The multiple-choice
questions test students' ability to read analytically prose and
poetry from several periods. The free-response questions
require students to write critical essays on literary texts.
TEST DETAILS (FYI)
1. Which of the following best describes the rhetorical
function of the second sentence in the passage?
(a) It makes an appeal to authority.
(b) It restates the thesis of the passage.
(c) It expresses the causal relationship between morality
and writing style.
(d) It provides a specific example for the preceding
generalization.
(e) It presents a misconception that the author will correct.
Example Multiple Choice (1)
2. The author’s tone in the passage as a whole is best
described as
(a) harsh and strident
(b) informal and analytical
(c) contemplative and conciliatory
(d) superficial and capricious
(e) enthusiastic and optimistic
Example Multiple Choice (2)
(Suggested time—40 minutes)
In the following soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Henry IV,
Part II, King Henry laments his inability to sleep. In a wellorganized essay, briefly summarize the King’s thoughts and
analyze how the diction, imagery, and syntax help to
convey his state of mind.
…… the soliloquy would be attached to the bottom of the
prompt….
Example Prose/Drama Essay
(Suggested time—40 minutes)
The passage below is an excerpt from Jennifer Price’s
recent essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural
History.” The essay examines the popularity of the plastic
pink flamingo in the 1950s. Read the passage carefully.
Then write an essay in which you analyze how Price crafts
the text to reveal her view of United States culture.
Example Prose Essay
(Suggested time—40 minutes)
Read carefully the following poem by the colonial
American poet, Anne Bradstreet. Then write a wellorganized essay in which you discuss how the poem’s
controlling metaphor expresses the complex attitude of the
speaker.
Example Poetry Essay
(Suggested time—40 minutes)
The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy
endings:
“The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from
readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral
development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a
marriage or a last-minute rescue from death—but some kind of spiritual
reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.”
Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a
well written essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral
reconciliation” evident in
he ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole. You may
select a work
from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.
Free Response Essay
The Major Question in AP
English?
How does the writer use a
literary device or technique
to achieve meaning?
1. Read closely and annotate the text
2. Ascertain the subject of the passage
3. Recognize major literary (or poetic) devices within the
passage
4. Recognize rhetorical/literary techniques
5. Ascertain how the writer feels about the subject=TONE
6. Write a clear thematic statement
7. Explain how the writer employs a device or technique
to achieve meaning
8. Write a universal statement to close
The Student Must:
Take a look at example AP
Exams and their
components…..