AP English Literature

and Composition

Practice Exam #1
and Notes
Effective
Fall 2024
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Contents

Exam Instructions 5
Student Answer Sheet for the Multiple-Choice Section 7
Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions 9
Section II: Free-Response Questions 23
Multiple-Choice Section Answer Key 30
Free-Response Scoring Guidelines 32
Scoring Worksheet 45

Note: This publication shows the page numbers that appeared in the actual exam. This
publication was not repaginated to begin with page 1.

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Exam Instructions
 AP® English Literature and Composition Exam
Section I Total Time: 1 hour
Number of Questions: 55
(The number of questions may vary slightly depending on the form of the practice exam.)

Percent of Total Score: 45%

Writing Instrument: Pencil required

Section II Total Time: 2 hours

Number of Questions: 3 essays
Percent of Total Score: 55%
Writing Instrument: Pen with black or dark blue ink

6 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Student Answer Sheet for the
Multiple-Choice Section

Use this section to capture student responses. (Note that the following
answer sheet is a sample, and may differ from one used in an actual exam.)
 Name:____________________________________

Answer Sheet for AP® English Literature and

Composition Practice Exam #1

No. Answer No. Answer

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6 31

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8 33

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10 35

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Section I: Multiple-Choice Questions
AP® English Literature and Composition Exam
SECTION I: Multiple Choice

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

At a Glance Instructions
Section I of this exam contains 50 multiple-choice questions. Fill in only the circles for
Total Time numbers 1 through 50 on your answer sheet. (Please note that there are 55 questions on a
1 hour typical exam. Five questions have been removed from this specific practice exam because
Number of Questions they no longer align with the current scope of the exam.)
50
Percent of Total Score Indicate all of your answers to the multiple-choice questions on the answer sheet. No
45% credit will be given for anything written in this exam booklet, but you may use the booklet
Writing Instrument for notes or scratch work. After you have decided which of the suggested answers is best,
Pencil required completely fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet. Give only one answer
Dictionaries to each question. If you change an answer, be sure that the previous mark is erased
None allowed completely. Here is a sample question and answer.

Sample Question Sample Answer

Chicago is a A C D

(A) state

(B) city

(C) country

(D) continent

Use your time effectively, working as quickly as you can without losing accuracy. Do not
spend too much time on any one question. Go on to other questions and come back to the
ones you have not answered if you have time. It is not expected that everyone will know the
answers to all of the multiple-choice questions.

Your total score on the multiple-choice section is based only on the number of questions
answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers or unanswered
questions.

10
The inclusion of source material in this exam is not
intended as an endorsement by the College Board or ETS
of the content, ideas, or values expressed in the material.
The literary works and excerpts that appear in the AP
English Literature and Composition Exam represent a
range of different authors and literary styles and themes,
as appropriate for measuring the critical reading and
analytic writing skills that are the focus of this course.
AP students are not expected or asked to subscribe to
any specific cultural or political values but are expected
to analyze perspectives different from their own and to
question the meaning, purpose, or effect of such content
within literary works.
 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION

SECTION I
Time—1 hour

Directions: This section consists of selections from literary works and questions on their content, form, and style.
After reading each passage or poem, choose the best answer to each question and then fill in the corresponding circle
on the answer sheet.

Note: Pay particular attention to the requirements of questions that contain the words NOT, LEAST, or EXCEPT.

Questions 1 through 7 refer to the following. Read the 1. Which description best characterizes the poem?
following carefully before you choose your answers. (A) A recollection of a remarkable occurrence

Jean Toomer’s poem “November Cotton Flower” was (B) A lament for a vanished way of life
published in 1923. (C) An analysis of a momentous decision
(D) An invitation to celebrate a hard-fought victory
November Cotton Flower
2. The primary purpose of lines 1-8 is to
Boll-weevil’s1 coming, and the winter’s cold, (A) re-create a contentious situation
Made cotton-stalks look rusty, seasons old,
(B) foreshadow the poem’s implied conclusion
And cotton, scarce as any southern snow,
Line Was vanishing; the branch, so pinched and slow, (C) provide a context for the poem’s central image
5 Failed in its function as the autumn rake; (D) undermine the credibility of the speaker
Drouth fighting soil had caused the soil to take
3. Which best describes the technique used in lines 4-8
All water from the streams; dead birds were found
(“the branch . . . ground”)?
In wells a hundred feet below the ground—
Such was the season when the flower bloomed. (A) Details of agricultural setbacks provide historical
10 Old folks were startled, and it soon assumed context.
Significance. Superstition saw (B) Accounts of successive catastrophes establish the
Something it had never seen before: poem’s central meaning.
Brown eyes that loved without a trace of fear, (C) Descriptions of hardships among humans mirror
Beauty so sudden for that time of year. those in the animal world.
“November Cotton Flower,” from CANE by Jean Toomer. (D) Examples of dearth in nature accumulate to provide
Copyright 1923 by Boni & Liveright, renewed 1951 by Jean Toomer. emphasis.
Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.
1
A boll-weevil is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds.

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12 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

4. In line 5, “Failed in its function as” is best understood 6. For the “Old folks” (line 10), the blooming of the flower
to mean was
(A) became obsolete as (A) a surprising and disheartening symbol
(B) had lost its appeal as (B) an unusual and controversial discovery
(C) was useless as (C) an unwelcome and alarming premonition
(D) was misused as (D) an unexpected and profound revelation
5. The statement in line 9 serves to emphasize that the 7. If the context of the poem is interpreted broadly, the
blooming of the flower was cotton flower most likely symbolizes
(A) unnecessary (A) the possibility of miraculous change
(B) incongruous (B) the superficiality of beautiful objects
(C) misunderstood (C) a vision of extravagant opulence
(D) anticipated (D) attainment of personal ambitions

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AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 13

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Questions 8 through 20 refer to the following. Read the moved out again at the other end. A little stir of wind
following carefully before you choose your answers. fluttered some fallen leaves at the base of the statue.
Soames shifted along to the extreme left. From there
This passage is excerpted from John Galswothy’s novel A the statue was once more woman—very noble! And
Modern Comedy, published in 1929. 55 he sat motionless in his attitude of a thinker, the lower
part of his face buried in his hand.
In Washington, District of Columbia, the “Fall” Considerably browned and distinctly healthy-
sun shone, and all that was not evergreen or stone looking, he was accustomed to regard himself as
in Rock Creek Cemetery was glowing. Before the worn out by his long travel, which, after encircling
Line Saint Gaudens statue Soames Forsyte sat on his 60 the world, would end, the day after tomorrow, by
5 overcoat, with the marble screen to his back, enjoying embarkation on the Adelphic. This three-day run to
the seclusion and a streak of sunlight passaging Washington was the last straw, and he was supporting
between the cypresses. it very well. The city was pleasing; it had some fine
With his daughter and her husband he had been up buildings and a great many trees with the tints on;
here already, the afternoon before, and had taken a 65 there wasn’t the rush of New York, and plenty of
10 fancy to the place. Apart from the general attraction houses that people could live in, he should think. Of
of a cemetery, this statue awakened the connoisseur course the place was full of Americans, but that was
within him. Though not a thing you could acquire, it unavoidable. He was happy about Fleur too; she had
was undoubtedly a work of art, and produced a very quite got over that unpleasant Ferrar business, seemed
marked effect. He did not remember a statue that 70 on excellent terms with young Michael, and was
15 made him feel so thoroughly at home. That great looking forward to her home and her baby again.
greenish bronze figure of seated woman within the There was, indeed, in Soames a sense of culmination
hooding folds of her ample cloak seemed to carry him and of peace—a feeling of virtue having been its own
down to the bottom of his own soul. Yesterday, in the reward, and beyond all, the thought that he would
presence of Fleur, Michael, and other people, all 75 soon be smelling English grass and seeing again the
20 gaping like himself, he had not so much noted the river flowing past his cows. Annette, even, might be
mood of the thing as its technical excellence, but glad to see him—he had bought her a really nice
now, alone, he could enjoy the luxury of his own emerald bracelet in New York. To such general
sensations. Some called it “Grief,” some “The Adams satisfaction this statue of “Grief” was putting the
Memorial.” He didn’t know, but in any case there it 80 finishing touch.
25 was, the best thing he had come across in America,
the one that gave him the most pleasure, in spite of Reprinted with the permission of Scribner, a Division of Simon &
Schuster, Inc., from A MODERN COMEDY by John Galsworthy.
all the water he had seen at Niagara and those Copyright © 1929 by Charles Scribner’s Sons; copyright renewed
skyscrapers in New York. Three times he had 1957 by Ada Galsworthy.
changed his position on that crescent marble seat, All rights reserved.

30 varying his sensations every time. From his present

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to
position the woman had passed beyond grief. She sat
in a frozen acceptance deeper than death itself, very (A) describe the atmosphere of the cemetery
remarkable! There was something about death! He (B) advance a view about the United States
remembered his own father, James, a quarter of an (C) reveal aspects of Soames’s character
35 hour after death, as if—as if he had been told at last!
(D) offer speculations about Soames’s motivations
A red-oak leaf fell on to his lapel, another on to his
knee; Soames did not brush them off. Easy to sit still 9. In the first paragraph (lines 1-7), the cemetery is
in front of that thing! They ought to make America sit presented as
there once a week! (A) oppressive
40 He rose, crossed towards the statue, and gingerly
(B) austere
touched a fold in the green bronze, as if questioning
the possibility of everlasting nothingness. (C) fecund
“Got a sister living in Dallas—married a railroad (D) idyllic
man down there as a young girl. Why! Texas is a
10. Which of the following responses is part of the “marked
45 wonderful State. I know my sister laughs at the idea
effect” (line 14) that the statue has on Soames?
that the climate of Texas isn’t about right.”
Soames withdrew his hand from the bronze, and (A) He meditates on mortality.
returned to his seat. Two tall thin elderly figures were (B) He feels alone in the world.
entering the sanctuary. They moved into the middle (C) He reconsiders his ambitions.
50 and stood silent. Presently one said “Well!” and they
(D) He accepts his failures.

14 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

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AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 15

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Questions 21 through 29 refer to the following. Yet if you go, I passe not; take your way:
Read the following carefully before you choose your For, Thou art still my God, is all that ye
answers. Perhaps with more embellishment can say.
Go birds of spring: let winter have his fee,
George Herbert’s poem “The Forerunners” was published 35 Let a bleak palenesse chalk the doore,
in 1633. So all within be livelier then before.

The Forerunners1 1
an advance guard that traveled ahead of an important visitor to secure
suitable lodgings, the door of which would then be marked with white
chalk
The harbingers are come. See, see their mark; 2
care
White is their colour, and behold my head. 3
be . . . fear: is not endangered
But must they have my brain? Must they dispark 4
houses of prostitution
5
foolish
Line Those sparkling notions, which therein were bred? 6
enticed
5 Must dulnesse turn me to a clod? 7
ruin
Yet have they left me, Thou art still my God. 8
rich fabric

Good men ye be, to leave me my best room, 21. In lines 1-2, the speaker describes
Ev’n all my heart, and what is lodged there:
I passe2 not, I, what of the rest become,
10 So Thou art still my God, be out of fear.3
He will be pleased with that dittie;
And if I please him, I write fine and wittie.

Farewell sweet phrases, lovely metaphors.

But will ye leave me thus? when ye before
15 Of stews4 and brothels onely knew the doores,
Then did I wash you with my tears, and more,
Brought you to Church well drest and clad:
My God must have my best, ev’n all I had.

Louely enchanting language, sugar-cane,

20 Hony of roses, whither wilt thou flie?
Hath some fond5 lover tic’d6 thee to thy bane?7
And wilt thou leave the Church, and love a stie?
Fie, thou wilt soil thy broider’d coat,
And hurt thy self, and him that sings the note.

25 Let foolish lovers, if they will love dung,

With canvas, not with arras8 clothe their shame:
Let follie speak in her own native tongue.
True beautie dwells on high: ours is a flame
But borrow’d thence to light us thither.
30 Beautie and beauteous words should go together.

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AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

In line 30, the speaker does which of the following?

(A) Confesses a deeply held personal prejudice
(B) Proposes a standard for novice poets to follow
(C) Praises the beauty of religious abstractions
(D) Asserts a connection between the subject of
poetry and its execution

In lines 31-33, the speaker implies that

(A) the theme of his poems remains the same
(B) his love of poetry undermines his love of God
(C) literary language can be used to conceal truth
(D) no poetry can adequately describe religious faith

The statement “Thou art still my God” (lines 6, 10,

and 32) is best described as
(A) a refrain
(B) a summons
(C) an epilogue
(D) an aside

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 17

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Questions 30 through 40 refer to the following. 45 will do all the work of your department so as to save
Read the following carefully before you choose your you from any loss in consequence of your accident; he
answers. will be even uniformly tender to you till you are well
on your legs again, when he will some fine morning
This passage is excerpted from George Eliot’s Impressions insult you without provocation, and make you wish
of Theophrastus Such, published in 1879. 50 that his generous goodness to you had not closed your
lips against retort.
Touchwood’s bad temper is of the contradicting
pugnacious sort. He is the honourable gentleman in
opposition, whatever proposal or proposition may be
Line broached, and when others join him he secretly damns
5 their superfluous agreement, quickly discovering that
his way of stating the case is not exactly theirs. An
invitation or any sign of expectation throws him into
an attitude of refusal. Ask his concurrence in a
benevolent measure: he will not decline to give it,
10 because he has a real sympathy with good aims; but
he complies resentfully, though where he is let alone
he will do much more than any one would have
thought of asking for. No man would shrink with
greater sensitiveness from the imputation of not
15 paying his debts, yet when a bill is sent in with any
promptitude he is inclined to make the tradesman wait
for the money he is in such a hurry to get. One sees
that this antagonistic temper must be much relieved
by finding a particular object, and that its worst
20 moments must be those where the mood is that of
vague resistance, there being nothing specific to
oppose. Touchwood is never so little engaging as
when he comes down to breakfast with a cloud on his
brow, after parting from you the night before with an
25 affectionate effusiveness at the end of a confidential
conversation which has assured you of mutual
understanding. Impossible that you can have
committed any offence. If mice have disturbed him,
that is not your fault; but, nevertheless, your cheerful
30 greeting had better not convey any reference to the
weather, else it will be met by a sneer which, taking
you unawares, may give you a crushing sense that you
make a poor figure with your cheerfulness, which was
not asked for. Some daring person perhaps introduces
35 another topic, and uses the delicate flattery of
appealing to Touchwood for his opinion, the topic
being included in his favourite studies. An indistinct
muttering, with a look at the carving-knife in reply,
teaches that daring person how ill he has chosen a
40 market for his deference. If Touchwood’s behaviour
affects you very closely you had better break your leg
in the course of the day: his bad temper will then
vanish at once; he will take a painful journey on your
behalf; he will sit up with you night after night; he

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AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 19

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Questions 41 through 50 refer to the following.

Read the following carefully before you choose your
answers.

Charlotte Dacre’s poem “The Female Philosopher” was

published in 1805.

The Female Philosopher

You tell me, fair one, that you ne’er can love,
And seem with scorn to mock the dangerous fire;
But why, then, trait’ress, do you seek to move
In others what your breast can ne’er inspire?
Line
5 You tell me, you my friend alone will be,
Yet speak of friendship in a voice so sweet,
That, while I struggle to be coldly free,
I feel my heart with wildest throbbings beat.

Vainly indiff’rence would you bid us feel,

10 While so much languor in those eyes appear;
Vainly the stoic’s happiness reveal,
While soft emotion all your features wear.

O, form’d for love! O, wherefore should you fly

From the seducing charm it spreads around?
15 O why enshrine your soul with apathy?
Or wish in frozen fetters to be bound?

Life is a darksome and a dreary day,

The solitary wretch no pleasure knows;
Love is the star that lights him on his way,
20 And guides him on to pleasure and repose.

But oft, forgetful of thy plan severe,

I’ve seen thee fondly gaze—I’ve heard thee sigh;
I’ve mark’d thy strain of converse, sadly dear,
While softest rapture lighten’d from thine eye.

25 Then have I thought some wayward youth employ’d

Thy secret soul, but left thee to despair,
And oft with pleasing sorrow have enjoy’d
The task of chasing thy corrosive care.

Yet pride must save me from a dastard love,

30 A grov’ling love, that cannot hope return:
A soul like mine was never form’d to prove
Those viler passions with which some can burn.

Then fear not me; for since it is thy will,

Adhere with stubborn coolness to thy vow;
35 Grant me thy philosophic friendship still—
I’ll grant thee mine with all the powers I know.

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AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 21

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

STOP
END OF SECTION I
IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, YOU MAY
CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS SECTION.
DO NOT GO ON TO SECTION II UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

____________________________________________

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DONE THE FOLLOWING.

• PLACED YOUR AP NUMBER LABEL ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET

• WRITTEN AND GRIDDED YOUR AP NUMBER CORRECTLY ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET

• TAKEN THE AP EXAM LABEL FROM THE FRONT OF THIS BOOKLET AND PLACED IT ON
YOUR ANSWER SHEET

22 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Section II: Free-Response Questions
AP® English Literature and Composition Exam
SECTION II: Free Response

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

At a Glance Instructions
The questions for Section II are printed in the orange Questions booklet. You may use that
Total Time
booklet to organize your answers and for scratch work, but you must write your answers in
2 hours
this Section II: Free Response booklet. No credit will be given for any work written in the
Number of Questions
Questions booklet.
3
Percent of Total Score Section II of this exam requires answers in essay form. Each essay will be judged on
55% its clarity and effectiveness in dealing with the assigned topic and on the quality of the
Writing Instrument writing. In responding to Question 3, select only a work of literary merit that will be
Pen with black or dark appropriate to the question. A general rule is to use works of the same quality as those
blue ink you have been reading during your AP year(s). After completing each question, you should
Dictionaries check your essay for accuracy of punctuation, spelling, and diction; you are advised,
None allowed however, not to attempt many longer corrections. Quality is far more important than
Suggested Time quantity.
40 minutes per
Write clearly and legibly. Number each answer as the question is numbered in the exam.
question
Begin each answer on a new page. Do not skip lines. Cross out any errors you make;
Weight
crossed-out work will not be scored.
The questions are
weighted equally. Manage your time carefully. The proctor will announce the suggested time for each
question, but you may proceed freely from one question to the next. You may review your
responses if you finish before the end of the exam is announced.

24
 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION

SECTION II
Total time—2 hours
3 Questions

Question 1

(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

In Elizabeth Stoddard’s poem “The Wife Speaks,” published in 1895, the speaker reflects on marriage. Read the poem
carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Stoddard uses literary elements and techniques to convey the speaker’s
complex thoughts about her marriage.

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

The Wife Speaks

Husband, to-day could you and I behold

The sun that brought us to our bridal morn
Rising so splendid in the winter sky
Line (We thought fair spring returned), when we were wed;
5 Could the shades vanish from these fifteen years,
Which stand like columns guarding the approach
To that great temple of the double soul
That is as one—would you turn back, my dear,
And, for the sake of Love’s mysterious dream,
10 As old as Adam and as sweet as Eve,
Take me, as I took you, and once more go
Towards that goal which none of us have reached?
Contesting battles which but prove a loss,
The victor vanquished by the wounded one;
15 Teaching each other sacrifice of self,
True immolation to the marriage bond;
Learning the joys of birth, the woe of death,
Leaving in chaos all the hopes of life—
Heart-broken, yet with courage pressing on
20 For fame and fortune, artists needing both?
Or, would you rather—I will acquiesce—
Since we must choose what is, and are grown gray,
Stay in life’s desert, watch our setting sun,
Calm as those statues in Egyptian sands,
25 Hand clasping hand, with patience and with peace,
Wait for a future which contains no past?

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AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 25

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

The following excerpt is from Jamaica Kincaid’s novel Lucy, published in 1990. In this passage, the narrator describes the
beginning of a new phase in her life. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Kincaid uses
literary elements and techniques to portray the complexity of the narrator’s new situation.

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

I got into an elevator, something I had never done the way I knew my own name—something I took
before, and then I was in an apartment and seated at a 35 completely for granted, “the sun is shining, the air is
table, eating food just taken from a refrigerator. In the warm,” was not so. I was no longer in a tropical zone,
Line place I had just come from, I always lived in a house, and this realization now entered my life like a flow
5 and my house did not have a refrigerator in it. of water dividing formerly dry and solid ground,
Everything I was experiencing—the ride in the creating two banks, one of which was my past—so
elevator, being in an apartment, eating day-old food 40 familiar and predictable that even my unhappiness
that had been stored in a refrigerator—was such a then made me happy now just to think of it—the
good idea that I could imagine I would grow used other my future, a gray blank, an overcast seascape on
10 to it and like it very much, but at first it was all so which rain was falling and no boats were in sight. I
new that I had to smile with my mouth turned down was no longer in a tropical zone and I felt cold inside
at the corners. I slept soundly that night, but it wasn’t 45 and out, the first time such a sensation had come
because I was happy and comfortable—quite the over me.
opposite; it was because I didn’t want to take in In books I had read—from time to time, when the
15 anything else. plot called for it—someone would suffer from
That morning, the morning of my first day, the homesickness. A person would leave a not very nice
morning that followed my first night, was a sunny 50 situation and go somewhere else, somewhere a lot
morning. It was not the sort of bright sun-yellow better, and then long to go back where it was not very
making everything curl at the edges, almost in fright, nice. How impatient I would become with such a
20 that I was used to, but a pale-yellow sun, as if the sun person, for I would feel that I was in a not very nice
had grown weak from trying too hard to shine; but situation myself, and how I wanted to go somewhere
still it was sunny, and that was nice and made me 55 else. But now I, too, felt that I wanted to be back
miss my home less. And so, seeing the sun, I got up where I came from. I understood it, I knew where
and put on a dress, a gay dress made out of madras I stood there. If I had had to draw a picture of my
25 cloth—the same sort of dress that I would wear if I future then, it would have been a large gray patch
were at home and setting out for a day in the country. surrounded by black, blacker, blackest.
It was all wrong. The sun was shining but the air was 60 What a surprise this was to me, that I longed to be
cold. It was the middle of January, after all. But I did back in the place that I came from, that I longed to
not know that the sun could shine and the air remain sleep in a bed I had outgrown, that I longed to be with
30 cold; no one had ever told me. What a feeling that people whose smallest, most natural gesture would
was! How can I explain? Something I had always call up in me such a rage that I longed to see them all
known—the way I knew my skin was the color 65 dead at my feet. Oh, I had imagined that with my one
brown of a nut rubbed repeatedly with a soft cloth, or swift act—leaving home and coming to this new

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

26 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

place—I could leave behind me, as if it were an old

garment never to be worn again, my sad thoughts, my
sad feelings, and my discontent with life in general as
70 it presented itself to me. In the past, the thought of
being in my present situation had been a comfort, but
now I did not even have this to look forward to, and
so I lay down on my bed and dreamt I was eating a
bowl of pink mullet and green figs cooked in coconut
75 milk,1 and it had been cooked by my grandmother,
which was why the taste of it pleased me so, for she
was the person I liked best in all the world and those
were the things I liked best to eat also.

1
Caribbean seafood dish
“Poor Visitor” from LUCY: A NOVEL by Jamaica Kincaid. Copyright ©
1990 by Jamaica Kincaid. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, LLC.
“Poor Visitor” from LUCY: A NOVEL by Jamaica Kincaid. Copyright
© 1990 by Jamaica Kincaid, reprinted throughout the U.K. and British
Commonwealth with permission by The Wylie Agency, LLC. All rights
reserved.

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 27

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Question 3
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear.”
—Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon

Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a character makes a judgment that
“something else” is more important than fear. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the complexity of that judgment
reveals the character’s dreams, goals, or values and contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

In your response, you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Moby-Dick

Antigone 1984
Beloved One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Brave New World The Plague
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof A Prayer for Owen Meany
Catch-22 Purple Hibiscus
A Doll House A Raisin in the Sun
Equus The Red Badge of Courage
A Gathering of Old Men The Road
The Handmaid’s Tale Sophie’s Choice
Jane Eyre A Tale of Two Cities
Life of Pi Their Eyes Were Watching God
Lord Jim A Thousand Splendid Suns
Macbeth The Women of Brewster Place

28 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

STOP
END OF EXAM
_____________________________________

THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS APPLY TO THE COVERS OF THE

SECTION II BOOKLET.

• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION AS

REQUESTED ON THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS OF THE SECTION II BOOKLET.

• CHECK TO SEE THAT YOUR AP NUMBER LABEL APPEARS IN THE BOX ON THE COVER.

• MAKE SURE YOU HAVE USED THE SAME SET OF AP NUMBER LABELS ON ALL AP EXAMS
YOU HAVE TAKEN THIS YEAR.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 29

Multiple-Choice Section Answer Key

The following contains tables showing the content assessed, the correct answer, and how
AP students performed on each question.
AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP® English Literature and Composition

Practice Exam #1 Answer Key
Multiple-Choice Questions

Question Key Question Key

1 A 26 D

2 C 27 D

3 D 28 A

4 C 29 A

5 B 30 D

6 D 31 A

7 A 32 D

8 C 33 C

9 D 34 C

10 A 35 C

11 A 36 C

12 D 37 A

13 C 38 A

14 D 39 B

15 D 40 D

16 A 41 B

17 B 42 D

18 B 43 B

19 A 44 D

20 C 45 A

21 B 46 C

22 D 47 A

23 C 48 C

24 A 49 C

25 D 50 A

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 31

Free-Response Scoring Guidelines

The following contains the scoring guidelines for the free-response questions in this exam.
AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Free-Response Section
Scoring Guidelines

Question 1: Poetry Analysis 6 points

In Elizabeth Stoddard’s poem “The Wife Speaks,” published in 1895, the speaker reflects on marriage. Read the poem
carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Stoddard uses literary elements and techniques to convey the speaker’s
complex thoughts about her marriage.

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 33

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row A 0 points 1 point

Thesis For any of the following: Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a
(0-1 points) defensible interpretation of the poem.
• There is no defensible thesis.
7.B
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the
issue with no apparent or coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the
prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt. • Provide a defensible interpretation of the speaker’s
• Make a generalized comment about the poem that complex thoughts about her marriage.
doesn’t respond to the prompt.
• Describe the poem or features of the poem rather
than making a claim that requires a defense.

Examples that do not earn this point: Examples that earn this point:
Restate the prompt Provide a defensible interpretation
• “The speaker uses questions to reveal her thoughts • “Although the speaker in ‘The Wife Speaks’ will accept
about marriage.” a peaceful, albeit uneventful, relationship with her
Do not relate to the prompt husband as they continue grow older, she longs to bring
back the love and passion of their youth, no matter how
• “The poem’s structure, imagery, and tone present
chaotic.”
the speaker’s desire to travel.”
• “Stoddard’s usage of burning imagery and an exciting
Describe the poem or features of the poem
tone convey the poet’s desire to revive her marriage
• “The wife in the poem discusses her marriage through with her husband and experience a future worth dying
metaphors and similes.” for.”
• “In her poem ‘The Wife Speaks’ Stoddard utilizes
imagery and reflective tones to demonstrate her ideas
on marriage. She eloquently poses the question: do we
settle for comfortable, or strive for something more?”

Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the poem must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support
that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis
point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully
supports that line of reasoning.

34 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

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AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row B 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points

Evidence Simply restates EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE:
AND thesis (if present),
Commentary Provides evidence Provides some Provides specific Provides specific
repeats provided that is mostly specific, relevant evidence to support evidence to support
(0-4 points) information, or general. evidence. all claims in a line of all claims in a line of
7.A offers information reasoning. reasoning.
irrelevant to the AND AND
7.C
prompt. COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY: AND AND
7.D
7.E Summarizes the Explains how some of COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY:
evidence but does the evidence relates Explains how some Consistently explains
not explain how the to the student’s of the evidence how the evidence
evidence supports argument, but no supports a line of supports a line of
the student’s line of reasoning is reasoning. reasoning.
argument. established, or the AND AND
line of reasoning is
faulty. Explains how at least Explains how multiple
one literary element literary elements or
or technique in the techniques in the
poem contributes to poem contribute to its
its meaning. meaning.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Typical responses Typical responses Typical responses Typical responses Typical responses
that earn 0 points: that earn 1 point: that earn 2 points: that earn 3 points: that earn 4 points:
• Are incoherent • Tend to focus • Consist of a • Uniformly offer • Uniformly offer
or do not on summary or mix of specific evidence to evidence to support
address the description of a evidence and broad support claims. claims.
prompt. poem rather than generalities. • Focus on the • Focus on the
• May be just specific details or • May contain importance of importance of
opinion with techniques. some simplistic, specific words and specific words and
no textual • Mention literary inaccurate, details from the details from the
references or elements, devices, or repetitive poem to build an poem to build an
references that or techniques explanations that interpretation. interpretation.
are irrelevant. with little or no don’t strengthen • Organize an • Organize and
explanation. the argument. argument as a support an
• May make one line of reasoning argument as a
point well but composed line of reasoning
either do not of multiple composed of
make multiple supporting claims. multiple supporting
supporting • Commentary may claims, each with
claims or do not fail to integrate adequate evidence
adequately support some evidence or that is clearly
more than one fail to support a explained.
claim. key claim. • Explain how the
• Do not explain writer’s use of
the connections multiple literary
or progression techniques
between the contributes to
student’s claims, so the student’s
a line of reasoning interpretation of the
is not clearly poem.
established.

Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the
fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response may observe multiple instances of the same literary element or
technique if each instance further contributes to the meaning of the poem.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 35

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row C 0 points 1 point

Sophistication Does not meet the criteria for one point. Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or develops
(0-1 points) a complex literary argument.
7.C
7.D Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
7.E
Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point may demonstrate a
• Attempt to contextualize their interpretation, sophistication of thought or develop a complex literary
but such attempts consist predominantly of argument by doing any of the following:
sweeping generalizations (“Human experiences 1. Identifying and exploring complexities or tensions
always include…” OR “In a world where…” OR within the poem.
“Since the beginning of time…”). 2. Illuminating the student’s interpretation by situating it
• Only hint at or suggest other possible within a broader context.
interpretations (“While another reader may 3. Accounting for alternative interpretations of the poem.
see…” OR “Though the poem could be said
4. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and
to…”).
persuasive.
• Make a single statement about how an
interpretation of the poem comments on
something thematic without consistently
maintaining that thematic interpretation.
• Oversimplify complexities in the poem.
• Use complicated or complex sentences or
language that is ineffective because it does not
enhance the student’s argument.

Additional Notes:
• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the
student’s argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

36 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Free-Response Section
Scoring Guidelines

Question 2: Prose Fiction Analysis 6 points

The following excerpt is from Jamaica Kincaid’s novel Lucy, published in 1990. In this passage, the narrator describes the
beginning of a new phase in her life. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how Kincaid uses
literary elements and techniques to portray the complexity of the narrator’s new situation.

In your response you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 37

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row A 0 points 1 point

Thesis For any of the following: Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a
(0-1 points) defensible interpretation of the passage.
• There is no defensible thesis.
7.B
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the
issue with no apparent or coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the
prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt. • Provide a defensible interpretation of Kincaid’s
• Make a generalized comment about the passage portrayal of the complexity of the narrator’s new
that doesn’t respond to the prompt. situation.

• Describe the passage or features of the passage

rather than making a claim that requires a defense.

Examples that do not earn this point: Examples that earn this point:
Restate the prompt Provide a defensible interpretation
• “Kincaid’s narrator makes adept use of literary • “Kincaid, through the use of imagery, em dashes, and
devices when discuss the complexity of her new repetition revealed her complex dilemma of wanting to
situation.” go home or staying in a newer environment.”
Do not respond to the prompt but make a • “In 1990, Jamaica Kincaid’s novel Lucy, depicts this
generalized comment life change and the narrator’s feelings. Kincaid uses
• “The narrator in Kincaid’s novel demonstrates the repetition of phrases, diction that illicits pathos, and a
importance of home and belonging.” mood of uncertainty and questioning to show how the
narrator feels unsure and worried about moving from her
Describe the passage or features of the passage
hometown and how, despite a chance to restart her life,
• “Kincaid uses very detailed description of places she still wants to go back.”
and contrasting of those places to develop the
narrator’s experience.”

Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the passage must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support
that thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis
point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully
supports that line of reasoning.

38 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row B 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points

Evidence Simply restates EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE:
AND thesis (if present), Provides evidence Provides some Provides specific Provides specific
Commentary repeats provided that is mostly specific, relevant evidence to support evidence to support
(0-4 points) information, or general. evidence. all claims in a line of all claims in a line of
7.A
offers information reasoning. reasoning.
irrelevant to the AND AND
7.C
prompt. COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY: AND AND
7.D COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY:
Summarizes Explains how some of
7.E
the evidence the evidence relates Explains how some Consistently explains
but does not to the student’s of the evidence how the evidence
explain how the argument, but no supports a line of supports a line of
evidence supports line of reasoning is reasoning. reasoning.
the student’s established, or the line AND AND
argument. of reasoning is faulty.
Explains how at least Explains how multiple
one literary element literary elements or
or technique in the techniques in the
passage contributes passage contribute to
to its meaning. its meaning.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Typical responses Typical Typical responses Typical responses Typical responses

that earn 0 points: responses that that earn 2 points: that earn 3 points: that earn 4 points:
• Are incoherent earn 1 point: • Consist of a • Uniformly offer • Uniformly offer
or do not • Tend to focus mix of specific evidence to evidence to support
address the on overarching evidence and broad support claims. claims.
prompt. narrative generalities. • Focus on the • Focus on the
• May be just developments • May contain importance of importance of
opinion with or description some simplistic, specific words and specific words and
no textual of a passage inaccurate, details from the details from the
references or rather than or repetitive passage to build passage to build an
references that specific details explanations that an interpretation. interpretation.
are irrelevant. or techniques. don’t strengthen the • Organize an • Organize and
• Mention literary argument. argument as a support an
elements, • May make one point line of reasoning argument as a
devices, or well but either do composed line of reasoning
techniques not make multiple of multiple composed of
with little or no supporting claims supporting claims. multiple supporting
explanation. or do not adequately claims, each with
• Commentary may
support more than fail to integrate adequate evidence
one claim. some evidence or that is clearly
• Do not explain fail to support a explained.
the connections key claim. • Explain how the
or progression writer’s use of
between the multiple literary
student’s claims, so techniques
a line of reasoning contributes to
is not clearly the student’s
established. interpretation of the
passage.

Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the
fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response may observe multiple instances of the same literary element or
technique if each instance further contributes to the meaning of the passage.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 39

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row C 0 points 1 point

Sophistication Does not meet the criteria for one point. Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or develops a
(0-1 points) complex literary argument.
7.C
7.D
7.E
Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point may demonstrate a
• Attempt to contextualize their interpretation, sophistication of thought or develop a complex literary
but such attempts consist predominantly argument by doing any of the following:
of sweeping generalizations (“Human 1. Identifying and exploring complexities or tensions within
experiences always include…” OR “In a the passage.
world where…” OR “Since the beginning of 2. Illuminating the student’s interpretation by situating it
time…”). within a broader context.
• Only hint at or suggest other possible 3. Accounting for alternative interpretations of the passage.
interpretations (“While another reader may
4. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and
see… ?” OR “Though the passage could be
persuasive.
said to…”).
• Make a single statement about how an
interpretation of the passage comments on
something thematic without consistently
maintaining that thematic interpretation.
• Oversimplify complexities in the passage.
• Use complicated or complex sentences or
language that is ineffective because it does
not enhance the student’s argument.

Additional Notes:
• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the
student’s argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

40 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Free-Response Section
Scoring Guidelines

Question 3: Literary Argument 6 points

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear.”
—Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon

Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a character makes a judgment that
“something else” is more important than fear. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the complexity of that judgment
reveals the character’s dreams, goals, or values and contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

In your response, you should do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

• Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.
• Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 41

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row A 0 points 1 point

Thesis For any of the following: Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible
(0-1 points) interpretation of the selected work.
• There is no defensible thesis.
7.B
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the
issue with no apparent or coherent thesis.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the
prompt.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt. • Provide a defensible interpretation of how the complexity of
• Make a generalized comment about the selected the character’s judgment reveals the character’s dreams, goals,
work that doesn’t respond to the prompt. or values in the selected work.
OR
• Make a claim about how the complexity of the character’s
judgment reveals the character’s dreams, goals, or values and
contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

Examples that do not earn this point: Examples that earn this point:
Restate the prompt Provides a defensible interpretation
• “In Catch-22, Yossarian makes a judgment that • “Victor Frankenstein is not often seen as a noble character, as
something else is more important than his fear during most who overcome fear are. He allowed many people to die
the war. This shows his dreams, goals, and values.” at the hands of his creation before attempting to seek it out.
Do not respond to the prompt but make a However, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein
generalized comment about the selected work eventually overcomes the fear of his own creation in order to
protect the rest of humankind and seek revenge.”
• “Throughout the novel, [Macbeth] has a powerful
promise to his advantage and the reader is able to • “Despite societal pressures and the fear that this ‘sivilization’
notice how well-rooted his values are and has a major imposes on Huckleberry Finn, the main character’s growth and
character change that makes him unrecognizable at realization of the world around him also leads to a growth in
the end of the novel.” noble courage—the courage to defy society and its obsolete
moral codes and follow the true compass of morality that is in all
• “This play [‘A Doll’s House’] the dynamic of a
of our hearts—our conscience.”
married couple and also highlighted the struggles
and challenges that everyday people have in their • “In [Sophocles’] play Antigone, Antigone herself ignores the
household that are usually never represented in media danger and her own fear of being severely punished to rightfully
during that time period.” bury her brother. Her actions reveal how much family means to
her, so much that she is willing to risk her life for it…and proves
that love for family provides courage and strength in the most
trying of times.”

Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the selected work must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that
thesis; however, the student need not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that offers a defensible claim about a character’s judgment that “something else” is more important than fear
may earn the point; any reasonable student interpretation of “something else” is acceptable.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports
that line of reasoning.

42 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row B 0 points 1 point 2 points 3 points 4 points

Evidence Simply restates EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE: EVIDENCE:
AND thesis (if present), Provides Provides some specific, Provides specific Provides specific
Commentary repeats provided evidence that is relevant evidence. evidence to support evidence to support
(0-4 points) information, or mostly general. AND all claims in a line of all claims in a line of
7.A offers information
AND reasoning. reasoning.
7.C irrelevant to the COMMENTARY:
7.D COMMENTARY: AND AND
prompt. Explains how some of the
7.E Summarizes the evidence relates to the COMMENTARY: COMMENTARY:
evidence but student’s argument, but Explains how some of Consistently explains
does not explain no line of reasoning is the evidence supports how the evidence
how the evidence established, or the line of a line of reasoning. supports a line of
supports the reasoning is faulty. reasoning.
argument.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Typical Typical Typical responses that Typical responses Typical responses

responses that responses that earn 2 points: that earn 3 points: that earn 4 points:
earn 0 points: earn 1 point: • Consist of a mix of • Uniformly offer • Uniformly offer
• Are incoherent • Tend to focus specific evidence and evidence to support evidence to support
or do not on overarching broad generalities. claims. claims.
address the narrative • May contain some • Focus on the • Focus on the
prompt. developments simplistic, inaccurate, importance of importance of
• May be just or description or repetitive specific details specific details
opinion with of a selected explanations that from the selected from the selected
no textual work rather don’t strengthen the work to build an works to build an
references or than specific argument. interpretation. interpretation.
references that details.
• May make one point • Organize an • Organize and
are irrelevant. well but either do argument as a support an
not make multiple line of reasoning argument as a
supporting claims composed of line of reasoning
or do not adequately multiple supporting composed of
support more than one claims. multiple supporting
claim. • Commentary may claims, each with
• Do not explain the fail to integrate adequate evidence
connections or some evidence or that is clearly
progression between fail to support a key explained.
the student’s claims, so claim.
a line of reasoning is
not clearly established.

Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the
fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response must address the interpretation of the selected work as a whole.

AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 43

 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1 Scoring Guidelines

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row C 0 points 1 point

Sophistication Does not meet the criteria for one point. Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or
(0-1 points) develops a complex literary argument.
7.C
7.D Decision Rules and Scoring Notes
7.E
Responses that do not earn this point: Responses that earn this point may demonstrate
• Attempt to contextualize their interpretation, a sophistication of thought or develop a complex
but such attempts consist predominantly literary argument by doing any of the following:
of sweeping generalizations (“Human 1. Identifying and exploring complexities or tensions
experiences always include…” OR “In a world within the selected work.
where…” OR “Since the beginning of time…”). 2. Illuminating the student’s interpretation by
• Only hint at or suggest other possible situating it within a broader context.
interpretations (“While another reader may 3. Accounting for alternative interpretations of the
see…?” OR “Though the text could be said text.
to…”).
4. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and
• Oversimplify complexities of the topic and/or persuasive.
the selected work.
• Use complicated or complex sentences or
language that is ineffective because it does
not enhance the student’s argument.

Additional Notes:
• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of
the student’s argument, not merely a phrase or reference.

44 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

Scoring Worksheet

The following provides a scoring worksheet and conversion table used for calculating a composite score of the exam.
 AP ® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition

Practice Exam #1 Scoring Worksheet

Section I: Multiple Choice

_________________ × 1.0800 = ____________________________

Number Correct Weighted Section I Score
(out of 50) (Do not round)

Section II: Free Response

Question 1 ______________ × 3.6666 = ________________
(out of 6) (Do not round)

Question 2 ______________ × 3.6666 = _______________

(out of 6) (Do not round)

Question 3 ______________ × 3.6666 = _______________

(out of 6) (Do not round)

Sum = _______________
Weighted
Section II Score
(Do not round)

Composite Score

_________________ + _________________ = _________________

Weighted Weighted Composite Score
Section I Score Section II Score (Round to nearest)
whole number)

AP Score Conversion Chart English

Literature and Composition

Composite
Score Range AP Score

86 – 120 5

72 – 85 4

52 – 71 3

38 – 51 2

0 – 37 1

When an AP Exam is administered, psychometric analysis determines the score ranges corresponding with each AP
Exam score (5, 4, 3, 2, and 1) based on a composite score scale that combines and weights the exam parts. Due to minor
variations in exam difficulty, the number of points corresponding with each AP Exam score can vary on different exams.
Because AP has updated the standards for AP Exam scores since this practice exam was administered, AP has developed
these estimated score ranges that teachers can use to approximate AP Exam scores. We caution that these ranges, and the
resulting AP Exam scores, are only estimates, and student performance on this practice exam does not necessarily predict
performance on a different exam.

46 AP® English Literature and Composition Practice Exam #1

AP English Literature and Composition

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