Multiple-Choice Stems from the AP Literature Exam

Due on March 15th. Write 4 questions on each of the poems that you were responsible for in the poetry packet. Your name should be written on the back of the handouts. Make sure that you copy your poems to the handout (include line numbers—every 5 lines works) author, and title of poem. Multiple choice selections should follow each of the poems. Provide two copies. One, I will copy for your peers, the other, I will grade.

Typical Multiple-Choice Stems from the AP Literature Exam 1. The passage focuses primarily on 2. The first two paragraphs suggest that (meaning) 3. In lines ___ - ___ “line is quoted” is an example of (literary term) 4. In the second paragraph (line ___ - ___), the narrator characterizes X as 5. Why does X react as he does in lines ___ - ___ (plot/meaning) 6. In context, the phrase “____” suggests 7. The writer uses the term “______” to 8. The capitalization of X and Y and Z suggests that these terms (syntax) 9. The narrator suggests that (X’s actions) are characterized by 10. In lines ___ - ___, the phrase in parentheses implies that 11. The narrator suggests that minor characters are characterized by 12. Lines ___ - ___ characterizes the poem’s subject as 13. In Line X, (specific word) refers to 14. In context, the repetition of the “M” sound in Line X is suggestive of 15. Which of the following is true of the rhyme scheme in the first stanza 16. In Line X, the word ______most likely refers to 17. In context, “______” in Line X is best understood to mean 18. The poems three stanzas suggest 19. The poem is notable for its sustained use of (literary devices) 20. The speaker presents (meaning) 21. The antecedent of “it” in Line X is 22. The most persistent effect of the passage’s content and style is to convey a sense of 23. Which of the following is most similar to XXX (lines ___ - ___) as a device that 24. The poem is best described as (poetic term) 25. The tone of the statement in Line X is best characterized as

Terms and Tips for MC Questions. Almost always questions on:

Antecedent Point of view Tone Speaker/narrator Meaning Setting Purpose Plot (exposition, conflict, climax, and denouement) Characterization

Poetic and literary terms o Allusion o Ballad o Alliteration o Imagery o Sonnet o Epigram o Euphemism o Ode o Internal rhyme o Apostrophe o Sestina o Satire o Assonance o Symbol o Irony o Hyperbole o Foil o Elegy o Personification o Modernist o Diction o Pastoral o Connotation/denotation o Structure/organization o Iambic meter o Selection of detail o Metaphor o Consonance o Oxy moron o Eulogy o Sylvan Multiple-Choice Facts 1. Answers usually fall into the following format:

a. one answer is wrong

b. one answer is opposite

c. one answer is nearly correct

d. one answer is correct

2. Types of Questions: Answering Multiple-Choice Poetry Questions

a. questions on dramatic situation

b. questions on structure

c. questions on theme

d. questions on grammar and meaning of words

e. questions on images and figurative language

f. questions on diction

g. questions on tone, literary devices, and metrics

3. Types of Questions: Answering Multiple-Choice Prose Questions

a. questions on situation and content

b. questions on meaning of words or phrases

c. questions on grammar

d. questions on diction

e. questions on figurative language

f. questions on structure

g. questions on literary techniques

h. questions on rhetoric

i. questions on tone