ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
Open Argument FRQ
Choose one of the following questions. Spend no more than 40 minutes.
1.
Carefully read and consider the perspectives presented below.
The activity of art is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another man’s expression of feeling,
is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it.
-Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist, playwright, essayist (1828-1910)
Computer programming is an art, because it applies accumulated knowledge to the world, because it requires skill and ingenuity, and
especially because it produces objects of beauty.
- Donald Knuth, American computer scientist, mathematician, professor emeritus at Stanford University (1938-present)
In a well-organized essay, explain your position on what is art and what is not art. Use appropriate evidence from your reading,
experience, or observations to support your argument.
2.
I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because the lazy person will find an easy way to do it - Bill Gates
Bill Gates described one of his ideas for business management, but this idea can be applied to all areas of life. Take a position
on the merits of being lazy in life. Use your experiences or education to support your position.
3.
Novelist Vladimir Nabokov wrote, "I have no desires, save the desire to express myself in defiance of all the world's
muteness."
In a well-written essay, examine the extent to which self-expression is limited in contemporary society. Support your position with
evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience.
4.
Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father of the United States as well as a major figure in the American Enlightenment, was a
strong advocate for education and hard work. He once said, “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” Can hard work trump luck or are
those with bad luck destined to fail regardless of their hard work? Using evidence from your readings, observations, and experiences,
answer this question in a well-organized essay.
5.
Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th Century philosopher who opposed established Christianity. He believed that all doctrines
should be challenged, even if the doctrines were widely accepted. Read the following quote from Nietzsche carefully.
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and
sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”
Write an essay in which you defend, challenge, or qualify Nietzsche’s statement about deviating from what is socially accepted.
Support your position using appropriate evidence and examples.
6.
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, once said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” In a well written
essay, explore the extent to which Coolidge’s statement applies to young persons in your generation. Be sure to support your
arguments with appropriate evidence.
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