AP MCQ Practice Test 4

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

In context, the sentence in lines 9-10 ("Asking these... art") can be best 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

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

• A 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

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 the argument

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

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

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

Which of the following best describes the effect of the author's rhetorical choices in lines 41-42 ("Because ... writers rule")?

• The positioning of the verb at the end of the sentence emphasizes the passive nature of writers' influence

• The use of the first-person pronoun hints that the author's statement holds true only in a relatively narrow set of circumstances

• The use of the plural emphasizes that writers cannot make an impact on society individually

• The brief declaration with which the sentence ends conveys a sense of conviction

• The positioning of "Because" at he beginning of the sentence suggests writers' constant need to explain their motives

The main function of the sentence in lines 42-43 ("The wield .... is organized") is to

• Introduce an alternative to the argument made in the paragraph as a whole

• Provide evidence in support of a claim made in the first sentence of the paragraph

• Anticipate a possible objection to a line of reasoning presented earlier in the paragraph

• Weaken the claim made in the preceding sentence

• Elaborate on the point made in the preceding sentence