AP Lang 2020 Practice Exam 3 MCQ

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 4 that develops the narrative in the second paragraph in a way that makes the audience feel the impact of the loss of the Gros Michel banana. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this goal?

A. This delicious and productive banana was also grown from cuttings until a fungus called fusarium wilt devastated Gros Michel trees.

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. In the final sentence ("But what . . . stand"), the author indicates the relationship between the "two age-old American concepts" by employing

D. coordination to suggest a balance between the two concepts

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In context, the second sentence of the fourth paragraph ("I walk with a limp") serves which of the following functions?

E. It elaborates on a term to avoid a potential misunderstanding.

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the third paragraph and the first two paragraphs?

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to ensure that the language used in sentence 9 (reproduced below) maintains the tone used in the rest of the passage. Gorscak's team knew they had found a new species thanks to the weird tail bones, as well as specific neck and chest bones. Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?

E. distinctive

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. In the second sentence of the second paragraph ("In his first . . . independence"), the author includes the material set off by dashes primarily to

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

The passage below is a draft. In sentence 12 (reproduced below), the writer wants to offer a contrasting perspective to the idea presented in the first part of the sentence. While tiny houses are more energy efficient than larger buildings, the average size of a house—and the associated energy consumption—varies considerably from one country to another. Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?

D. they are less environmentally friendly than dense housing, such as apartment complexes, in which heat, power, water, and sewage systems are shared among many residents

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. Which of the following best describes the author's exigence in the passage?

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add a sentence before sentence 1 to introduce the main topic of the passage. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

C. The Cavendish banana, the most widely available type of banana in the world, is prized by consumers and producers in part because of its predictability.

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In the fifth paragraph, the author's use of quotation marks primarily serves to

C. convey a sense of skepticism about an idea that is described

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. The third sentence of the first paragraph ("The continent . . . alone") advances the author's purpose by presenting characteristics and features that

B. help define the idea presented in the previous sentence

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to avoid giving the impression of bias against any point of view in the passage. To accomplish this goal, which of the following phrases from the passage should the writer change?

A. "fanatical tiny house proponents" (sentence 2)

The passage below is a draft. In sentence 9 (reproduced below), the writer wants to make a claim that rebuts the claim made in sentence 8 and that sets up the rest of the paragraph. But decisions about what bananas to grow depend on what consumers will buy. Which of the following versions of sentence 9 best accomplishes this goal?

A. (As it is now)

The passage below is a draft. In sentence 11 (reproduced below), the writer wants to use punctuation or formatting features to ensure that the meaning of the sentence is clear. Another touted benefit of tiny homes is that they are a "greener" housing alternative, but again the reality is more complicated. Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?

A. (as it is now)

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In the context of the passage as a whole, the fourteenth and fifteenth paragraphs do which of the following?

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

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. Which of the following best describes the function of the first sentence ("A country . . . a problem") ?

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer is considering deleting the underlined portion of sentence 1 (reproduced below), adjusting punctuation as necessary. Popularized by movies and TV shows such as Tiny House Nation, the tiny house movement advocates for more people to live in small homes—typically measuring less than 500 square feet at a time when the average new home in the United States is 2,600 square feet—that efficiently use their limited space. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined portion of sentence 1 ?

A. Keep it, because it provides information that helps define a key concept in the passage.

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. In the opening sentence, the author assumes which of the following about his audience?

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

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In the eleventh through seventeenth paragraphs, the author advances her argument primarily by presenting

A. a series of comparisons between herself and the athletes she admires

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. In the last two sentences of the fifth paragraph, the author presents Walt Whitman as a figure who

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add a transition to the beginning of sentence 2 (reproduced below), adjusting the capitalization and punctuation as needed, to show the relationship between sentences 1 and 2. The uniformity of the Cavendish banana makes it uniquely vulnerable to disease. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

B. However

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to avoid expressing the argument of the passage in absolute terms. Which of the following changes should the writer make in order to achieve this goal?

B. In sentence 2, changing "have undoubtedly uncovered the" to "may have uncovered a"

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. 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) ?

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add an introductory sentence to the passage that orients the audience by providing contextual information. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this goal?

B. Titanosaurs, the group of dinosaurs notable for their behemoth size, small heads, and long necks and tails, once plodded over every continent on Earth during the Cretaceous, the last period of dinosaurs before their extinction.

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add a thesis statement after sentence 2 that accurately represents the main argument of the passage. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

B. To ensure that bananas survive for years to come, producers and consumers need to diversify the types of bananas they grow and eat.

The passage below is a draft. In sentence 8 (reproduced below), the writer wants to provide evidence to clarify the previous sentence's point about what advocates fail to consider. In many areas, purchasing or renting land for a tiny home requires compliance with local building codes. Which of the following versions of the underlined text would best accomplish this goal?

B. costs more than the home itself

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In the twenty-first paragraph, the author's use of the phrase "that isn't really a miracle" advances her overarching purpose primarily by

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to combine sentences 9 and 10 (reproduced below) into a single sentence to make the passage clearer and more concise. And many cities do not welcome tiny homes. In some cases, tiny homes do not meet zoning regulations; in others, residents fear tiny homes will decrease property values of neighboring houses. Which of the following versions of the underlined text in these sentences most effectively accomplishes this goal?

B. homes, either because they do not meet zoning regulations or because

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. The author most likely chose to begin her argument by describing the "recurring daydream" (paragraphs 1-3) in order to

B. immediately direct attention to her mental world and perceptions

The passage below is a draft. The writer is considering changing sentence 4 (reproduced below) so that it clearly articulates the passage's overarching claim. By studying this new dinosaur, paleontologists believe they can determine the precise function of its mysteriously heart-shaped tail bones. Which of the following versions of the underlined portion of sentence 4 best supports this goal?

B. solve the mystery of how titanosaurs became so widespread during the Cretaceous period

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the second paragraph. In fact, so prolonged was the process that even though paleontologists first discovered M. moyowamkia bones in 2004, it took 15 years to fully excavate them, piece them together, and analyze the results. Which of the following choices is the most logical place to insert this sentence in the paragraph?

D. Before sentence 9

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. 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?

C. He rebuts it by offering a counterexample.

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to add a concluding sentence after sentence 13 that brings the argument of the passage to a logical conclusion. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this goal?

C. The goals of the tiny house movement would be better served by promoting dense housing.

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. Which of the following best describes the relationship of the second and third paragraphs to the first paragraph?

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

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. Throughout the passage, the author presents evidence to support which of the following overarching claims?

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

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. In the sixth sentence of the fifth paragraph ("We may . . . do so"), the author places quotation marks around the phrase "bowl alone" primarily to

C. attribute the phrase to another author

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In context, the first sentence of the eighteenth paragraph ("For Lena . . . unassisted") serves primarily to

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer is considering changing the underlined portion of sentence 14 (reproduced below) so that it is consistent with the writer's perspective on titanosaurs in the passage. And while titanosaurs were one of the most domineering groups during the age of dinosaurs, says Gorscak, "their early evolutionary history remains obscure, and Mnyamawamtuka helps reveal those beginnings." Which of the following versions of the underlined portion of sentence 14 best accomplishes this goal?

C. prevalent

The following passage is an excerpt from a book published by a political journalist in 2008. The author introduces "another view" (paragraph 5, sentence 1) primarily to develop a contrast between Americans'

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

The passage below is a draft. The writer is considering adding the following sentence after sentence 15. It should be noted, of course, that Gorscak and his team found approximately 45 percent of the M. moyowamkia skeleton and unfortunately did not recover the skull. Should the writer make this addition after sentence 15 ?

D. No, because it undermines the unity of the passage's conclusion by adding a detail that does not add to the discussion of the find's importance.

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In discussing an expectation in the nineteenth paragraph, the author uses the phrases "better than the best" and "superhuman strength" primarily to convey

D. belief that the expectation reflects unrealistic demands

The following passage is excerpted from an essay published in 2016. In context, the author's references to her "breath" (paragraph 12) and her "smile" (paragraph 15) serve to

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

The passage below is a draft. In order to best support the line of reasoning in the second paragraph (sentences 4-10), the writer is considering deleting sentence 6 (reproduced below). According to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, the total value of housing in the United States is $27.2 trillion. Should the writer keep or delete sentence 6 ?

E. Delete it, because it adds information that is not relevant to the line of reasoning in the second paragraph.

The passage below is a draft. The writer wants to combine sentences 5 and 6 (reproduced below) to reduce redundancy and ensure precision of meaning. The announcement in February 2019 created a great buzz in both the scientific community and the general public. This excitement was in part because of a unique feature: the titanosaur's heart-shaped tail bones. Which of the following changes to the underlined portion of sentences 5 and 6 best accomplishes this goal?

E. public, in part because of a unique feature

The passage below is a draft. In the underlined portion of sentence 3 (reproduced below), the writer wants to use a neutral tone when describing the growing practices used to cultivate Cavendish banana trees. Growing only one breed of a crop is a common way for farmers to maximize output and other desirable qualities, but the Cavendish banana is terribly lacking in diversity because its trees are grown not from seeds but from cuttings of existing trees. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

E. unusually