English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Metaphor and Simile 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which passage uses a simile to convey the speaker's emotional state?
- 'I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills.' (Correct answer)
- 'The fog comes on little cat feet.'
- 'Time is money, so spend it wisely.'
- 'The world is a stage and we are merely players.'
Correct answer: 'I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills.'
Wordsworth's line uses 'as' to compare the speaker's lonely wandering to a drifting cloud, expressing emotional isolation.
Question 2: A 'mixed metaphor' is considered a stylistic flaw because it:
- Combines two incompatible images that undermine each other's logic. (Correct answer)
- Uses too many similes in a single sentence.
- Compares animate objects to inanimate ones.
- Relies on archaic language the audience cannot understand.
Correct answer: Combines two incompatible images that undermine each other's logic.
A mixed metaphor blends two unrelated comparisons whose images clash, creating confusion rather than clarity.
Question 3: How does Martin Luther King Jr.'s use of 'the chains of discrimination' function in persuasive rhetoric?
- It concretizes an abstract injustice, making oppression feel physically real to the audience. (Correct answer)
- It provides legal evidence for civil rights violations.
- It references historical documents about slavery for context.
- It uses personification to give discrimination human qualities.
Correct answer: It concretizes an abstract injustice, making oppression feel physically real to the audience.
The metaphor of chains makes the abstract concept of discrimination tangible, generating emotional resonance in the audience.
Question 4: Which statement best describes the term 'vehicle' in the analysis of a metaphor?
- The image or concept used to describe the subject of the comparison. (Correct answer)
- The literal subject being compared to something else.
- The grammatical connector between two compared terms.
- The emotional response the metaphor produces in a reader.
Correct answer: The image or concept used to describe the subject of the comparison.
In metaphor analysis, the 'vehicle' is the image or concept (e.g., 'chain') used to illuminate the 'tenor,' or subject (e.g., 'discrimination').
Question 5: In the sentence 'Her argument crumbled under scrutiny,' the metaphor implies the argument was:
- Structurally weak and unable to withstand challenge. (Correct answer)
- Presented loudly and without evidence.
- Borrowed from another speaker's speech.
- Perfectly logical but too complex to follow.
Correct answer: Structurally weak and unable to withstand challenge.
Comparing an argument to something that crumbles implies it lacked structural integrity and collapsed when challenged.
Question 6: Which sentence uses a simile to create a negative connotation?
- His apology rang hollow, like a promise made in an empty room. (Correct answer)
- She danced with the grace of a gazelle.
- The sunrise was like a painting by a master.
- The child's laughter was like bells on a clear morning.
Correct answer: His apology rang hollow, like a promise made in an empty room.
Comparing the apology to a promise in an empty room suggests insincerity and lack of genuine commitment through a negative simile.
Question 7: When analyzing figurative language on the AP exam, a student should always connect the metaphor to the author's:
- Rhetorical purpose and the effect on the intended audience. (Correct answer)
- Biography and personal experiences with the subject.
- Use of correct grammar and sentence structure.
- Adherence to a specific literary genre or form.
Correct answer: Rhetorical purpose and the effect on the intended audience.
AP rubrics reward analysis that connects figurative language to the author's purpose and its effect on the audience, not just identification.
English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Metaphor and Simile 3
Which passage uses a simile to convey the speaker's emotional state?