QUESTION THREE PREPARATION

History of Free-Response Questions (A Form)

Questions relating to characters:

 1975 stereotyped character
 1976 character against society
 1977 character rejects or recaptures the past
 1978 implausible character
 1979 evil or immoral character
 1980 character with conflict between passion and responsibility
 1983 character who is a villain
 1990 parent-child conflict
 1992 confidant becomes the reader’s friend
 1994 character who appears briefly
 1995 alienated character reveals society
 1999 character pulled in opposite directions
 2001 character’s method in madness
 2002 morally ambiguous character who affects meaning in a work
 2003 tragic hero’s effect on other’s suffering
 2005 character who conforms outwardly while questioning inwardly
 2007 character whose past positively or negatively affects the present
 2008 foil character’s role in highlighting strengths and weaknesses of main character
 2010 character in exile
 2011 character who responds to justice or injustice
 2012 cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral
traits
 2013 bildungsroman -- “coming of age” character
 2014 character who has sacrificed or forfeited something and how that reveals
his/her values
Questions relating to plot structure or narrative situation:
 1977 parallel or recurring events
 1978 unrealistic event
 1982 scene or scenes of violence
 1986 manipulation of time (against chronological structure)
 1988 events that are mental or psychological not physical
 1996 happy endings
 2001 investigation of a mystery
 2015 acts of cruelty as related to theme
Questions on social issues:
 1987 literature advocates changes in social or political attitudes
 1995 society revealed by alienated character
 2004 how the work presents a question and answers that question
Questions related to setting:
 1991 contrasting places
 1997 weddings, funerals, parties, social gatherings
 2006 country setting that establishes values within the work
 2012 cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral
traits
Questions related to the effect on the reader or miscellaneous categories:
 1981 sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other literature
 1984 line of poetry; scene from novel or play that is memorable
 1985 effect of “pleasure and disquietude” on the reader
 1989 distortion is the only way to make the reader “see”
 1993 thoughtful laughter
 1998 “uncivilized and wild thinking”
 2009 analyze one important symbol
 Open-ended Questions for Advanced Placement
English Literature and Composition, 1970-2014
http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APOpenQuestions.html
1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the
fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not
merely summarize the plot.
1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important,
and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.
1971. The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure
for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the significance of
their respective titles is developed through the authors' use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.
1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of
the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.
1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of
significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure
may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged
literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1974. Choose a work of literature written before 1900. Write an essay in which you present arguments for and against the work's relevance for a
person in 1974. Your own position should emerge in the course of your essay. You may refer to works of literature written after 1900 for the purpose
of contrast or comparison.
1975. Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character
successfully. Select one work of acknowledged literary merit and in a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or
characters function to achieve the author's purpose.
1975 Also. Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's
responses to character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his
audience's responses to the central characters and the action. You might consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of
comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play. Do
not give a plot summary.
1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays.
Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who
is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and
the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.
1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences
in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1978. Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character in a work of fiction or drama of recognized literary merit. Write an essay
that explains how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible elements in the rest of the work. Avoid plot summary.
1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character's actions
alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us
react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for
revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a
character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of
the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.
1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary
work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work
and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.
1982. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a
scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot
summary.
1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the
character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which
you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
1985. A critic has said that one important measure of a superior work of literature is its ability to produce in the reader a healthy confusion of
pleasure and disquietude. Select a literary work that produces this "healthy confusion." Write an essay in which you explain the sources of the
"pleasure and disquietude" experienced by the readers of the work.
1986. Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be
suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes
to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1987. Some novels and plays seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Choose such a novel or play and note briefly
the particular attitudes or traditions that the author apparently wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader's
or audience's views. Avoid plot summary.
1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings,
discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of
excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.
1989. In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery O'Connor has written, "I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I am
coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see." Write an essay in which you "make a good case for distortion," as distinct from literary
realism. Analyze how important elements of the work you choose are "distorted" and explain how these distortions contribute to the effectiveness of
the work. Avoid plot summary.
1990. Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parental figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you
analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.
1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent
opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining
how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.
1992. In a novel or play, a confidant (male) or a confidante (female) is a character, often a friend or relative of the hero or heroine, whose role is to be
present when the hero or heroine needs a sympathetic listener to confide in. Frequently the result is, as Henry James remarked, that the confidant or
confidante can be as much "the reader's friend as the protagonist's." However, the author sometimes uses this character for other purposes as well.
Choose a confidant or confidante from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the various ways this
character functions in the work. You may write your essay on one of the following novels or plays or on another of comparable quality. Do not write
on a poem or short story.
1993. "The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter." Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awakens
"thoughtful laughter" in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this laughter is "thoughtful" and how it contributes to the meaning of the
work.
1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of
literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects
action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.
1995. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender,
race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the
surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.
1996. The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting
response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate
events -- a marriage or a last minute rescue from death -- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at
death." Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well-written essay, identify the "spiritual reassessment or moral
reconciliation" evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.
1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the
characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the
scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.
1998. In his essay "Walking," Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of literature:
In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and
The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us.
From the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame
but that you now value for its "uncivilized free and wild thinking." Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its "uncivilized free and wild
thinking" and how that thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific references to the work you choose.
1999. The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to
have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time."
From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires,
ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with
one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels or plays listed below or another novel or work of
similar literary quality.
2000. Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In
these works, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the knowledge gained in the process of its investigation. Choose a novel or play
in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the mystery and explain how the investigation
illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2001. One definition of madness is "mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it." But Emily Dickinson wrote Much madness is divinest
Sense-
To a discerning Eye-Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a "discerning Eye." Select a novel or play in which a character's
apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or
eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the "madness" to the work as a whole. Do not
merely summarize the plot.
2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at
the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in
which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole.
Avoid mere plot summary.
2002, Form B. Often in literature, a character's success in achieving goals depends on keeping a secret and divulging it only at the right moment, if at
all. Choose a novel or play of literary merit that requires a character to keep a secret. In a well-organized essay, briefly explain the necessity for
secrecy and how the character's choice to reveal or keep the secret affects the plot and contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may
select a work from the list below, or you may choose another work of recognized literary merit suitable to the topic. Do NOT write about a short
story, poem, or film.
2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, "Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable
conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments
as well as victims of the divisive lightning." Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then
write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.
2003, Form B. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such
collisions can call a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then
write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.
2004. Critic Roland Barthes has said, "Literature is the question minus the answer." Choose a novel, or play, and, considering Barthes' observation,
write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers answers. Explain how the author's treatment
of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2004, Form B. The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or
play and write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid
mere plot summary.
2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward
life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an
essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid
mere plot summary.
2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or
a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how
the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.
2006. Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace
or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you
analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole.
2006, Form B. In many works of literature, a physical journey - the literal movement from one place to another - plays a central role. Choose a
novel, play, or epic poem in which a physical journey is an important element and discuss how the journey adds to the meaning of the work as a
whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a
novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how
the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be
guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze
the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive
characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses
or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in
which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.
2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other
works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or
adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a
symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing
how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2009, Form B. Many works of literature deal with political or social issues. Choose a novel or play that focuses on a political or social issue. Then
write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses literary elements to explore this issue and explains how the issue contributes to the meaning
of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2010. Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible
to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can
never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a
character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other
special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this
experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
2010, Form B. “You can leave home all you want, but home will never leave you.” —Sonsyrea Tate
Sonsyrea Tate’s statement suggests that “home” may be conceived of as a dwelling, a place, or a state of mind. It may have positive or negative
associations, but in either case, it may have a considerable influence on an individual. Choose a novel or play in which a central character leaves
home yet finds that home remains significant. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the importance of “home” to this character and the
reasons for its continuing influence. Explain how the character’s idea of home illuminates the larger meaning of the work. Do not merely summarize
the plot.
2011. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from a
novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which
you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is
successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole.

2011, Form B. In The Writing of Fiction (1925), novelist Edith Wharton states the following. At every stage in the
progress of his tale the novelist must rely on what may be called the illuminating incident to reveal and emphasize the
inner meaning of each situation. Illuminating incidents are the magic casements of fiction, its vistas on infinity.
Choose a novel or play that you have studied and write a well-organized essay in which you describe an “illuminating”
episode or moment and explain how it functions as a “casement,” a window that opens onto the meaning of the work
as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

2012, “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural
agency.”
Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in
a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and
illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.

2013, A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when
this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or moral development of the protagonist of
a bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work.

2014, It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from
a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values.
Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper
understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole.

2015, In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or a major social or political factor. Select a novel, play, or epic poem in
which acts of cruelty are important to the theme. Then write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and
what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or victim.
Question Three Speed Dating: Student Notes Name ________________________

These completed notes are due next block before the timed writing. We will read sample essays from the prompts from each round before you write your final
timed writing.

Round One:
BIG Question little Question

The work I would choose to write about is…

The specific character/setting/or moment in the work I would use to discuss the question is…

Details I would include in my essay are…

My answer to the BIG question would be…

Round Two:
BIG Question little Question

The work I would choose to write about is…

The specific character/setting/ or moment in the work I would use to discuss the question is…

Details I would include in my essay are…

My answer to the BIG question would be…

Round Three:
BIG Question little Question

The work I would choose to write about is…

The specific character/setting/ or moment in the work I would use to discuss the question is…

Details I would include in my essay are…

My answer to the BIG question would be…

Round Four:
BIG Question little Question

The work I would choose to write about is…

The specific character/setting/ or moment in the work I would use to discuss the question is…

Details I would include in my essay are…

My answer to the BIG question would be…

Question Three Individual Student Preparation Name

 In the 1st column of the chart below, list the novels and plays you have read in high school. Do not include adolescent
literature (I know, I love Harry and Katniss, too). Use the back of this sheet if necessary to continue your notes.

 In the 2nd column, rate your comfort level with this book on a scale of 1 (barely remember it and would have to reread it or
review extensively) to 5 (one of my favorite books and could easily review in preparation for the exam). In other words, how
well do you remember it? How closely did you read it? Did you enjoy it? Can you write specifically and intelligently about
it? Do you remember some poignant quotations?

 In the 3rd column, make a note about the characteristic(s) of the work (e.g. traditional, contemporary, multi-cultural, off-beat,
tragic, comedic, satirical, etc.). The ultimate goal is for you to review a variety of works for your exam day.

 Choose FIVE of your entries (these will likely be high on your comfort level rating), and in the 4 th column, list the Question 3
prompts (by year) that apply to that work. Consult the summary sheet and then read the entire question from the full list of
prompts provided to you. Think about how you would answer the question.

 In the final column, place a check beside books that you wish to review before the AP exam. Again, you should have a
variety of characteristics in your final list: traditional, contemporary, off-beat, multi-cultural, Shakespeare

Novel or Play, Comfort Characteristics Question 3 Prompts Review

author, and era Level 1-5 of the work that apply √ or X

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; 20th African-American, 20th Century, 76, 77, 78, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88,
89, 91, 94, 95, 96, 97, 01, 03, 04, √
Century American novel 4 allegorical, modern 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13
 The Scarlet Letter - Question Three Preparation - Jigsaw Pre-Writing/Discussion
Your group has been assigned one sample AP Literature Question Three prompt for which The Scarlet Letter was listed as a choice. You will
have 15- 20 minutes to discuss the prompt and complete the following chart. Be prepared to share your notes with a new group when you are
finished.

Sample Specific Moment / Thesis Statement (answers the BIG question)

AP QUESTION TRHEE PROMPT character and and 2-3 topics for body paragraphs (reasons for
5-7 relevant and poignant your answer)
supporting details
ONE. In some novels and plays certain parallel or
recurring events prove to be significant. In an
essay, describe the major similarities and
differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring
events in a novel or play and discuss the
significance of such events. Do not merely
summarize the plot.

TWO. From a novel or play of literary merit,

select an important character who is a villain.
Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the
nature of the character's villainy and show how
it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely
summarize the plot.

THREE. Morally ambiguous characters --

characters whose behavior discourages readers
from identifying them as purely evil or purely good
-- are at the heart of many works of literature.
Choose a novel or play in which a morally
ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then
write an essay in which you explain how the
character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and
why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to
the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

FOUR. In a novel by William Styron, a

father tells his son that life “is a search
for justice.” Choose a character from
a novel or play who responds in
some significant way to justice or
injustice. Then write a well-developed
essay in which you analyze the
character’s understanding of
justice, the degree to which the
character’s search for justice is
successful, and the significance of
this search for the work as a whole.

FIVE, “And, after all, our surroundings

influence our lives and characters as
much as fate, destiny or any
supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins,
Contending Forces. Choose a novel or
play in which cultural, physical, or
geographical surroundings shape
psychological or moral traits in a
character. Then write a well-organized
essay in which you analyze how
surroundings affect this character and
illuminate the meaning of the work as a
whole.
AP English IV
Death of a Salesman
Question THREE Practice

The QUESTION THREE Free-Response essay prompt on the AP English Literature and Composition exam is designed to allow
students to demonstrate a more comprehensive understanding of a whole work of literature (typically a novel or a play). On the
exam, students are presented with a question and then invited to choose a work from a list or one of comparable literary merit
which will anchor the discussion of a specific question. Question Three topics are often about characters and their interactions with
one another, but can also be about a work’s structure, setting, social implications, symbols, or cultural relevance.

Like a passage analysis question, QUESTION THREE prompts have a two-fold task -- a BIG and little question -- and students are
asked to make the connection between an author’s choices and his message. Read the following prompt, and complete the chart
that follows. On the back of this sheet, write an introduction and one complete body paragraph with evidence from the play for
support. You are NOT expected to use quotations from the play for this essay.

In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present
activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character
must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an
essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the
meaning of the work as a whole.
BIG Question little Question
What… What…

The work I would choose to write about is…

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

The specific character/setting/ or moment in the play I would use to discuss the question is…
Character – [only one] Willy, Biff, Linda, Happy
“Some aspect” from the past – [keep your focus here]

Details from the play I will include in my essay are… [consider how the past events affect the present reality
of the characters] Focus on specific moments and include details. For example, instead of generally noting
that Happy deals with insecurities, include his attempt to get his father’s attention saying, “I’m losing weight,
Pop. You notice?”

My answer to the BIG question would be… [aka – Thesis]

Through his character ______________’s contending with the his past ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________,
Arthur Miller conveys to the audience that ___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________.
Essay A

As many people like to pretend they can leave past hurts and experiences in the past, it is
impossible because one’s memory lives on forever. Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” is a prime
example of one whose memory of the past blinded him from reality and his ambitions ruin his sanity.
Living in a prospering time in America, he dreams the “American dream”, values the “business world
culture” and places very high hopes on his sons. However, all these become unrealistic and his denial of
reality drives him to his breakdown and ultimately self-destruction.
As a business man, Willy always drams of “making it big” and has been successful in the “New
Country” for his work. Because of his past success, he refused to acknowledge his career deteriating over
time. His flashbacks throughout the play is evidence that he can’t let go of his dream. He doesn’t
recognize his strengths as a farmer and gardner, but insists on staying in the city living a life of working for
a career where he doesn’t belong. Idolizing his father and older brother for their success and
achievements, it also contributed to his materialistic desires and values. He wishes to be like Ben to hit a
diamond mine and get rich, but doesn’t realize the role luck played in his brother’s discovery. This
attachment to his past stop him from progression. He felt outdated and was irritated when buildings
blocked view of scenaries from home. He was unable to live in the present and falls back to a time when
he felt secure and successful in his career and family.
Regarding his two sons Happy and Biff, Willy tries to impose the same mentality. He refuses to
admit to Biff working on a farm because he was well liked in high school and therefore asserts the qualities
a successful person in the business world. Again, his memory is skewing his grasp of reality and values
that actually drive the society. Even in his thirties, Willy continues to talk about Biff’s successful high
school football career. Willy rejects Happy’s more activeness in work because he was never the “leader”
like Biff in high school. Willy’s judgments on other people becomes based on past events and outdated
standards. His refusal to adjust and accept makes him the helpless old man who is a victim of his own
past.
Through Willy Loman’s attachment to his past, the play becomes more complex in deciphering the
effects of the past on Willy’s present. His flashbacks reveals much about Willy’s character and values.
From teaching his sons to steal to being disloyal to his wife, we see how his mistakes in the past have
magnified in his denial of the truth and Biff’s traumatic youth. As the past is dead and nothing can be
changed, Willy refuses to look ahead (or even in the present time for that matter) to make a difference and
improve his life. His suicide at the end of the play shows the hopelessness in this character and his
desparation to free himself from reality. Through Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman”, it can be seen
how stubbornness to hold onto the past yields nothing but pain and failure.

[537 words]
Essay K

Our past is our future, what we do or don’t do will make us or destroy us. The worst kind of past is
the one filled with regret. Willy, main character in Death of a Salesman has a regrettable past. A past that
ate away at him eventually causing him to end his life.
Willy’s sad story is a consequence of him not going to Alaska, he would not take a risk. And so he
stayed a salesman while other’s got rich. This experience and the affair that Biff knew he had were the
end of him. It drove him mad, and it made him touchy when it came to Biff. He never accepted that his
son was a simple person and that he himself was a failure as a salesman, so he tried to make things better
in his head, so he practically lived in the past, because the present hurt too much.
Willy’s regret carries the meaning of the whole book, it shows us that in life we need to take risks
and be true to ourselves or we will never be happy. In the end Willy’s relationship with his past drove him
to suicide. And this fact makes Biff’s dogma of accepting who you are so much reasonable than to try to
succeed in something you know youre no good at.
Willy was not a complete waste, he did love his family and his life would have been different if he
had made different desicions. But we dig our grave then we have to lie in it.

[260 words]

CB Remarks: Essay A (mid-range)

 provides a reasonable interpretation of Death of a Salesman and argues that “Willy’s denial of reality drives him to his
breakdown and ultimately self-destruction”
 addresses the question by indicating how memory has altered Willy’s present reality: Willy’s “memory of the past blinded
him from reality,” and “his ambitions ruin[ed] his sanity.”
 uses sufficient supporting detail, thou analysis is plot-driven
 presents uneven writing – good moment (“His refusal to adjust and accept makes him the helpless old man who is a victim of
his own past.”), but with some errors.

CB Remarks: Essay K (lower half)

 reveals a simplistic understanding of Willy in Death of a Salesman, but does have a point to make: “Willy’s sad story is a
consequence of him [sic] not going to Alaska, he would not take a risk …He practically lived in the past because the present
hurt too much.:
 includes noticeable grammatical errors; fragments, comma splices, etc.
 overall provides a relevant analysis and addresses the main issues of the play
 demonstrates weaker writing than upper-half essays