AP English Language + Composition - MCQ

In the fourth and fifth paragraphs, the author defends her decision to marry George Bush by elaborating on A. the need to pursue a sense of personal bliss. B. the importance of prioritizing family over career. C. her willingness to overlook her husband's dark humor. D. the similarities between her husband and a fictional character. E. her husband's commitment to public service.

A. the need to pursue a sense of personal bliss. The author frames this section of her speech around the hope that "many [in the audience] will consider making three very special choices;" in the fourth paragraph, she introduces the second choice with the idea that "life really must have joy." In the fifth paragraph she explains that she chose to marry George because doing so has helped her find "the joy in life": she highlights her husband's capacity to make her laugh and emphasizes "that shared laughter has been one of our strongest bonds." She presents this as a strength of their marriage and an example of why it is important for everyone to make choices that bring them a deep sense of joy.

In the second-to-last paragraph, the anecdote about the complaining husband serves primarily to A. provide an example of how women should motivate their partners to take on more childcare responsibilities. B. illustrate the author's claim regarding the value of devoting oneself to one's children. C. reinforce the author's recommendation that women develop friendships outside the family. D. encourage her audience to choose partners who will support their ambitions. E. establish a contrast between the friend's dedication to her family and her husband's focus on his career.

B. illustrate the author's claim regarding the value of devoting oneself to one's children. The author concludes the passage by asserting that: "one thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children. And you must hug your children. And you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house." In context, therefore, the anecdote about the complaining husband reinforces the importance the author attaches to cherishing "human connections," particularly those within the immediate family ("what happens inside your house"). In the story, the wife's remonstrations offer a critique of the general tendency to view childcare as a chore ("babysitting"); instead, the author suggests that caring for "your own kids" should be viewed as an opportunity to make one of "the most important investments you will ever make."

The writer wants to provide relevant support for the claim made in sentences 12 and 13. Which of the following sentences, if added after sentence 13, would most effectively accomplish this goal? A. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's National Tidal Centre, there has been an average sea level rise of 7.3 millimeters a year around low-lying islands like Kiribati in the past few decades. B. A professor of biology at Old Dominion University, Kent Carpenter, notes that poaching of giant clams does more damage to marine ecosystems than island building does. C. Marine biologists contend that the urban sprawl spreading into the oceans inevitably causes havoc for marine organisms and their habitats. D. The government of South Korea expected to have 300,000 residents in the utopian smart city built on the artificial island of Songdo. E. Environmental scientists at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, have noted that those building artificial islands can use techniques like silt curtains to help minimize the environmental impact of these projects.

C. Marine biologists contend that the urban sprawl spreading into the oceans inevitably causes havoc for marine organisms and their habitats. This sentence introduces the opinion of marine biologists that the urban sprawl of artificial islands does damage to marine organisms and their habitats. This expert opinion supports the claim made in sentences 12 and 13 that not everybody believes artificial islands are the best solution to contemporary problems. It also links to the evidence later in the paragraph, which details the damage artificial islands can do to marine ecosystems.

In the second paragraph, the author makes which of the following claims regarding the Class of 1990 ? A. They will lead more balanced lives after leaving Wellesley. B. They will lead successful lives because of the quality of their education. C. They are unlikely to follow conventional paths in life. D. They are unlikely to change their opinions. E. They are unlikely to pursue careers in the visual arts.

C. They are unlikely to follow conventional paths in life. The author tells the Class of 1990 that they "need not, probably cannot, live a 'paint-by-numbers' [formulaic or conventional] life" because they "have a first class education from a first class school." She uses this as an opportunity to offer her audience advice on how to approach the unconventional lives they should look forward to by asking them to "consider making three very special choices": to "believe in something larger than yourself," to find "the joy in life," and to "cherish your human connections."

In the opening sentences of the passage ("Now I know . . . color of my hair!"), the author refers to Alice Walker primarily to A. impress her audience with the breadth of her literary knowledge. B. flaunt her access to privileged information about the planning of the commencement ceremony. C. congratulate her audience for inviting her instead of a lesser-known speaker. D. acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech. E. suggest that she pays more attention to her personal appearance than do other celebrities.

D. acknowledge the potentially embarrassing circumstances under which she is delivering her speech. In the opening sentences the author acknowledges that for many in the audience their "first choice today was Alice Walker," gesturing to the controversy surrounding her delivery of the commencement speech at Wellesley. Such circumstances are potentially embarrassing for Bush and her audience: at least some members of the audience may be hostile toward Bush, and everyone is aware of the allegation that she earned the honor of speaking not by virtue of her own merits but through her husband's office. Bush, however, does not appear daunted by these rhetorical stakes. Instead of avoiding the controversy leading up to her speech, she candidly acknowledges this sensitive topic. She demonstrates her magnanimity by commending Walker's achievements and engages in self-deprecating wordplay by saying that she, by contrast, is "known for the color of [her] hair." Diffusing any hostility that the students may harbor toward her, these lines help Bush win over her audience with her candor and wit.

(The following passage is excerpted from a commencement speech delivered by then First Lady Barbara Bush at Wellesley College in 1990.)

Now I know your first choice today was Alice Walker—guess how I know!—known for The Color Purple.1 Instead you got me—known for the color of my hair!2 Alice Walker's book has a special resonance here. At Wellesley, each class is known by a special color. For four years the Class of '90 has worn the color purple. Today you meet on Severance Green to say goodbye to all of that, to begin a new and very personal journey, to search for your own true colors. In the world that awaits you, beyond the shores of Lake Waban, no one can say what your true colors will be. But this I do know: You have a first class education from a first class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live a "paint-by-numbers" life. Decisions are not irrevocable. Choices do come back. And as you set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices. The first is to believe in something larger than yourself, to get involved in some of the big ideas of our time. I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write, and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society. And early on I made another choice which I hope you'll make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career, or service, you're talking about life—and life really must have joy. It's supposed to be fun! One of the reasons I made the most important decision of my life, to marry George Bush,3 is because he made me laugh. It's true, sometimes we've laughed through our tears. But that shared laughter has been one of our strongest bonds. Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller4 said on his day off, "Life moves pretty fast; and ya don't stop and look around once in a while, ya gonna miss it!" (I am not going to tell George ya clapped more for Ferris than ya clapped for George.) The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with family and friends. For several years, you've had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. And, of course, that's true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader will be, you are a human being first. And those human connections—with spouses, with children, with friends—are the most important investments you will ever make. At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent. We are in a transitional period right now, fascinating and exhilarating times, learning to adjust to changes and the choices we, men and women, are facing. As an example, I remember what a friend said, on hearing her husband complain to his buddies that he had to babysit. Quickly setting him straight, my friend told her husband that when it's your own kids, it's not called babysitting. Now, maybe we should adjust faster; maybe we should adjust slower. But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children. And you must hug your children. And you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.

(The passage below is a draft.)

(1) Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places on Earth: people crowd into tiny living spaces, some with only a bed, a hot plate, and a toilet. (2) The city is made up of more than 200 islands, and there is no more available land to house its people. (3) To solve this land shortage problem, officials have proposed a radical solution: creating a whole new island. (4) The East Lantau Metropolis would be built on land reclaimed from the sea and would house 1.1 million people. (5) A different problem faces the people of Kiribati—a nation in the central Pacific Ocean made up of 33 islands (most of which are less than twenty feet above sea level). (6) Because of rising sea levels, some inhabitants have already had to abandon their homes. (7) New islands will have to be built to ensure a safe future for its citizens, because science indicates that Kiribati will go underwater within the century. (8) Artificial islands have been seen as solutions for a number of problems in recent decades. (9) The city of Dubai has been constructing a luxurious palm-tree-shaped series of islands to house hotels. (10) Osaka, Japan, built an island off its coast to relieve its overcrowded airport. (11) The Maldives, Malaysia, and Seoul have all built or have plans to build artificial islands to expand their territory. (12) So, is building artificial islands a good solution for modern-day challenges? (13) Not everyone thinks so. (14) Constructing artificial islands destroys the coral reefs that nourish fisheries and protect the coastline from the impact of waves; it also destabilizes precious coastal ecosystems. (15) Building on unstable dredged sediments also endangers human inhabitants, especially in areas prone to earthquakes.

In sentence 7 (reproduced below), the writer wants to add the phrase "According to the country's president," to the beginning of the sentence, adjusting capitalization as needed. New islands will have to be built to ensure a safe future for its citizens, because science indicates that Kiribati will go underwater within the century. Should the writer make this addition? A. Yes, because it acknowledges the source of the information conveyed in the sentence. B. Yes, because it provides an additional perspective to set up a counterargument. C. Yes, because it introduces a key figure in the development of the passage's narrative. D. No, because it introduces new evidence that requires an adjustment to the paragraph's line of reasoning. E. No, because it fails to consider the rhetorical situation set up in the first paragraph.

A. Yes, because it acknowledges the source of the information conveyed in the sentence. By adding the phrase, the writer correctly acknowledges the source of the summarized information, which has been syntactically embedded in the writer's ideas. For that reason, the writer should make the addition to the sentence.

In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with A. cautioning her audience against repeating past mistakes. B. enumerating the most pressing social issues facing women today. C. offering her audience advice for the future. D. garnering political support for her husband. E. identifying the most important skills for adapting in uncertain times.

C. offering her audience advice for the future. At the end of the second paragraph, the author states her hope that "many of you will consider making three very special choices." She goes on to elaborate that these choices include "believ[ing] in something larger than yourself," finding "the joy in life," and "cherish[ing] your human connections." In the passage, the author explains why each of these choices will enrich the future lives of her audience after they graduate from Wellesley.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence after sentence 6: These inhabitants should leave their homes because they have been destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable from flooding. Should the writer add this sentence after sentence 6 ? A. Yes, because it describes the writer's exigence for writing the passage. B. Yes, because it expresses the main claim of the paragraph. C. Yes, because it defines a potentially unfamiliar term used in sentence 6. D. No, because it fails to clarify the writer's purpose in creating the text. E. No, because it makes an ineffective claim that does not require a defense.

E. No, because it makes an ineffective claim that does not require a defense. The statement that inhabitants of Kiribati have had to abandon their homes in the face of rising sea levels implies that those homes were destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable. Because the proposed sentence attempts to claim something that is true in any flooding circumstances, there is little argument to be made and no need for defense.

Which of the following best describes the author's exigence in the passage? A. The tension between the author's worldview and the worldview developed by Alice Walker in The Color Purple (paragraph 1, sentence 1). B. The pressure on the author to "get involved in some of the big ideas of our time" (paragraph 3, sentence 1). C. Growing indifference toward "the problems that plague our nation and our society" (paragraph 3, sentence 2). D. The fact that the audience "clapped more for Ferris" than they did at the mention of President Bush (paragraph 6, sentence 1). E. The question of how to lead a meaningful life "in a transitional period" (paragraph 9, sentence 1).

E. The question of how to lead a meaningful life "in a transitional period" (paragraph 9, sentence 1). The exigence is the part of a rhetorical situation that inspires, provokes, or prompts a writer or speaker to create a text. Since the occasion of her speech is a commencement ceremony, the author is expected, on the broadest level, to offer the graduating class some words of wisdom on an issue that is relevant to them. In the passage, the author makes it clear that the three choices she asks the audience to consider all address the larger question of how to lead a meaningful life "in a transitional period"—a question that one might assume is of great relevance to an audience of graduating seniors. She seeks to convince the audience that they will succeed as individuals and citizens if they "believe in something larger than [themselves]," "[f]ind the joy in life," and "cherish [their] human connections."