AP Language and Composition Mock Exam 1

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡?

The second and third paragraphs develop a line of reasoning to support the first paragraph's claim about self-reliance in America.

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐚 . . . 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝") 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨

connect the author's insights about her professional life to her broader experiences as a person with cerebral palsy

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ("𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 . . . 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝"), 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐠𝐞-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬" 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠

coordination to suggest a balance between the two concepts

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 "𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞" 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲

emphasizing that elite black women athletes achieve success through talent and hard work

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 "𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡" (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝟏𝟐) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 "𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞" (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝟏𝟓) 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨

illustrate how her sense of solidarity with the gymnasts is unconstrained by physical differences

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 "𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰" (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝟓, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟏) 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬'

resistance toward government-controlled wealth redistribution versus their openness to participate in voluntary wealth redistribution

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𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Amplify the significance of a comparison by making, then qualifying, an absolute claim

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐩") 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?

It elaborates on a term to avoid a potential misunderstanding.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 2008.) A country founded on the principle of individual freedom—"life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"1—has both a gift and a problem. "No man is an island," the English poet John Donne wrote in the seventeenth century, but in the late eighteenth century, at least in America, you very nearly could be, at least physically. The continent was so immense, the forests so thick, and the land so fertile, that a man could literally live alone. Strictly speaking, if survival was all that mattered, he did not even need a market to sell to. He had everything he needed in the woods, streams, and fields. This was how Americans saw themselves, or claimed to see themselves. In his first Farewell Address—the one in 1783, when he resigned his commission as commander in chief of the continental army—General George Washington envisioned his disbanded troops heading out to the "extensive and fertile Regions of the West," which would "yield a most happy Asylum to those, who, fond of domestic enjoyment are seeking for personal independence." This independence was not only geographical, it was psychological, spiritual, political—and legal. With the colonial grants wiped away by revolution, new American landowners could buy and hold land in "fee simple," just the way the highest-ranking feudal lords had done at the top of Old World society. Every man was his own lord and vassal. He could make whatever money he could, and keep most of it as his own. There would be taxes in the New World, but they were not "direct." Indeed, for the first century of its existence, Washington derived the bulk of its revenue from global trade—from import tariffs and duties—and from sales of federal land. The spirit of economic individualism was always with us, and by the middle of the nineteenth century it had become a kind of secular religion in the world of business, even when the aim of big business was to snuff out the very entrepreneurialism that nurtured commerce to begin with. In 1886, at the height of the first Gilded Age, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the Southern Pacific Railroad—and, by extension, all profit-making corporations—were entitled to be viewed as individual persons in the eyes of the law. We were the first country in the world to view them that way, but it made sense: Individualism was Us, even if Us was a corporate leviathan. Americans have never fully accepted the idea that tax tables should be designed, and revenues disbursed, in a way that makes government the redistributor of wealth and guarantor of income. "Fairness" is one thing, redistribution another. There was another view—a counterpoint—and much of our history is about the struggle of communal thinking to gain sway in the economic life of America. The question has never been whether Americans would pitch in to help each other—but rather the extent to which government could require them to do so. Observers from Tocqueville onward have commented on our willingness, even eagerness, to join voluntary associations, from civic groups to teaching circles. Americans give more to charity per capita than citizens of any other country. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett2 established the wealthiest charitable foundation in history. We may "bowl alone" more often these days, as author Robert Putnam gloomily puts it in his metaphor for anomie,3 but we also worry about the fact that we do so. Walt Whitman,4 our bard of brotherhood, saw no conflict between his own credo of the individual and his love of all mankind. "[W]hoever walks a furlong without sympathy," he wrote in "Song of Myself," "walks to his own funeral drest in a shroud." But what is the government's role in reconciling two age-old American concepts: "There's no such thing as a free lunch" and "united we stand"? 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ("𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 . . . 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦") ?

It makes a claim that the passage goes on to defend.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬?

The third paragraph broadens a concept introduced and described in the first two paragraphs.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞?

They are familiar with the phrase "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐦 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 "'𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞' 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧" (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 𝟓, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟔) ?

They both acknowledge the validity of the claim, but the author views this development with less despair than does Putnam.

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬?

While representation is important, role models can be highly valuable to people who are not identical to them.

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

a series of comparisons between herself and the athletes she admires

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 "𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭" 𝐚𝐧𝐝 "𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡" 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐲

belief that the expectation reflects unrealistic demands

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨

convey a sense of skepticism about an idea that is described

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨

embodies the complex relationship between individualistic and communal thinking in American culture

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 . . . 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞") 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭

help define the idea presented in the previous sentence

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 . . . 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞"), 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨

identify the specific occasion on which George Washington delivered his first Farewell Address

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦" (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝟏-𝟑) 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨

immediately direct attention to her mental world and perceptions

𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡 (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 2016.) When I was younger, I used to have the same recurring daydream in gym class. If we were playing softball, I would dream I hit the ball and sprinted to home plate because I deserve to be there, not because my classmates let me slide—like the puck that glided past the goalie and into the net. I won the game, and everything faded away as a single tear rolled down my cheek—the way athletes cry after a championship win in the movies. Me, midrun, a smile on my face, because I couldn't believe I was quickly moving. I have a milder form of cerebral palsy. I walk with a limp. I had given up on the idea of running after surgeries on the right side of my body left me too afraid to relearn how to run. These reveries left me waiting for a "special talent," which I assumed all disabled kids had, to make up for their disability. I'm a terrible singer, so I figured I'd find a hidden gift in a sport we played in physical education class. I never did, and I yearn for representation of people of color with disabilities in sports. So until the work that disabled black women do is recognized, I will continue to champion and celebrate the able-bodied black women. I cried when I learned that Misty Copeland would be American Ballet's first black female principal dancer. My weeping was not because I had dreams of being a ballet dancer—although I would twirl from the kitchen table to the fridge in my socks, convinced I could pirouette with the best of ballerinas. I was emotional because ballet, at its core, is both raw and feminine, two things that black women are often not allowed to be. Then come gymnasts Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. Not only did they help secure a team gold medal, but Biles is the new Olympic all-around champion and is leaving Rio with five medals. At 24, I'm older than they are, but I feel a sense of pride when I see them swinging on uneven bars or sticking dismounts on vaults. I hold my breath with them as they await their scores and cheer when I feel they received the ones they deserved. The Olympics are the ultimate dream. Our bodies are in no way identical, and we are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Though I've been told that the way my smile spreads across my face during moments of triumph is similar to Gabby's and Simone's happy grins. They all have dealt with criticism, from some people saying Gabby isn't patriotic, to a dance instructor telling a 13-year-old Copeland she was too old to be a ballerina. I haven't had the same amount of vitriol thrown at me, but I was told by a teacher in high school that I would never make it as a successful journalist. I've had my writing abilities questioned and racist comments sent to me frequently online. Like them, I feel I have persevered. For Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's Lenny Letter,3 I wrote about one of my biggest triumphs so far, putting my hair up into a ponytail, unassisted. This might not be a medaling event at the Olympics, but it made me feel as proud and as wonderful as I imagine Misty, Laurie, Gabby and Simone feel with each of their completed goals. There is an expectation for black women in sports to be better than the best, show no emotion and maintain a level of superhuman strength. When Copeland steps out on the stage next month at the Opera de Paris to star in "The Sleeping Beauty," I hope she reminds herself of all the work she's put in to get there. Simply seeing all of these women succeed in their fields is something akin to witnessing a miracle that isn't really a miracle but rather a result of fate putting the world in the right order. Representation matters, and even as I live in a disabled body that was never lucky enough to be good at any sport, when I see these women in commercials and on TV screens, I am reminded of all of the things I can achieve with hard work and talent. These athletes prove that every black body is beautiful, even the ones that don't look like theirs. © ESPN. Reprinted courtesy of ESPN.com 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞?

A spate of high-profile athletic achievements that she finds inspiring

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧 . . . 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲"), 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

He rebuts it by offering a counterexample.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡 ("𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 . . . 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨"), 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 "𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞" 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨

attribute the phrase to another author