AP Literature and Composition

Reminder:

The attitude of narrators, characters, or speakers toward an idea, character, or situation emerges from their perspective and may be referred to as tone.

In context, the question in line 5 (“Why write . . . ever the same”) conveys the speaker’s

• apparent self-reproach for using poetic diction he has used before

• ambition to earn fame by being in the vanguard of poetic movements

• yearning for a wider range of themes in order to develop his poetic skill

• reluctant acknowledgement that he is no longer as prolific as he once was

• disgust with his inability to write in a more polished, conventional poetic form

Reminder:

Interpretation of a metaphor may depend on the context of its use; that is, what is happening in a text may determine what is transferred in the comparison.

In lines 5-8 (“Why write . . . proceed?”), the speaker most clearly implies that his poems

• have largely been published anonymously

• are notable for their imaginative use of nature imagery

• explore themes that are timeless and universal

• have changed very gradually over the years

• are easily recognizable as his because of their literary features

Reminder:

An antecedent is a word, phrase, or clause that precedes its referent. Referents may include pronouns, nouns, phrases, or clauses.

“Their” and “they” (line 8) refer to which of the following?

• “methods” (line 4)

• “invention” (line 6)

• “noted weed” (line 6)

• “every word” (line 7)

• “my name” (line 7)

Reminder:

Closed forms of poetry include predictable patterns in the structure of lines, stanzas, meter, and rhyme, which develop relationships among ideas in the poem.

The questions in the first eight lines of the poem primarily serve to

• express genuine concern about a loss of poetic skill

• illustrate a generalization about the ephemeral nature of romantic love

• express frustration with the demands of conventional poetry

• lament the use of artifice in most poetic writing

• set up an assertion about the nature of the poet’s love

Reminder:

Characters’ choices--in speech, action, and inaction--reveal what they value.

Line 10 (“And you . . . argument”) identifies which of the following about the speaker?

• The abiding theme of his personal and literary focus

• The jealousy he feels as a result of his devotion to his beloved

• The degree to which his love is requited

• His determination to convince others of his sentiments

• His tendency to question the depth and sincerity of his own feelings

Reminder:

An image can be literal or it can be a form of comparison that represents something in a text through associations with the senses.

The image presented in line 11 (“So all . . . new”) most significantly implies the speaker’s

• skill in presenting the same thoughts in numerous poems

• conviction that poetry is defined more by technique than substance

• ongoing concern that he has not found a successful medium

• sense of being stifled by idioms that appear redundant

• celebration of the most traditional poetic forms

Reminder:

In a metaphor, as in a simile, the thing being compared is the main subject; the thing to which it is being compared is the comparison subject.

In line 12, the speaker compares the expression of romantic love to

• political diplomacy

• financial transactions

• legal negotiations

• an athletic competition

• a spiritual awakening

Reminder:

Closed forms of poetry include predictable patterns in the structure of lines, stanzas, meter, and rhyme, which develop relationships among ideas in the poem.

The poem’s final two lines do which of the following?

• Reinforce the mood established in the opening lines

• Compare the speaker’s beloved to a natural phenomenon

• Undercut the argument of the poem by pointing out a logical inconsistency

• Present a simile that resolves a contradiction described in the preceding lines

• Interrupt a regular metric pattern to indicate a change in subject matter

Reminder:

The attitude of narrators, characters, or speakers toward an idea, character, or situation emerges from their perspective and may be referred to as tone.

The overall tone of the poem is best described as

• angry and combative

• purposeful and heartfelt

• whimsical and nonchalant

• apprehensive and ambivalent

• subdued and melancholic

Reminder:

A text’s structure affects readers’ reactions and expectations by presenting the relationships among the ideas of the text via their relative positions and their placement within the text as a whole.

Which of the following characterizes the development of the poem as a whole?

• The speaker acknowledges a weakness in his writing, only to turn this weakness into a means of affirming his devotion to his beloved.

• The speaker flaunts his familiarity with a rich array of literary resources, only to assert that none of them can do justice to his beloved.

• The speaker laments a flaw in his character, then seeks to gain his beloved’s sympathy by emphasizing his wretchedness.

• The speaker asserts his indifference to literary fashions, then argues that his independence of mind makes him a more faithful lover.

• The speaker expresses doubts about his poetic talents, then reassures himself by recalling the steadfast devotion of his beloved.