AP Lang Writing Questions

The examples inside the dashes in lines 1-2 serve to emphasize...

• the formulaic manner in which most texts are studied

• the broad applicability of the reading strategies that follow

• the difference between the Declaration and works of imaginative literature

• the difficulty of discerning authorial intention in a text

• the variety of forms of writing that existed at the time of the Declaration

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In context, the sentence in lines 9-10 (“Asking these . . . art”) can best be understood as...

• a reason for adopting a particular way of studying the Declaration

• a challenge to commonly held ideas about the role of the Declaration in American history

• a confirmation of the author’s assumption that Americans are unfamiliar with the Declaration

• a possible objection from Declaration scholars who resist textual analysis

• an unforeseen complication regarding the author’s view of the Declaration

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The author’s primary purpose in the first

paragraph (lines 1-10) is to...

• explain the value of an approach

• anticipate a particular conclusion

• summarize the history of an idea

• evaluate one side of a contentious debate

• present evidence in support of an argument

The questions in the first paragraph (lines 1-10) differ from those in the final paragraph (lines 54-62) in that...

• the former encourage identification with authors and the latter critique it

• the former are meant to be satirical and the latter are meant to be serious

• the former are meant to facilitate textual analysis and the latter are meant to facilitate political analysis

• the former are meant to be answered and the latter are meant to be rhetorical

• the former pertain to the era of the American Revolution and the latter pertain to the present day

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

Which of the following best describes the relationship of the paragraph in lines 15-23 (“In fact . . . explaining it”) to the paragraph in lines 24-36 (“Short for . . . hereby declared”) ?

• The first paragraph engages the reader with a contemporary colloquial style, and the second paragraph challenges the reader with language from the period of the Declaration.

• The first paragraph creates a connection between the Declaration and our ordinary lives, and the second paragraph exalts the Declaration as sacred.

• The first paragraph presents a current critical view of the Declaration, and the second paragraph argues that that view is restricted.

• The first paragraph argues that the Declaration is a certain type of document, and the second paragraph refutes that argument.

• The first paragraph compares the Declaration to a seemingly mundane type of document, and the second paragraph expands on the significance of that type of document.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

The author presents the definition in lines 31-33 (“An informal . . . of action”) primarily to...

• resolve a conflict

• present an objection

• widen a perspective

• introduce a theory

• indicate an origin

As used in line 34, “spawned” most nearly means...

• reproduced

• discovered

• corrupted

• generated

• imitated

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

In lines 37-39 (“As ever . . . important”), the

author presents memos as...

• archaic yet irreverent

• pretentious yet meaningful

• routine yet relevant

• trivial yet time-consuming

• practical yet aesthetically pleasing

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

In the context of the passage as a whole, the “democratic art” of the Declaration mentioned in line 10 refers to the Declaration’s ability to do all of the following EXCEPT...

• critique an institution

• announce a change

• explain the nature of a change

• enforce a proposed change

• call a group to action

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Based on the passage as a whole, it can be inferred that the author will most likely continue with a discussion that includes which of the following?

• An analysis of the Declaration that addresses the questions about texts introduced at the beginning of the passage

• A comparison of views of the Declaration as a sacred text and as a treatise

• An examination of additional definitions of the word “memorandum”

• A closer look into fundamental differences between interoffice memos and the Declaration

• An account of other types of correspondence besides memos

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6