AP Lang Writing Questions

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

• the formulaic manner in which most texts are studied

• the broad applicability of the reading strategies that follow

• the difference between the Declaration and works of imaginative literature

• the difficulty of discerning authorial intention in a text

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

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

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

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

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

• a possible objection from Declaration scholars who resist textual analysis

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

The author’s primary purpose in the first

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

• explain the value of an approach

• anticipate a particular conclusion

• summarize the history of an idea

• evaluate one side of a contentious debate

• present evidence in support of an argument

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• resolve a conflict

• present an objection

• widen a perspective

• introduce a theory

• indicate an origin

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

• reproduced

• discovered

• corrupted

• generated

• imitated

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

author presents memos as...

• archaic yet irreverent

• pretentious yet meaningful

• routine yet relevant

• trivial yet time-consuming

• practical yet aesthetically pleasing

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

• critique an institution

• announce a change

• explain the nature of a change

• enforce a proposed change

• call a group to action

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

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

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

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

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

• An account of other types of correspondence besides memos