AP® English Literature and Composition
Multiple-Choice Questions

Passage 1

To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath
From some far forest which I once have known,
The perfume of this flower of verse is blown.
Tho’ seemingly soul-blossoms faint to death,
Naught that with joy she bears e’er withereth.
So, tho’ the pregnant years have come and flown,
Lives come and gone and altered like mine own,
This poem comes to me a shibboleth*:
Brings sound of past communings to my ear,
Turns round the tide of time and bears me back
Along an old and long untraversed way;
Makes me forget this is a later year,
Makes me tread o’er a reminiscent track,
Half sad, half glad, to one forgotten day!

MCQ Example 1

Lines 1-5 (“To…withereth”) function primarily to

1. exaggerate the unremarkable nature of the occasion
2. narrate an anecdote from an earlier time
3. establish the audience and point of view of the poem
4. include an aside by the poem’s speaker
5. create a vivid image in the poem

Correct Answer: E

A typical MCQ on the AP Lit exam asks you to look at specific lines in the passage or poem and choose the answer that describes what the lines do. For these kinds of questions, it is helpful to consider how the indicated lines fit into the entire text.

Passage 2

To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath
From some far forest which I once have known,
The perfume of this flower of verse is blown.
Tho’ seemingly soul-blossoms faint to death,
Naught that with joy she bears e’er withereth.
So, tho’ the pregnant years have come and flown,
Lives come and gone and altered like mine own,
This poem comes to me a shibboleth*:
Brings sound of past communings to my ear,
Turns round the tide of time and bears me back
Along an old and long untraversed way;
Makes me forget this is a later year,
Makes me tread o’er a reminiscent track,
Half sad, half glad, to one forgotten day!

MCQ Example 2

The word “breath” (line 1) most clearly serves to evoke

1. words spoken quietly into the night
2. a faint scent lingering in the air
3. a peace that words cannot convey
4. a memory that diminishes little by little
5. echoes of familiar voices

Correct Answer: B

Another common MCQ on the AP Lit exam asks about the effect of a single word. You must consider the entire sentence that the word is in to identify the correct answer.

Passage 3

To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath
From some far forest which I once have known,
The perfume of this flower of verse is blown.
Tho’ seemingly soul-blossoms faint to death,
Naught that with joy she bears e’er withereth.
So, tho’ the pregnant years have come and flown,
Lives come and gone and altered like mine own,
This poem comes to me a shibboleth*:
Brings sound of past communings to my ear,
Turns round the tide of time and bears me back
Along an old and long untraversed way;
Makes me forget this is a later year,
Makes me tread o’er a reminiscent track,
Half sad, half glad, to one forgotten day!

MCQ Example 3

In line 5, the speaker says that

1. nothing that produces joy ever dies
2. any poem that undermines joy will perish
3. no other poem captures the essence of joy
4. only he suffers diminishing joy
5. nature expresses its joy in flowers

Correct Answer: A

Sometimes an AP Lit MCQ asks you to choose the best restatement or summary of the lines. Practice putting difficult sentences into your own words in order to improve your chances of getting these kinds of questions right.

Passage 4

Madame Ratignolle laid her hand over that of Mrs. Pontellier, which was near her.  Seeing that the hand was not withdrawn, she clasped it firmly and warmly.  She even stroked it a little, fondly, with the other hand, murmuring in an undertone, “Pauvre Cherie¹.”

The action was at first a little confusing to Edna, but she soon lent herself readily to the Creole’s² gentle caress.  She was not accustomed to an outward and spoken expression of affection, either in herself or in others.  She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit.  Her older sister, Margaret, was matronly and dignified, probably from having assumed matronly and housewifely responsibilities too early in life, their mother having died when they were quite young.  Margaret was not effusive; she was practical.  Edna had had an occasional girl friend, but whether accidentally or not, they seemed to have been all of one type—the self-contained.  She never realized that the reserve of her own character had much, perhaps everything, to do with this.  Her most intimate friend at school had been one of rather exceptional intellectual gifts, who wrote fine-sounding essays, which Edna admired and strove to imitate; and with her she talked and glowed over the English classics, and sometimes held religious and political controversies.

Edna often wondered at one propensity which sometimes had inwardly disturbed her without causing any outward show or manifestation on her part.  At a very early age—perhaps it was when she traversed the ocean of waving grass—she remembered that she had been passionately enamored of a dignified and sad-eyed cavalry officer who visited her father in Kentucky.  She could not leave his presence when he was there, nor remove her eyes from his face, which was something like Napoleon’s, with a lock of black hair failing across the forehead.  But the cavalry officer melted imperceptibly out of her existence.

At another time her affections were deeply engaged by a young gentleman who visited a lady on a neighboring plantation.  It was after they went to Mississippi to live.  The young man was engaged to be married to the young lady, and they sometimes called upon Margaret, driving over of afternoons in a buggy.  Edna was a little miss, just merging into her teens; and the realization that she herself was nothing, nothing, nothing to the engaged young man was a bitter affliction to her.  But he, too, went the way of dreams.

She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate.  It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses.  The persistence of the infatuation lent it an aspect of genuineness.  The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion.

The picture of the tragedian stood enframed upon her desk.  Any one may possess the portrait of a tragedian without exciting suspicion or comment.  (This was a sinister reflection which she cherished.)  In the presence of others she expressed admiration for his exalted gifts, as she handed the photograph around and dwelt upon the fidelity of the likeness.  When alone she sometimes picked it up and kissed the cold glass passionately.

Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate.  It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him.  He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with an earnestness and an ardor which left nothing to be desired.  He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her.  She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken.  Add to this the violent opposition of her father and her sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier for her husband.

The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the tragedian, was not for her in this world.  As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.

But it was not long before the tragedian had gone to join the cavalry officer and the engaged young man and a few others; and Edna found herself face to face with the realities.  She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution.

MCQ Example 4

Mrs. Pontellier’s feelings are communicated primarily through which technique of third person narration?

1. Actions by Mrs. Pontellier illustrating her discontent
2. Explicit statements made by other characters
3. Observations by the narrator about her history
4. Reactions of Mrs. Pontellier to her husband’s insensitivity
5. Descriptions of how the characters contribute to Mrs. Pontellier’s melancholy

Correct Answer: C

Multiple-Choice questions about prose fiction passages typically ask about characters and setting. It is important that you consider how characters and settings are described so that you recognize what the details in the passage reveal about them.

Passage 5

Madame Ratignolle laid her hand over that of Mrs. Pontellier, which was near her. Seeing that the hand was not withdrawn, she clasped it firmly and warmly. She even stroked it a little, fondly, with the other hand, murmuring in an undertone, “Pauvre Cherie¹.”

The action was at first a little confusing to Edna, but she soon lent herself readily to the Creole’s² gentle caress. She was not accustomed to an outward and spoken expression of affection, either in herself or in others. She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit. Her older sister, Margaret, was matronly and dignified, probably from having assumed matronly and housewifely responsibilities too early in life, their mother having died when they were quite young. Margaret was not effusive; she was practical. Edna had had an occasional girl friend, but whether accidentally or not, they seemed to have been all of one type—the self-contained. She never realized that the reserve of her own character had much, perhaps everything, to do with this. Her most intimate friend at school had been one of rather exceptional intellectual gifts, who wrote fine-sounding essays, which Edna admired and strove to imitate; and with her she talked and glowed over the English classics, and sometimes held religious and political controversies.

Edna often wondered at one propensity which sometimes had inwardly disturbed her without causing any outward show or manifestation on her part. At a very early age—perhaps it was when she traversed the ocean of waving grass—she remembered that she had been passionately enamored of a dignified and sad-eyed cavalry officer who visited her father in Kentucky. She could not leave his presence when he was there, nor remove her eyes from his face, which was something like Napoleon’s, with a lock of black hair failing across the forehead. But the cavalry officer melted imperceptibly out of her existence.

At another time her affections were deeply engaged by a young gentleman who visited a lady on a neighboring plantation. It was after they went to Mississippi to live. The young man was engaged to be married to the young lady, and they sometimes called upon Margaret, driving over of afternoons in a buggy. Edna was a little miss, just merging into her teens; and the realization that she herself was nothing, nothing, nothing to the engaged young man was a bitter affliction to her. But he, too, went the way of dreams.

She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate. It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses. The persistence of the infatuation lent it an aspect of genuineness. The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion.

The picture of the tragedian stood enframed upon her desk. Any one may possess the portrait of a tragedian without exciting suspicion or comment. (This was a sinister reflection which she cherished.) In the presence of others she expressed admiration for his exalted gifts, as she handed the photograph around and dwelt upon the fidelity of the likeness. When alone she sometimes picked it up and kissed the cold glass passionately.

Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him. He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with an earnestness and an ardor which left nothing to be desired. He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken. Add to this the violent opposition of her father and her sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier for her husband.

The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the tragedian, was not for her in this world. As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.

But it was not long before the tragedian had gone to join the cavalry officer and the engaged young man and a few others; and Edna found herself face to face with the realities. She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution.

MCQ Example 5

The presentation of events suggests that the narrator likely intends for a reader to react to the passage with

1. shock at the maltreatment of Mrs. Pontellier
2. pity for Mrs. Pontellier’s circumstances
3. admiration for Mr. Pontellier’s devotion
4. concern for Mrs. Pontellier’s welfare
5. hope for the future of the Pontellier’s marriage

Correct Answer: B

An AP Lit MCQ often asks what effect the narrator hopes to have on the reader. Instead of thinking about how the passage makes you feel, look at the connotations of the words and consider the tone of the passage to determine if the overall presentation is positive or negative. That strategy can help you eliminate choices that don’t match the overall effect.