📖 AP English Language

AP English Language Practice

AP English Language and Composition — rhetorical analysis, argumentation, synthesis

179 Practice questions
3 Difficulty levels
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📝 Sample Questions

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Easy
The writer wants to add a phrase at the beginning of sentence 3 (reproduced below) adjusting for capitalization as needed, to set up a coherent sequence of thoughts between the first and second paragraphs.
  1. A. Irregardless,
  2. B. In spite of Kershaw’s widely distributed but not statistically logical hypothesis,
  3. C. Moreover,
  4. D. Too bad that ✓
  5. E. Admittedly,
Explanation: is the only logical choice. The others distort meaning, add irrelevance, or use nonstandard English.
Medium
In the context of the passage, all of the following phrases refer to the same idea EXCEPT
  1. A. “first duties a child owes to its parents” (line 22). ✓
  2. B. “ . . . if we ever come to teach good manners” (line 25).
  3. C. “agreeable conversation on topics of interest among gentlemen” (line 31).
  4. D. “civil people” (line 35).
  5. E. “thank me as one gentleman to another” (line 41).
Explanation: All the phrases except one allude to acceptable customs and behavior observed by members of a certain social class. The allusion to a child’s “duties” is different because it refers to obligatory behavior.
Hard
In the first paragraph, the speaker makes two negative statements: “I will not inquire” and “I do not believe.” Which of the following best explains the speaker’s rhetorical goal in saying what he won’t do and doesn’t believe?
  1. A. To win the audience’s confidence by speaking frankly
  2. B. To surprise his listeners by challenging the status quo
  3. C. To impress the audience with his decisiveness ✓
  4. D. To reveal to the audience the obstreperous side of his personality
  5. E. To prepare his listeners to hear some distressing news
Explanation: The speaker is about to challenge the conventional theory that we must learn about the past in order to avoid repeating its mistakes in the future. His words suggest that for him it’s a dead issue.
Medium
The writer wants the text of the introductory paragraph to be in standard written English. Which of the following versions best achieves that goal and also preserves the paragraph’s basic meaning?
  1. A. (as it is now)
  2. B. Humans are secretive creatures. Their brain is adept at concealing information. Surprisingly enough, little research has been done on the psychology of secrets—particularly, on whether how common it is to have and keep them and what the results are, such as the toll they take on us.
  3. C. Humans are secretive creatures with brains adept at concealing information. Yet surprisingly little research has been done on the psychology of secrets—particularly, such questions as whether how common it is to harbor and keep them? The results of them? And what toll they take on us?
  4. D. Humans are secretive creatures with brains adept at concealing information. Yet, surprisingly, little research has been done on the psychology of secrets—in particular, whether or not it is common to have them and keep them? And their results? And the toll they take on us?
  5. E. Secretive creatures like humans have brains adept at concealing information. Yet, surprisingly little research has been done on the psychology of secrets: in particular, how common it is to have them, keep them, and at what toll. ✓
Explanation: 24. (E) This version eliminates awkward expression, unorthodox mechanics, repetition, and redundancy.
Medium
The writer wants to rebut the claim alleged in sentence 24 that teachers are overpaid. Which one of the following ideas would be least effective in achieving this purpose?
  1. A. Reading a letter of gratitude from the parent of a child who received after-school help in writing a college application essay from her English teacher
  2. B. A personal anecdote about having been a teacher and buying classroom supplies because of the school’s limited budget
  3. C. Citing statistics about the hours that teachers spend commuting because they can’t afford to live in the district
  4. D. A description of a third-grade class in which nine of thirty-two children speak languages other than English at home
  5. E. Explaining that a third of the district’s teachers are paying off student loans ✓
Explanation: 45. (E) is the least effective because it is a problem that is unrelated to being teacher.

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