Test Specifications
A student spends most of the essay naming literary devices without explaining their effect. According to the AP scoring rubric, this essay will most likely
A. earn a higher score for technical accuracy
B. receive the thesis point but lose the evidence/commentary points
C. score well because device identification is essential
D. earn full evidence points but lose sophistication
E. be rewarded for breadth of analysis
B. receive the thesis point but lose the evidence/commentary points
[Each question is worth 50 points]
1. A direct comparison without using like or as
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Imagery
D. Personification
2. A comparison using like or as
A. Metaphor
B. Symbolism
C. Simile
D. Allegory
3. Giving human traits to non-human things
A. Imagery
B. Apostrophe
C. Personification
D. Figurative language
4. Language that appeals to the five senses
A. Imagery
B. Diction
C. Syntax
D. Tone
5. An object representing a larger idea
A. Motif
B. Metaphor
C. Symbolism
D. Allegory
6. Language not meant to be taken literally
A. Tone
B. Figurative Language
C. Syntax
D. Denotation
1. B
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. C
6. B
What first makes Pip think that Miss Havisham is his secret benefactor?
A. Her constant criticism of his commonness
B. His assumption that she wants to make him a gentleman
C. Her connection to Estella (and her wealth)
D. Her request that he visit her regularly
C. Her connection to Estella (and her wealth)
The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The wallpaper in the story most strongly symbolizes
A. the narrator’s resentment toward her husband
B. the rigid structure of Victorian marriage
C. the narrator’s deteriorating mental state and confinement
D. the dangers of excessive imagination
C. the narrator’s deteriorating mental state and confinement
Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines in verse
A. exact rhyme
B. internal rhyme
C. end rhyme
D. approximate rhyme
C. end rhyme
When first reading the poem on the AP English Literature exam, which approach is most effective for earning a high essay score?
A. Identifying as many literary devices as possible before forming an interpretation
B. Reading quickly to save time for outlining the essay
C. Developing a defensible interpretation before focusing on specific devices
D. Paraphrasing each stanza to ensure comprehension
E. Searching for the poem’s historical context
C. Developing a defensible interpretation before focusing on specific devices
[Each question is worth 50 points]
1. Which term means a story with a deeper moral meaning?
A. Theme
B. Allegory
C. Motif
D. Allusion
2. A reference to a famous person, event, or text is called
A. Archetype
B. Symbolism
C. Allusion
D. Ambiguity
3. When something has more than one possible meaning
A. Irony
B. Paradox
C. Ambiguity
D. Tone
4. A character or symbol that appears repeatedly across literature
A. Motif
B. Archetype
C. Foil
D. Narrator
5. A repeated idea, image, or symbol in a text
A. Theme
B. Allegory
C. Motif
D. Symbolism
6. The central message or insight about life
A. Tone
B. Theme
C. Diction
D. Syntax
1. B
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. C
By the end of the novel, Pip’s definition of being a gentleman has changed to include which quality the most?
A. Social rank
B. Financial independence
C. Moral character
D. Formal education
C. Moral character
The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
John’s treatment of the narrator can best be described as
A. openly cruel and manipulative
B. well-intentioned but patronizing
C. emotionally distant and neglectful
D. fearful of his wife’s independence
B. well-intentioned but patronizing
Arrangement of words within a phrase, clause, or sentence (complexity vs. simplicity)
A. diction
B. narrative
C. logos
D. syntax
D. syntax
Which thesis statement would be most effective for a Poetry Analysis Essay?
A. The poem uses imagery and metaphor to convey meaning.
B. The speaker’s attitude toward the subject changes throughout the poem.
C. The poet skillfully employs literary devices to create depth.
D. The poem shows how humans experience emotion.
E. Through shifting imagery and tone, the poem reveals the speaker’s conflicted relationship with time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqvqopQobAM
E. Through shifting imagery and tone, the poem reveals the speaker’s conflicted relationship with time.
[Each question is worth 50 points]
1. When what happens is different from what is expected
A. Paradox
B. Irony
C. Satire
D. Understatement
2. A statement that seems contradictory but reveals truth
A. Irony
B. Paradox
C. Ambiguity
D. Satire
3. Making something seem less important than it is
A. Satire
B. Tone
C. Understatement
D. Diction
4. Using humor to criticize society or people
A. Irony
B. Allegory
C. Satire
D. Paradox
5. The author’s attitude toward the subject
A. Mood
B. Diction
C. Tone
D. Syntax
6. An author’s word choice
A. Syntax
B. Diction
C. Tone
D. Denotation
B
B
C
C
C
B
How does Dickens use the character of Estella to build the novel’s central ideas?
A. She demonstrates the power of forgiveness
B. She represents the stability of social class
C. She shows the importance of emotional independence
D. She illustrates the corrupting effects of wealth and revenge
D. She illustrates the corrupting effects of wealth and revenge
The Scarlet Ibis – James Hurst
The scarlet ibis primarily symbolizes
A. the brother’s guilt
B. Doodle’s uniqueness and fragility
C. the family’s Southern heritage
D. the inevitability of death
B. Doodle’s uniqueness and fragility
What is an allegory?
A. an indirect reference to a person, event, statement, or theme found in literature, the other arts, history, myths, religion, or popular culture
B. presentation of an abstract idea through more concrete means; narrative or description that has a second meaning beneath the surface
C. an indirect reference to a person, event, statement, or theme found in literature, the other arts, history, myths, religion, or popular culture
D. two successive lines of rhyme verse, often of the same meter
B. presentation of an abstract idea through more concrete means; narrative or description that has a second meaning beneath the surface
Which planning strategy best supports strong commentary in the body paragraphs?
A. Writing a full outline with topic sentences and transitions
B. Selecting one device per paragraph before writing
C. Choosing evidence that clearly supports the thesis’s central claim
D. Listing quotations in the order they appear in the poem
E. Deciding paragraph length in advance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7atqdAAycyA
C. Choosing evidence that clearly supports the thesis’s central claim
[Each question is worth 50 points]
1. A character who contrasts another character
A. Archetype
B. Narrator
C. Foil
D. Protagonist
2. How an author reveals a character
A. Syntax
B. Characterization
C. Point of View
D. Tone
3. The voice telling the story
A. Narrator
B. Foil
C. Theme
D. Speaker
4. The perspective from which a story is told
A. Tone
B. Narrator
C. Point of View
D. Syntax
5. Sentence structure
A. Diction
B. Syntax
C. Tone
D. Connotation
6. The emotional meaning of a word
A. Denotation
B. Symbolism
C. Connotation
D. Figurative language
C
B
A
C
B
C
Which theme is conveyed through Pip’s change in attitude toward Joe?
A. The dangers of ambition
B. The corrupting influence of wealth
C. The pain of unreciprocated love
D. The importance of education
B. The corrupting influence of wealth
The Scarlet Ibis – James Hurst.
The narrator’s pride most directly leads to
A. Doodle’s physical development
B. the strengthening of their brotherly bond
C. the tragic climax of the story
D. the narrator’s emotional maturity
C. the tragic climax of the story
What is a synecdoche?
A. a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or when the whole is used to represent a part
B. a figure of speech in which the speaker directly and often emotionally addresses a person who is dead or otherwise not physically present, an imaginary person or entity, something inhuman
C. a figure of speech where one thing is represented by another that is commonly and often physically associated with it
D. figures of speech used to express abstract ideas in a vivid and innovative way
A. a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or when the whole is used to represent a part
To earn the sophistication point, a student is most likely to
A. Include complex vocabulary and elevated diction
B. Analyze multiple literary devices in each paragraph
C. Acknowledge tension, complexity, or ambiguity in the text
D. Write a longer conclusion
E. Use historical or biographical context
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvIK81-Gpxg
C. Acknowledge tension, complexity, or ambiguity in the text
[Each question is worth 50 points]
1. The literal dictionary meaning of a word
A. Connotation
B. Symbolism
C. Denotation
D. Tone
2. Repetition of vowel sounds
A. Alliteration
B. Assonance
C. Anaphora
D. Apostrophe
3. Repetition of words at the beginning of sentences
A. Apostrophe
B. Anaphora
C. Assonance
D. Syntax
4. Speaking to someone absent or abstract
A. Apostrophe
B. Personification
C. Allegory
D. Metaphor
5. A coming-of-age story
A. Tragedy
B. Epic
C. Bildungsroman
D. Satire
6. A serious story ending in downfall
A. Tragedy
B. Allegory
C. Paradox
D. Irony
C
B
B
A
C
A
What does Magwitch’s return to England primarily symbolize for Pip?
A. Redemption through love
B. The end of his romantic delusions
C. The action of loyalty over betrayal
D. The reward for moral integrity
B. The end of his romantic delusions
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The mariner’s killing of the albatross most directly represents
A. humanity’s dominance over nature
B. a rejection of religious authority
C. a violation of the natural and moral order
D. the mariner’s desire for freedom
C. a violation of the natural and moral order
What is a phonetic intensive?
A. a harsh, unpleasant sound
B. a repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, followed by different consonant sounds
C. a pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in poetry
D. a word whose sound, by an obscure process, to some degree, suggests its meaning
D. a word whose sound, by an obscure process, to some degree, suggests its meaning