AP Question Set #1
1. In the passage as a whole, a major shift in the development of the argument occurs at which of the following points?
A. More than 500 years ago... (line 13)
B. Take a straightforward example (line 20)
C. So what's really going on (line 40)
D. Language often becomes (line 54)
E. Compare the reactions of many Australians
(line 64-65)
C. So what's really going on (line 40)
3. The chief effect of the word “hygienists” (line 16)
is to
(A) lend a tone of mocking humor to the
discussion
(B) expand the argument to a subject other than
language
(C) establish a deferential attitude about the
subject
(D) provide an objective approach to the
argument
(E) set up a contrast between Roman and modern
English standards of usage
(A) lend a tone of mocking humor to the
discussion
4. What the author refers to as “weeds” (line 34) are
(A) usage changes
(B) obsolete terms
(C) diction errors
(D) clichés
(E) metaphors
(A) usage changes
5. The word “chopsticked ” (line 38) is used as an
example of
(A) a new usage that is unlikely to persist
(B) a verb form created from a noun
(C) a verb in the past tense used as an
adjective
(D) fashionable slang used by international
travelers
(E) foreign-language words becoming
part of English
(B) a verb form created from a noun
6. Paragraph three (lines 40-53) implies that those
who would strictly follow rules of the English
language feel
(A) timid whenever they must correct others’
linguistic errors
(B) admiring of others’ linguistic creativity
(C) free to break rules of social etiquette
(D) satisfied that the flexibility of the English
language is superior to that of all others
(E) anxious about how their use of language
affects others’ perceptions of them
(E) anxious about how their use of language
affects others’ perceptions of them
2. The author presents John Wallis (line 6), Samuel
Johnson (lines 7-8), and Jonathan Swift (line 55)
as hostile to
(A) faulty studies of word origins
(B) tedious debates about grammar
(C) local misunderstandings of historical events
(D) snobbish rejections of modern vocabulary
(E) unnecessary changes in word usage in
their eras
(E) unnecessary changes in word usage in
their eras
7. In paragraphs three and four (lines 40-74), the
author’s discussion of reaction to changes in
language develops by
(A) accumulating evidence of changes in
language that occur unintentionally and
changes that are intended to manipulate
situations
(B) broadening from people’s immediate circle
of contacts to their own larger society and
then to an international perspective
(C) intensifying as it moves from spelling
variations that annoy to word choices that
express bias to larger communications that
antagonize
(D) contrasting examples of changes that reflect
social concord and examples of changes
that reflect social discord
(E) drawing a parallel between examples from
the world of business and examples from
the world of international relations
(B) broadening from people’s immediate circle
of contacts to their own larger society and
then to an international perspective
8. Examples in paragraph 4 (lines 54-74) provide
evidence that
(A) language usage can survive political turmoil
(B) nationalism influences reactions to linguistic
changes
(C) generalizations about language usage are
usually inaccurate
(D) linguistic changes occur more frequently
now than in the past
(E) dominant nations undergo more linguistic
changes than less powerful nations
(B) nationalism influences reactions to linguistic
changes
9. The example of Alfred the Great (lines 75-80)
serves to
(A) build on the point made in lines 1-5
(B) underscore the example of Australians’
reaction to American spelling (lines 64-72)
(C) contrast views of past leaders with those
of contemporary leaders
(D) document the earliest changes to the English
language
(E) point out a parallel with the views of
Noah Webster (lines 60-64)
(A) build on the point made in lines 1-5
10. The author indicates that international reactions
to Americanized spellings of words can reflect
(A) a desire to return to simpler times
(B) anxiety about pleasing American tourists
(C) contempt for inaccuracies in American usage
(D) resentment of America’s cultural and
economic status
(E) confidence that local usage will ultimately
prevail
(D) resentment of America’s cultural and
economic status
11. The attitude of the author toward the English
language is one of
(A) high regard for the early scholars of
English grammar
(B) acceptance of changes in English despite a
strong sense of loss
(C) disdain for those condoning the linguistic
flexibility of English
(D) interest in the past of and optimism for the
future of English
(E) preoccupation with the accuracy of
expression of English
(D) interest in the past of and optimism for the
future of English
12. The tone in the passage is best described as
(A) dramatic
(B) confidential
(C) impressionistic
(D) thoughtful yet playful
(E) moralistic and rigid
(D) thoughtful yet playful
13. The author employs which of the following
in developing the arguments in the passage?
I. Rhetorical questions
II. References to grammatical terms
III. Quotations from famous writers
IV. Examples from diverse eras
(A) III only
(B) I and II only
(C) II and IV only
(D) I, III, and IV only
(E) I, II, III, and IV
(E) I, II, III, and IV
14. The author’s relation to the reader is best
described as that of
(A) an informed commentator
(B) a sympathetic ally
(C) an angry critic
(D) an amused colleague
(E) an aloof judge
(A) an informed commentator