English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Close Reading 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When an author uses a rhetorical question in a persuasive essay, the primary effect is to:
- Provide a direct answer the reader must memorize
- Engage readers and prompt them to consider the author's implied point (Correct answer)
- Introduce a counterargument that the author will refute
- Signal a transition between two unrelated ideas
Correct answer: Engage readers and prompt them to consider the author's implied point
Rhetorical questions invite reader engagement and guide the audience toward the author's intended conclusion without explicitly stating it.
Question 2: In close reading, 'diction' refers specifically to:
- The grammatical structure of sentences
- The author's choice of individual words and their connotations (Correct answer)
- The overall organization of a passage
- The use of figurative language such as metaphor
Correct answer: The author's choice of individual words and their connotations
Diction encompasses word choice and the connotative weight each word carries, shaping tone and meaning.
Question 3: A passage shifts from second-person ('you') to first-person plural ('we'). What is the most likely rhetorical effect?
- The shift creates distance between author and audience
- The shift moves from direct address to a sense of shared community and collective responsibility (Correct answer)
- The shift indicates the author is quoting another source
- The shift signals that the argument has been abandoned
Correct answer: The shift moves from direct address to a sense of shared community and collective responsibility
Moving from 'you' to 'we' builds solidarity, positioning the author alongside the reader rather than speaking at them.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'anaphora' as a close reading term?
- A single word that summarizes a long passage
- The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (Correct answer)
- A sudden shift from serious to humorous tone
- A reference to a well-known historical event
Correct answer: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Anaphora is a figure of repetition in which the same word(s) open consecutive phrases or clauses, creating emphasis and rhythm.
Question 5: When analyzing a passage for logical appeals (logos), a reader should look for:
- Emotionally charged language designed to elicit sympathy
- Data, statistics, logical reasoning, and evidence-based arguments (Correct answer)
- Personal stories that establish the author's credibility
- Figurative comparisons that make abstract ideas concrete
Correct answer: Data, statistics, logical reasoning, and evidence-based arguments
Logos relies on reason, facts, and structured argument rather than emotion or character to persuade.
Question 6: An author describes a factory as 'a rusted skeleton gasping for breath.' This is an example of:
- Synecdoche
- Personification combined with metaphor (Correct answer)
- Understatement
- Parallelism
Correct answer: Personification combined with metaphor
Calling the factory a 'skeleton' is metaphor, and attributing 'gasping for breath' to an inanimate building is personification.
Question 7: In close reading, a passage's 'syntax' most directly affects:
- The theme or central idea of the text
- The rhythm, emphasis, and relationship between ideas through sentence structure (Correct answer)
- The author's personal background and credibility
- The specific vocabulary level required of the reader
Correct answer: The rhythm, emphasis, and relationship between ideas through sentence structure
Syntax—how sentences are constructed and arranged—controls pacing, emphasis, and the logical connections between clauses.
