AP English Open-Ended Questions
AP ENGLISH OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATIONS (Question 3)
Sample Question 1: In some works of literature the insanity (or a period of insanity) of a main character plays a central role. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the mental illness of a central character and the specific ways in which that character’s illness relates to the larger themes of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Sample Question 2: “The struggle to achieve dominance over others frequently appears in fiction.” Choose a novel in which such a struggle for dominance occurs, and write an essay showing for what purposes the author uses the struggle. Avoid plot summary
Sample Question 3: In many works of literature, a main character has a mentor or mentor-like acquaintance whose influence dramatically changes how the character views not only himself or herself, but the world as well. Choose a novel or play in which a mentor exhibits such a strong influence, either beneficial or harmful, on one of the main characters. Then, in a well-organized essay, discuss the nature of the mentor’s influence and its significance to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. Sample Question 4: In some works of literature, mothers or the concept of motherhood play central roles. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write a well-organized essay in which you discuss a maternal character and the specific ways the character and the concept of maternity related to the larger themes of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Sample Question 5: An eating scene is common in drama and fiction. It may be a simple meal or a banquet, a holiday party or ordinary family dinner, but the work would not be quite the same without it. Choose a play, epic, or novel which contains such a scene of eating, and write an essay in which you discuss what the scene reveals, how the scene is related to the meaning of the work as a whole, and by what means the author makes the scene
Sample Question 1: In some works of literature the insanity (or a period of insanity) of a main character plays a central role. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you discuss the mental illness of a central character and the specific ways in which that character’s illness relates to the larger themes of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Sample Question 2: “The struggle to achieve dominance over others frequently appears in fiction.” Choose a novel in which such a struggle for dominance occurs, and write an essay showing for what purposes the author uses the struggle. Avoid plot summary
Sample Question 3: In many works of literature, a main character has a mentor or mentor-like acquaintance whose influence dramatically changes how the character views not only himself or herself, but the world as well. Choose a novel or play in which a mentor exhibits such a strong influence, either beneficial or harmful, on one of the main characters. Then, in a well-organized essay, discuss the nature of the mentor’s influence and its significance to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. Sample Question 4: In some works of literature, mothers or the concept of motherhood play central roles. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write a well-organized essay in which you discuss a maternal character and the specific ways the character and the concept of maternity related to the larger themes of the work. Avoid plot summary.
Sample Question 5: An eating scene is common in drama and fiction. It may be a simple meal or a banquet, a holiday party or ordinary family dinner, but the work would not be quite the same without it. Choose a play, epic, or novel which contains such a scene of eating, and write an essay in which you discuss what the scene reveals, how the scene is related to the meaning of the work as a whole, and by what means the author makes the scene