AP English Language + Composition - MCQ

(The following passage is excerpted from an essay by a twentieth-century American author.)

In France, on a rented canal boat, my friends and I gazed in despair at the closed oaken gates of the lock. We'd come to them only seconds after the witching hour of noon, but we were too late. There was no one to open the lock for us; l'éclusière1 was at lunch, and after lunch she would lay herself down, close her eyes, and nap. At two, but not before, she would emerge refreshed from her square granite house and set the great cogs in motion. We tied the boat up to a spindly bush beside the towpath and waited. And waited. It was high haying season, but the fields lay empty of farmers. The roads lay empty of trucks. France lunched, and then slept. So did Spain. So did much of the civilized world. If we'd been differently nurtured we too would have taken a nap, but we were Americans, condemned from the age of four to trudge through our sleepless days. Americans are afraid of naps. Napping is too luxurious, too sybaritic,2 too unproductive, and it's free; pleasures for which we don't pay make us anxious. Besides, it seems to be a natural inclination. Those who get paid to investigate such things have proved that people deprived of daylight and their wristwatches, with no notion of whether it was night or day, sink blissfully asleep in midafternoon as regular as clocks. Fighting off natural inclinations is a major Puritan3 virtue, and nothing that feels that good can be respectable. They may have a point there. Certainly the process of falling asleep in the afternoon is quite different from bedtime sleep. Whether this is physiological or merely a by-product of guilt, it's a blatantly sensual experience, a voluptuous surrender, akin to the euphoric swoon of the heroine in a vampire movie. For the self-controlled, it's frightening—how far down am I falling? will I ever climb back? The sleep itself has a different texture. It's blacker, thicker, more intense, and works faster. Fifteen minutes later the napper pops back to the surface as from time travel, bewildered to find that it's only ten of two instead of centuries later. Like skydiving, napping takes practice; the first few tries are scary. The American nap is even scarier because it's unilateral. Sleeping Frenchmen are surrounded by sleeping compatriots, but Americans who lie down by day stiffen with the thought of the busy world rushing past. There we lie, visible and vulnerable on our day lit bed, ready to cut the strings and sink into the dark, swirling, almost sexual currents of the impending doze, but what will happen in our absence? Our stocks will fall; our employees will mutiny and seize the helm; our clients will tiptoe away to competitors. Even the housewife, taking advantage of the afternoon lull, knows at the deepest level of consciousness that the phone is about to ring. And of course, for those of us with proper jobs, there's the problem of finding a bed. Some corporations, in their concern for their employees' health and fitness, provide gym rooms where we can commit strenuous exercise at lunchtime, but where are our beds? In Japan, the productivity wonder of the industrialized world, properly run companies maintain a nap room wherein the workers may refresh themselves. Even in America, rumor has it, the costly CEOs of giant corporations work sequestered in private suites, guarded by watchpersons, mainly so they can curl up unseen to sharpen their predatory powers with a quick snooze. A couple of recent presidents famous for their all-night energies kept up the pace by means of naps. Other presidents, less famous for energy, slept by day and night; woe to the unwary footstep that wakened Coolidge4 in the afternoon. This leaves the rest of us lackeys bolt upright, toughing it out, trying to focus on the computer screen, from time to time snatching our chins up off our collarbones and glancing furtively around to see if we were noticed. The modern office isn't designed for privacy, and most of our cubicles have no doors to close, only gaps in the portable partitions. Lay our heads down on the desk at the appropriate hour and we're exposed to any passing snitch who strolls the halls enforcing alertness. It's a wonder they don't walk around ringing bells and blowing trumpets from one till three. American employers do not see the afternoon forty winks as refreshing the creative wellsprings of mere employees. They see it as goofing off. Apparently most of us agree. Large numbers of us are, for one reason or another, home-bound, but do we indulge in the restorative nap? Mostly not.

In the first sentence of the passage, the clause set off by dashes ("she adopted . . . sell") serves primarily to explain A. Rowling's reversal of gender stereotypes in her writings B. the origins of Rowling's pen name C. the economic hardships faced by Rowling's family D. why Rowling did not expect her novels to be financially successful E. why Rowling was drawn to writing young adult fiction

B. the origins of Rowling's pen name The very first sentence of the passage refers to J.K. Rowling as "Jo Rowling"—which is not the usual way of referring to the best-selling author. The clause set off by dashes interrupts the first sentence to address this discrepancy, explaining that Jo Rowling chose to publish under her now-famous initials to circumvent (get around) gender biases in the publishing industry.

(The following passage is excerpted from an article published in 2011.)

Jo Rowling—she adopted "J.K." on the publishing truism that women authors did not sell—was born in 1965 and was raised in modest, rural comfort. When Ms. Rowling was 15, her mother was diagnosed with degenerative multiple sclerosis; she died, age 45, in December 1990. On a train to London from Manchester earlier that year, Ms. Rowling conceived a series of novels based on a boy wizard. She briefly went to teach English in Portugal, where she contracted a brief marriage, returning penniless with her child to study in Edinburgh. The sickness and death of the author's mother are pivotal to her creation. From the opening page of the first book, the reader engages with Harry's child's-eye view of a world ruled by imbeciles and malefactors. Harry Potter is an orphan, alone in a world of mediocrities known as "Muggles," who do not appreciate his special gifts. Boarding a train to Scotland at platform 9¾ of Kings Cross Station, London, he finds acceptance as a wizard, magically empowered but under mortal threat from mysterious enemies. Harry is a Dickensian archetype,1 a child of cruelty who inspires in us an urge to make a better world. Alongside Oliver Twist, he is the most celebrated orphan in world literature. Oliver is altogether too perfect, untouched by the evil around him. Harry, more credibly, wrestles with forces of darkness and commands our sympathies. Like Dickens, Ms. Rowling gives some of her secondary characters onomatopoeic names, informing us before we read another word what kind of person they are. Just as Scrooge, Mr. Bumble, Magwitch and Fagin reflect negative traits in Dickens's world, so do Severus Snape, Quirrell and Filch in that of Harry Potter. Ms. Rowling goes beyond Dickens in imprinting evil into a person's name. Voldemort means flight of death in French, Malfoy is bad faith. In common with Dickens, Ms. Rowling knows that the reading public will not be insulted by situations that it can recognize. In Hogwarts, she nods to the classic genre of the English school story, established by "Tom Brown's Schooldays" in 1857. Yet she also draws deep on a well of Nordic mythology, plumbed by J.R.R. Tolkien in "The Lord of the Rings" and by Richard Wagner in his Nibelungen tetralogy.2 Hagrid, Hedwig and Hogsmeade could readily appear in any of these epics. The force of the Harry Potter cycle lies, as with Wagner, not so much in the originality of its subject matter as in the execution of a panoptic3 vision across a great span of time. Dickens, writing week to week, never harbored such grandiose ambition. The closest any other author gets, at this level, to creating and sustaining a fantasy/reality world is Mark Twain in the Tom Sawyer novels, of which four were successfully published during his lifetime. Tom is supposed to be 11 or 12 years old when the cycle begins, a year or so older than Harry, and Twain employs him as a paradigm of lost American innocence, a nostalgic tweak at his mostly adult readership. Harry represents no other time or place. He is what he is: an English boy who is sent off to boarding school, where, from friends and teachers, he discovers both his own nature as a wizard and the hair-raising hazards that he may face at any time. It is here that Ms. Rowling achieves the double-whammy of getting child readers to emote with a central character who is outwardly like them, inwardly not, empowered by wizardry yet otherwise ordinary. Tom's magic is pure mischief, fooling another kid to whitewash his aunt's fence. Harry's is existential. He pretends at normality, knowing he can shed it at will to frustrate the forces of evil. Harry, nevertheless, arouses greater empathy because he seems to be a child liberated from the control of dull, distracted adults, rejecting his soulless environment. No sensitive child would want to grow up to be Harry's Muggle relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of No. 4 Privet Drive. Harry Potter allows children of the suburbs to loathe their Little Boxes,4 to fly a nebulous broom, play non-televisable sports and aspire to a life out of the ordinary. Whether read in Seattle, Sarajevo or Soweto, Harry gives children a license to judge the adult world—and find it wanting. How Harry Saved Reading by Norman Lebrecht (Copyright © Norman Lebrecht, 2011) Reproduced by permission of A M Heath & Co. Ltd. Authors' Agents

(The following passage is excerpted from an op-ed published by a Colombian American actor in 2014.)

My parents came here from Colombia during a time of great instability there. Escaping a dire economic situation at home, they moved to New Jersey, where they had friends and family, seeking a better life, and then moved to Boston after I was born. Throughout my childhood I watched my parents try to become legal but to no avail. They lost their money to people they believed to be attorneys, but who ultimately never helped. That meant my childhood was haunted by the fear that they would be deported. If I didn't see anyone when I walked in the door after school, I panicked. And then one day, my fears were realized. I came home from school to an empty house. Lights were on and dinner had been started, but my family wasn't there. Neighbors broke the news that my parents had been taken away by immigration officers, and just like that, my stable family life was over. Not a single person at any level of government took any note of me. No one checked to see if I had a place to live or food to eat, and at 14, I found myself basically on my own. While awaiting deportation proceedings, my parents remained in detention near Boston, so I could visit them. They would have liked to fight deportation, but without a lawyer, and with an immigration system that rarely gives judges the discretion to allow families to stay together, they never had a chance. Finally, they agreed for me to continue my education at Boston Arts Academy, a performing arts high school, and the parents of friends graciously took me in. I was lucky to have good friends, but I had a rocky existence. I was always insecure about being a nuisance and losing my invitation to stay. I worked a variety of jobs in retail and at coffee shops all through high school. And, though I was surrounded by people who cared about me, part of me ached with every accomplishment, because my parents weren't there to share my joy. My family and I worked hard to keep our relationships strong, but too-short phone calls and the annual summer visits I made to Colombia didn't suffice. They missed many important events in my life, including my singing recitals—they watched my senior recital on a tape I sent them instead of from the audience. And they missed my prom, my college application process and my graduations from high school and college. My story is all too common. Every day, children who are U.S. citizens are separated from their families as a result of immigration policies that need fixing. I consider myself lucky because things turned out better for me than for most, including some of my own family members. When my brother was deported, his daughter was just a toddler. She still had her mother, but in a single-parent household, she faced a lot of challenges. My niece made the wrong friends and bad choices. Today, she is serving time in jail, living the reality that I act out on screen.* I don't believe her life would have turned out this way if her father and my parents had been here to guide and support her. I realize the issues are complicated. But it's not just in the interest of immigrants to fix the system: It's in the interest of all Americans. Children who grow up separated from their families often end up in foster care, or worse, in the juvenile justice system despite having parents who love them and would like to be able to care for them. I don't believe it reflects our values as a country to separate children and parents in this way. Nor does it reflect our values to hold people in detention without access to good legal representation or a fair shot in a court of law. President Obama has promised to act on providing deportation relief for families across the country, and I would urge him to do so quickly. Keeping families together is a core American value. Congress needs to provide a permanent, fair legislative solution, but in the meantime families are being destroyed every day, and the president should do everything in his power to provide the broadest relief possible now. Not one more family should be separated by deportation. From "My Parents Were Deported" by Diane Guerrero (Copyright © Diane Guerrero, 2014). Reprinted by kind permission of the author.

In the passage, the author presents a narrative of her parents' deportation in order to A. imply that her audience would find it difficult to imagine her predicament B. contrast her perspective as a child with her adult understanding of an issue C. illustrate her point that existing immigration policy is broken D. express regret over decisions she made subsequent to that experience E. clarify why the actions taken against her parents were unlawful

C. illustrate her point that existing immigration policy is broken In recounting her family's experience, the author repeatedly connects the problems they faced to aspects of the existing immigration system. She notes, for instance, that her parents were scammed while trying to obtain legal status, that the government did not check on her when her parents were taken, and that judges did not have the discretion to let her family stay together. In this way, the author presents her family's difficulties as evidence to illustrate why existing policies need to be changed.

In order to strengthen her argument, the author references which of the following contemporary circumstances? A. Legislation that has recently been passed by Congress B. The backlog of cases for immigration hearings C. Significant changes in the number of immigrants to the United States D. An unfulfilled pledge by a political leader E. Widespread abuses in the criminal justice system

D. An unfulfilled pledge by a political leader The author situates her text within a particular political context by making the following statement about a political leader: "President Obama has promised to act on providing deportation relief for families across the country, and I would urge him to do so quickly." Therefore, the contemporary circumstance that she refers to is an unfulfilled pledge by a political leader.

In the eighth paragraph, the author's statement that "My story is all too common" serves which of the following purposes? A. It shows that the author was luckier than most adolescents in her situation. B. It summarizes an experience that was previously depicted through anecdotes. C. It anticipates an objection about the legality of her parents' deportation. D. It asserts the relevance of her personal experience within a wider political debate. E. It concedes that the author's opinions about deportation were shaped by her own experiences.

D. It asserts the relevance of her personal experience within a wider political debate. After the statement "My story was all too common," the author shifts from her personal story to a broader claim that "Every day, children who are U.S. citizens are separated from their families as a result of immigration policies that need fixing." The statement thus provides commentary on the narrative elements earlier in the passage, presenting the author's personal story as evidence for her claim that deportation policies need reform.

Which of the following statements most directly expresses the author's thesis in the passage? A. "Americans are afraid of naps." (paragraph 3) B. "Napping is too luxurious." (paragraph 4, sentence 1) C. "[Napping] seems to be a natural inclination." (paragraph 4, sentence 2) D. "Fighting off natural inclinations is a major Puritan virtue." (paragraph 4, sentence 4) E. "[T]he process of falling asleep in the afternoon is quite different from bedtime sleep." (paragraph 5, sentence 2)

A. "Americans are afraid of naps." (paragraph 3) This thesis statement concludes the third paragraph, and the remainder of the passage is devoted to supporting it. Although brief, this thesis statement contains two very specific word choices that preview the author's line of reasoning. First, the author specifies that it is "Americans" who fear naps; this implies that she will continue to contrast Americans' attitudes with those found in other countries. Secondly, the author chooses to use the word "afraid." This suggests that the author will argue that Americans' attitudes towards naps are irrational rather than based on sound reasoning; she does this both by pointing out the benefits of naps and by playfully discussing the qualities of napping that make Americans uneasy with the practice.

In the ninth paragraph, the author relates the story of her niece ("When my . . . support her") primarily to A. express regret for the author's failure to support her family B. cite a factor that inspired her to take on a particular screen role C. identify one aspect of her family's situation that is atypical D. urge the government to increase financial support for single-parent households E. illustrate the negative effects of family fragmentation on children

E. illustrate the negative effects of family fragmentation on children The author concludes the story about her niece by stating that her niece's situation could have been different if her brother and parents had been there to offer support. Thus, her niece's experience serves to show the negative effects of family fragmentation on children, thereby advancing the author's purpose of advocating for the reform of deportation policies.

In sentence 15 (reproduced below), which version of the underlined text produces a logical comparison between Hale and Roulstone in the controversy surrounding "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? Whereas Hale was a widowed mother of five, Roulstone was a ten-year-old boy who never published anything. A. (as it is now) B. was a prolific author who wrote both novels and poems C. successfully petitioned for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday D. never knew of Roulstone until Sawyer claimed he was the author of the poem E. delivered a moral message at the end of the poem about being kind to animals

B. was a prolific author who wrote both novels and poems This version presents a category of comparison: Hale's and Roulstone's experience in writing. It then examines the differences between the two to make the point that Hale had more experience in writing and publishing than Roulstone did.

The writer wants to avoid expressing the argument of the passage in absolute terms. Which of the following changes should the writer make? A. In sentence 2, deleting "according to popular lore" and adjusting the punctuation as needed B. In sentence 4, adding "almost" before "everywhere" C. In sentence 5, changing "purported" to "talented" D. In sentence 10, deleting "which she no longer possessed, incidentally" and adjusting the punctuation as needed E. In sentence 16, changing "impossible" to "improbable"

E. In sentence 16, changing "impossible" to "improbable" Stating that it is "impossible" that Hale could have heard Roulstone's poem is making a claim in absolute terms, which the writer wants to avoid doing. Therefore, changing "impossible" to "improbable" makes the sentence a more effective argument.

Which of the following best describes the author's exigence in the passage? A. The increasing number of people seeking asylum in the United States B. The impact of government policies on undocumented immigrant families C. The lack of positive role models for children of undocumented immigrants D. Widespread ignorance of the poor quality of legal representation available to undocumented immigrants E. The author's desire to acknowledge her parents' efforts to support her despite their immigration status

B. The impact of government policies on undocumented immigrant families The author's exigence in the passage is apparent in the story she provides about her parents' deportation, which is then linked to other stories about the impact of government immigration policies on families. These stories highlight the impact of government policies on undocumented immigrant families.

Which of the following best describes the function of the first paragraph? A. It previews the author's line of reasoning by listing the main points of the argument. B. It engages the audience's sympathies by suggesting parallels between Rowling and her fictional hero. C. It contextualizes the argument by explaining the challenges that Rowling faced as a woman author. D. It enhances the author's credibility by relating a little known anecdote about Rowling's early interest in fantasy fiction. E. It captures the audience's attention by presenting an imaginary scenario about how Rowling created Harry Potter.

B. It engages the audience's sympathies by suggesting parallels between Rowling and her fictional hero. The first paragraph invites the audience to empathize with Rowling by presenting a brief biographical sketch that highlights similarities between Rowling's experiences and those of Harry Potter, her orphaned boy wizard. In this paragraph, the author draws attention to Rowling's mother's illness and premature death, asserting that "[t]he sickness and death of the author's mother are pivotal to her creation."

The writer wants to support the line of reasoning in the fifth paragraph (sentences 13-16) with a comment that reflects the complexity of the historical narrative in the passage's earlier paragraphs. Which version of the underlined text in sentence 14 (reproduced below) most effectively accomplishes this goal? However, the Sawyer homestead burned to the ground in 2007. A. (as it is now) B. Sawyer first made the claim at a fund-raiser, where she sold strands of wool from her pet lamb C. 60 years after her lamb's visit inspired Roulstone to write a poem, it is likely Sawyer conflated Roulstone's poem with Hale's D. Roulstone was visiting Sawyer's school that day and returned later to give her the poem E. Sawyer sincerely believed she was the Mary of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" until her death in 1889

C. 60 years after her lamb's visit inspired Roulstone to write a poem, it is likely Sawyer conflated Roulstone's poem with Hale's This version proposes the idea that Sawyer got the two poems mixed up 60 years after her incident at school, which supports the line of reasoning of the fifth paragraph and reflects the complex historical details provided earlier in the passage. Thus, this version avoids an oversimplification that reveals a lack of understanding of the passage's argument.

(The following is excerpted from a draft about "Mary's Lamb.")

(1) A statue of a lamb in Sterling, Massachusetts, commemorates the city as the birthplace of the famous nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." (2) The statue's placard attributes the poem to John Roulstone, who, according to popular lore, wrote it circa 1816 after witnessing a girl named Mary Sawyer bring her lamb to school. (3) When the teacher discovered the lamb, she sent it outside. (4) Although embarrassed by this incident, Sawyer had fond memories of caring for the orphaned lamb, who indeed followed her everywhere. (5) This charming story has long been accepted as the origin of the poem, with Roulstone as the purported author. (6) However, strong evidence indicates that this event did not inspire the poem and that the author was in fact Sarah Josepha Hale, not Roulstone. (7) Hale was an accomplished author and editor who, in 1830, first published "Mary's Lamb" in a book of children's poems. (8) Later publications of the poem also credited it to Hale. (9) Set to music in 1831 and retitled "Mary Had a Little Lamb," the poem became widely popular. (10) When Sawyer heard the poem, she assumed it was based on Roulstone's verses—which she no longer possessed, incidentally—and in 1876 claimed she was the Mary of the poem and Roulstone was the author. (11) Hale denied Sawyer's claims. (12) While no one has ever found a copy of Roulstone's poem, many people, including members of the New England Historical Society, have nevertheless accepted the theory that Hale added three stanzas to Roulstone's original poem, which is childlike in style. (13) Scholars believe Sawyer's account of the lamb following her to school and Roulstone writing a poem about it. (14) However, the Sawyer homestead burned to the ground in 2007. (15) Whereas Hale was a widowed mother of five, Roulstone was a ten-year-old boy who never published anything. (16) It is impossible that Hale, who lived 90 miles away, could have heard Roulstone's poem and plagiarized it fourteen years later in "Mary's Lamb." (17) Furthermore, in rural communities, farmers commonly gave orphaned lambs to their children to bottle feed. (18) The lambs would follow their human "parents" everywhere—even to school—until grown.

In the tenth paragraph, the author appeals twice to "our values" in order to A. claim that her family's experiences run counter to shared national ideals B. dispel doubts surrounding her own status as an American citizen C. suggest that her audience's values might differ from those of her parents D. distinguish between groups who have adopted similar values for different reasons E. show that two sets of values are more similar than they might appear to be

A. claim that her family's experiences run counter to shared national ideals When the author repeats the phrase "our values," she is arguing that her family's experience of enforced separation does not reflect "our values as a country"; nor is it reflective of United States values to "hold people in detention without access to good legal representation." The author's choice to repeat the phrase emphasizes that these are national values she and her audience share and that her family's experiences run counter to them. By choosing to appeal to national ideals, the author takes advantage of one aspect of her rhetorical situation (an audience with historically established values) to advance her argument's purpose: the reform of national deportation policies.

In the passage as a whole, the author recounts her and her family's experiences to support the thesis that A. improving the immigration system would benefit the entire country B. the complicated nature of the immigration system makes immigrants vulnerable to scams C. immigrants with strong family connections are more likely to succeed than those without them D. the education system can help provide the support that children of immigrants require E. the foster care system is underprepared for the needs of immigrant families

A. improving the immigration system would benefit the entire country The author recounts her family's story to illustrate a variety of ways in which deportation negatively affects not only those who are directly affected by deportation but also society as a whole, which must deal with the costs and consequences of children being separated from their family. She presents all these details in support of her overarching claim that Congress and the president must reform immigration policy for the benefit of the country overall.

In the first sentence of the sixth paragraph, the author describes her "rocky existence" during high school in order to A. support the claim that her parents' absence affected her during her adolescence B. show how her experiences were typical of teens in the United States C. highlight the hospitality offered to her by the parents of her friends D. suggest that her high school was not sufficiently supportive of students in her situation E. balance a discussion of her high school triumphs with an acknowledgement of her challenges

A. support the claim that her parents' absence affected her during her adolescence When the author refers to her "rocky existence," she suggests that although she had good friends, she faced a number of challenges. At the end of the paragraph, she arrives at the conclusion that "part of [her] ached with every accomplishment, because [her] parents weren't there to share [her] joy." Therefore, the author mentions a "rocky existence" to provide evidence that supports the claim that her parents' absence affected her during her adolescence.

The author sets off the passage's final phrase with an em dash primarily to A. express doubt about the phrase B. heighten the impact of the phrase C. highlight the ambiguity of the phrase D. separate a judgment from a statement of fact E. rephrase a previous conclusion

B. heighten the impact of the phrase In the clause before the em dash, the author suggests that Harry Potter allows children across the world to judge (form an evaluation of) the adult world. The final phrase effectively delivers this judgment by specifying its nature: based on the author's description of the distracted, soulless adult world, it is no surprise that children are likely to find it wanting (deficient). The use of the em dash in this context heightens the impact of the final phrase by creating a dramatic pause before the delivery of the anticipated judgment. By making this strategic rhetorical choice, the author brings the argument to a unified end by emphasizing what has been implied throughout (i.e., children's negative impression of the adult world).

In sentence 6 (reproduced below), the writer is considering deleting the underlined text. However, strong evidence indicates that this event did not inspire the poem and that the author was in fact Sarah Josepha Hale, not Roulstone. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text? A. Keep it, because it indicates why the story of Roulstone's composition is described as "charming" in sentence 5. B. Keep it, because it deepens the discussion in the passage by leading the reader to consider different ways a poem may be inspired. C. Keep it, because it previews the way the rest of the passage will support the thesis about Hale's authorship with evidence. D. Delete it, because it contains unimportant information that distracts from the statement of the thesis. E. Delete it, because it contradicts the discussion of Roulstone's childhood in the first paragraph.

C. Keep it, because it previews the way the rest of the passage will support the thesis about Hale's authorship with evidence. The writer should keep the underlined portion of the sentence because, as a thesis statement, it previews the line of reasoning of the passage. With the underlined text included, the writer makes it clear that the rest of the passage will provide strong evidence to support Hale's authorship of the poem and discredit the idea that Sawyer inspired the poem.

The author introduces her essay by relating an anecdote from her vacation in France (paragraphs 1 and 2) primarily to A. praise the widespread custom of European napping B. confirm her audience's suspicion that napping is inefficient C. offer advice to Americans traveling in rural France D. establish a cultural comparison for her argument about napping E. explain the daily routine of a French lockkeeper

D. establish a cultural comparison for her argument about napping In the introduction to her essay, the author recounts an anecdote that illustrates the French habit of napping, which "much of the civilized world" shares. In the third paragraph, she explicitly contrasts the French with herself and her friends who "were Americans, condemned . . . to trudge through our sleepless days," beginning her larger discussion of Americans' attitudes to napping. In this way, she establishes a point of comparison between the two cultures and uses it as the basis for developing her thesis about Americans' fear of napping.

In the context of the final paragraph, the author uses phrases such as "dull, distracted adults" and "soulless environment" primarily to A. explain why adults may be less perceptive readers of Rowling's books than children are B. respond to the objection that Rowling often misrepresents the adult world C. urge his audience to devote more time to reading children's literature D. remind his audience of the very different perspective that children might have of the adult world E. suggest that his audience might be projecting their own dissatisfaction with the adult world onto Rowling's work

D. remind his audience of the very different perspective that children might have of the adult world The author strategically chooses the phrases "dull, distracted adults" and "soulless environment" to evoke the negative view of the adult world that children might have. These phrases suggest that children might see the adult world as something to be liberated from rather than as something aspirational. Thus, the author's choice of words shapes the audience's perception of him as someone who is able to separate himself from an adult's perspective and assume a child's-eye view of the world. His words remind the author's adult audience that children might have a very different perspective of the flawed world to which adults have become habituated—and, to some extent, desensitized.

In the third paragraph, which of the following best describes the author's perspective regarding orphan characters such as Harry Potter and Oliver Twist? A. While orphan characters share many literary influences, they ultimately owe their distinctive identities to their respective creators. B. Regardless of the different worlds inhabited by orphan characters, they are often equally popular with readers. C. Despite the unusual challenges faced by many orphan characters, they typically overcome them. D. Whereas many orphan characters have ideal qualities, modern readers no longer admire such perfection. E. Although orphan characters share a marginal social status, they may not be equally complex.

E. Although orphan characters share a marginal social status, they may not be equally complex. In these lines, the author offers a complex perspective on orphan characters that complicates the argument he is developing about Rowling's characterization of Harry Potter. Although he aligns Harry with another famous literary orphan (Oliver Twist) and notes that such characters often succeed in engaging readers' emotions by virtue of their marginal (disempowered) social status, he goes on to set up a contrast between the two: Oliver is "too perfect, untouched by the evil around him," while Harry "wrestles with forces of darkness" within his own personality. In addition to choosing contrasting vocabulary to describe the two fictional orphans, the author's stylistic choices signal that he regards Harry as being more complex than Oliver: Dickens's portrayal of Oliver is "too" perfect, whereas Rowling "more credibly" gives Harry a darker side, making him a more engaging character for readers.

In the second paragraph, the sentences "Throughout my childhood . . . never helped" primarily serve to appeal to the audience's A. sense of compassion: these lines show that undocumented immigrants are overwhelmed by having to appear before judges without legal representation B. faith in legal professionals: these lines show that proper representation in court would have helped the author's family to legalize their immigration status C. sense of charity toward others: these lines show that the author's family lacked the financial means to work within the legal system D. trust in justice: these lines show that more regulation of immigration attorneys is necessary to make the system fair E. respect for the rule of law: these lines show that the author's parents made a genuine effort to legally navigate a burdensome immigration process

E. respect for the rule of law: these lines show that the author's parents made a genuine effort to legally navigate a burdensome immigration process In these sentences, the author describes the obstacles her family faced in their attempts to become legal, including being deceived by attorneys. Thus, the author uses her family as an example when expressing the claim that navigating the immigration process legally can be particularly burdensome for undocumented families in order to appeal to her audience's respect for the law.