AP Language

The speaker in the passage can best be described as a person who is

• an advocate of young people’s social activism
• a supporter of class distinctions
• a critic of college education
• against traditional roles for women

The purpose of the anecdote with which the speaker begins paragraph 1 is to

• A. elicit sympathy by retelling a tale of loneliness
• paint a picture of city life to fascinate her listeners
• engage the audience by evoking a common experience
• introduce the idea of the difficulties of the laboring class

In line 9, “it” refers to

• “breakfast” (line 7)
• “praying” (line 8)
• “sense of human fellowship” (line 8)
• “a sudden sense of futility” (line 6)

In context, “grotesque” (line 13) is best interpreted as

• condescending
• disturbing
• ridiculous
• out of place

The sentence beginning “You turn helplessly to the waiter” (lines 12–15) contains

• irony
• paradox
• parallel syntax
• understatement

The implication of the phrase “civilization has placed you apart” (line 14) is that the speaker and the waiter

• have different professions
• are not of the same gender
• pursue different interests
• are not of the same social class

It can be inferred when the speaker states, “literature is full of portrayals of these glimpses” (lines 15–16) that the author is referring to

• the “forlorn feeling” (line 1)
• the sinking feeling of the heart mentioned in line 6
• the sense of a “common humanity” (line 10)
• the man who brings in breakfast in line 7

The use of the subjunctive tense in lines 19–20 indicates that the telling of the types of tales to which the speaker refers

• is not something we do
• would take a great deal of time
• is something only children do
• would not take a great deal of time

The first two sentences of paragraph 2 (lines 16–29) indicate

• a continuation of the ideas expressed in paragraph 1
• a change in focus from the ideas in paragraph 1
• a comparison of ideas with those enumerated in paragraph 1
• a direct contrast to the ideas expressed in paragraph 1

The organization of ideas in lines 28–29, “I have seen young girls…value to itself” is best described as

• a historical example followed by specific examples
• a generalization followed by a conclusion
• the speaker’s reflection on her girlhood
• a movement from the particular to the general