1. B
This passage is from one of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates; here, Douglas argues in favor of states’ rights. You should note that it is possible to eliminate several of the choices based on the verb used. The speaker presents an argument; he does not analyze, (A), criticize, (C), or describe, (D). Douglas says directly that he is vehemently opposed to the idea of slavery in his home state of Illinois; he argues in favor of letting each state decide the issue for itself and goes on to claim that the greatness of the country rests on the sovereignty of the states to do so.
2. C
You might not agree with what Douglas is saying in this passage, but he controls his tone carefully; remember, he is engaged in a debate at a time when people turned out in droves, expecting not colossal home runs, spectacular slam-dunks, hockey fights, or touchdown passes, but brilliantly conceived, expertly delivered rhetoric. If you use POE, you can narrow it down to three choices by eliminating (A) and (E). Choice (D) may be tempting, but be careful not to apply a 21st-century point of view to 19th-century reality. It may be tempting to see Douglas’s defense of states’ rights as a mask for his true feelings on slavery or, at least, as a poor veil for a racist bias. However, none of that is appropriate to the task at hand. The tone is best described as the tone of a debate; in other words, the speaker attempts to step back and let the force of his words (the voice of reason, if you will) carry the day. Also, remember that a polemic is a controversial argument.
3. A
The speaker uses inductive reasoning (reasoning derived from detailed facts to form general principles) that goes something like this: you all agree that it was right for Illinois to vote as it chose and abolish slavery; thus, every state should be able to make its own choice on this issue. Moreover, every state should be able to make its own choices on just about everything.
4. D
In this instance, the word it is referring to the choice of New York to make the distinction between a negro who held property and one who did not (line 33), so (D) is the best answer. Each of the other answer choices points to a different antecedent and is therefore not correct.
5. A
The long sentence in lines 37–42 accomplishes many of Douglas’s goals at once. It appeals to the principle of popular sovereignty (line 39), defines the term (lines 39–41), accuses Congress of interfering (line 41), and encourages his readers to act conscientiously and rigidly (line 38). Thus, (A) is the correct answer because this question highlights the word EXCEPT in capital letters. There is no evidence of a classification taking place in this sentence.
6. C
Check lines 18–37. The author shows that Maine and New York have very different laws regarding African Americans, and that Maine and Illinois are not interfering with each other. Lines 39–42 define popular sovereignty as a guarantee to each State and Territory the right to do as it pleases on all things, local and domestic. This supports either (B) or (C). Choice (B) is too strong, since it uses the word prove, and the author has not necessarily shown that the laws are successful. Therefore, (C) is the best answer.
7. E
The correct answer may not have been readily apparent, but using POE allows you to eliminate (A) through (D). Douglas uses no anecdotes, much less clever ones; likewise, there are no symbols, paradoxes, or metaphors. The authorities in this case are not only the other states (meaning the voters in the other states), but also the founding fathers: Washington, Madison, or the framers of this government.
8. D
Douglas states his own opinion on slavery (his official opinion, at least) at the beginning of the passage (there is no man in the State who would be more strenuous in his opposition to the introduction of slavery than I would). Douglas also presents a clear position on voting: I would never consent to confer the right of voting and of citizenship upon a negro. Finally, there is a clear position on property: I would not make any distinction whatever between a negro who held property and one who did not. Of course, this implies that he would allow African Americans to have property, but he states that, propertied or not, they should not be able to vote. With this information, it is possible to answer the question with certainty; the correct answer is (D).
9. E
Use POE! The last paragraph claims that Abraham Lincoln’s policies will bring about the end of America’s greatness and plunge the nation into Civil War. The new doctrine (line 70) is in opposition to popular sovereignty (line 54) and thus would lead to a consolidation of power, (A). Westward expansion, (B), is suggested in lines 57–59, and the author states that popular sovereignty enabled such expansion (line 65–66), so Lincoln’s new doctrine may hinder that. Choice (C) is explicitly stated in line 71. Choice (D) is also stated directly in line 73. Population, (E), is mentioned in lines 56–57, but there is no direct link between Lincoln’s policies and population growth.
10. C
In a way, this is simply a reprise of question 7, but here Douglas pushes his scare tactic even further by saying that Lincoln and his party are deliberately infringing on states’ rights to incite a civil war. Hopefully you were not fooled by (B). While it is true that Douglas is blaming the war (that hadn’t yet begun) on Lincoln and his political party, he is not shifting any blame; nowhere does he imply that anyone was blaming or accusing Douglas and his party of trying to provoke a war, and to shift blame, Douglas would have to have had blame at some point.
11. A
In this passage, Douglas is arguing for the application of the doctrine of popular sovereignty against the claims of Abraham Lincoln, which is why (A) is correct. He does not spend his time talking at length about Lincoln’s failings, so (C) is incorrect. Douglas offers a nuanced argument, but he does not spend his time exploring the various meanings of a universal principle, so (D) is out as well. Because Douglas actively criticizes Congress (in lines 41–42, for example), (B) can also not be correct. Finally, (E) may be referring to the comparison of different states at the beginning of the passage, but this does not describe the development of the passage as a whole, so eliminate (E).
12. D
The first paragraph lays out the definition of convivencia (“coexistence” among Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Spain), so (D) is correct. Choices (A) and (B) are incorrect because the author does not want to say that medieval history is unimportant, just that it is portrayed incorrectly in popular histories, which he hardly wants to reinforce. Notice the way the test-writers used words and phrases that sounded correct (discount the importance of and the popular perception of), but were not part of complete, correct answer choices. Remember that if an answer is slightly wrong, it is entirely wrong on the AP English Language and Composition Exam. Choices (C) and (E) don’t appear in the passage, which does not discuss historical sources or have various historical accounts.
13. D
The author strings together quotes from various authors in order to retell the traditional fairy tale of medieval convivencia, which he then goes on to attack. This is why (D) is correct. While the author is frustrated with the narrative of medieval history offered by most historians of medieval Spain, he is not confused by the narrative, so eliminate (A). Though the author criticizes the works of others, he does not offer his own interpretation in this excerpt, so eliminate (C). Choice (E) may be appealing in that the author does survey the story told by many scholars, but his account is hardly comprehensive in describing the entire history of medieval Spain, so (E) can be eliminated. Choice (B) is also incorrect; although the author is interested in how the proponents of convivencia misinterpret history, he is less concerned with their understanding of evidence. Besides, that’s not the primary reason he used quotes in this paragraph.
14. C
The primary purpose of the footnotes in the first paragraph is to document the sources for the expressions in quotes, so (C) is correct. While footnotes can demonstrate the range of sources in a work, this is not the case here, so (A) can be eliminated. Choice (D) is not likely to be true because that is a relatively shallow reason for including footnotes and not one that can be easily detected. In fact, most of the wrong answers are too subjective and judgmental to be correct.
15. E
The second footnote clarifies that the expression culture of tolerance originates in the subtitle of Maria Rosa Menocal’s book. While the author is interested in undermining the claims of Menocal, (A) is not correct. Neither are the other choices, which do not accurately portray the author’s purposes for including this information here.
16. A
Genre refers in this case directly to fairy tale, so (A) is correct. The AP Exam writers love to embed these grammatical/vocabulary questions into the multiple-choice section. Remember to take your time rereading a few lines above and a few lines below the sentence in which genre appears. Then, begin eliminating every word that you know does not relate to genre directly, such as exotic journeys, (E), and children, (C).
17. E
The author does not mention documentary evidence or methodology, so eliminate (A) and (C) right away. He does claim that some scholars have distorted the relationship between Islam and Christianity during this period, but he does not do so in terms of (B) or (D), which are not precise. The author believes that convivencia exaggerates historical reality and distorts the history of medieval Spain into a fairy tale, so (E) is the correct answer.
18. C
Don’t forget the word EXCEPT (printed entirely in capital letters) or you will have trouble with this kind of question. Four of these answer choices will be accurate in describing the tone of the second paragraph and one will not. The author shifts his tone between sharp criticism of academic works and elaborate metaphors and humorous insults. He certainly does insist on some of his claims, so (A) is accurate and can be eliminated. Acerbic, (B), means sharp or bitter, and accurately describes much of this paragraph, as does vituperative, (E), which means harsh and abusive in its criticism. Eliminate these answer choices as well. At no point does the author express a distinct feeling of relief, so (C) must be correct.
19. B
This question asks you to identify the author’s main point in this passage, which is that the proponents of convivencia have encouraged people to believe a fairy tale about medieval Spain rather than its real history. Choice (A) is merely the author’s introduction of the concept of convivencia, while (D) and (E) are more like asides than the main point. While (C) is appealing, it is making a specific point about Orientalism and exoticism that the author sustains throughout the second paragraph, not the entire passage. Choice (B) emphasizes the disconnect the author identifies between convivencia as a myth and the historical record, which he does not believe supports this view of convivencia.
20. B
By calling The Ornament of the World a syrupy confection that simmers under a thick layer of Orientalized cheese, the author uses a metaphor built around food imagery to attack the book as unserious. Thus, (B) is correct. Remember that alliteration, (A), is the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of a word; and allegory, (C), is an extended series of symbols in a story. There is not a directly paradoxical (contradictory) claim in the sentence, so eliminate (D). Finally, the author does not ascribe human characteristics to a nonhuman subject, so eliminate (E).
21. D
As you saw in the previous question, the author directly states that the chapter titles of the The Ornament of the World emphasize the extent to which the book simmers under a thick layer of Orientalized cheese, so (D) is correct. While the titles do refer to Islamic history, (A), and use poetic images, (B), the titles are not included to demonstrate either of these features. The author makes many accusations in this excerpt, but he does not accuse Menocal of hyperbole or failed metaphors, so eliminate (C) and (E) as well.
22. E
This is a challenging question. The author inserts and in the delicious irony as an aside in the final sentence of the second paragraph. Throughout the paragraph, he alluded to sickly sweet food products in the overly dramatic characterizations of convivencia: he criticizes Menocal’s syrupy confection and says that it simmers under a thick layer of Orientalized cheese. This metaphorical language is extended by his choice of the word delicious here, so (E) is correct. The phrase is too short and too unimportant to do any of the tasks mentioned in the other four answer choices.
23. B
This is a critique of a particular historical perspective, but it is hardly comprehensive or complete enough to be considered a treatise, so eliminate (A). And while the author is certainly writing a dismissal, he is not qualifying it in the sense of limiting or restricting a critique, so eliminate (C) because it is only partially correct. (Remember that when qualified appears on the exam, it rarely refers to qualifications or credentials.) Because there is no analysis of evidence or comparison at work in the passage, both (D) and (E) can be eliminated as well. Choice (B) is correct because the author sustains an aggressive attack on a position while employing humor and irony throughout.
24. D
You have two tasks on this question: ensure that the statement relates to the topic of the paragraph and make sure it is engaging (has a hook). The topic of this paragraph, much like the main idea of the entire passage, is that stadium subsidies are harmful to cities. Choices (A) and (C) can be eliminated because they do not convey the downside of building a new stadium. Choice (D) engages the audience with a real world example of a city that is experiences the consequences of stadium subsidies, while the statements in (B) and (E) are both a bit general. Eliminate (B) and (E). Choice (D) is correct.
25. A
The main idea of the passage is that stadium subsidies have a serious downside in terms of a municipality’s budget. Keep (A) because it directly references budgetary consequences. Choices (B), (D), and (E) can be eliminate because they have nothing to do with local budgets. Choice (C) may seem tempting, but it only states that stadiums cost a lot of money, not that they are paid for with tax-payer funds. Eliminate it. Choice (A) is correct.
26. C
The author’s main point is that the benefits of a new professional sports stadium do not justify using local bonds to fund them. While (A), (B), (D), and (E) are about constructing a new stadium, they do not tie in the idea of using local funds. Eliminate them. Choice (C) is correct.
27. E
Sentence 6 shows how an oppositional perspective can be dismissed. Sentence 7 does the same thing with another possible piece of oppositional evidence. Since these sentences are doing the same thing, we need a transitional word that shows agreement. Choices (A), (B), (C), and (D) can be eliminated because they all should be used when one sentence shows a contrast to another. Furthermore provides the necessary agreement transition, so (E) is correct.
28. B
For this question, you want to keep the focus on what might justify a city making a poor financial choice. Further, that decision should be due to pressure from a sports franchise. Use POE. Choice (A) is incorrect because it relates neither to making a poor financial choice nor pressure from a sports team. Eliminate it. Choice (C) references a poor financial decision, but there is no evidence that it is under the pressure from a professional sports franchise. Eliminate it. Choice (D) is about decision makers not supporting using stadium subsidies, so it can be eliminated. Choice (E) can also be eliminated because it does not have anything to do with pressure from a professional sports franchise. Choice (B) indicates that cities cave from pressure of sports teams because they do not want to lose their local team to another city. This accomplishes the goal, so the correct answer is (B).
29. D
The proposed sentence starts with the phrase whatever the case, which implies that it comes after the discussion of more than one potential reason. Choices (A), (B), and (C) can all be eliminated because they occur before the discussion on potential reasons has concluded. Choice (E) can be eliminated because the proposed sentence is relevant to the discussion. The sentence should go at the end of the paragraph, which delves into the question of why cities might offer stadium subsidies. Choice (D) is correct.
30. D
Since this is an EXCEPT question, you want to find the one answer choice that stands apart from the rest. Choices (A), (B), (C), and (E) are all supportive of the author’s claim that tax-payer funded stadium subsidies are bad for cities. Choice (D), however, looks into the benefits of building a new stadium. This would contradict the author’s main purpose. Choice (D) is, therefore, correct.
31. A
For this question, you want to find evidence of a team actually leaving a city because it did not get a subsidy to build a new stadium. Choice (A) is an example that perfectly fits this scenario. Keep it. Choices (B), (C), and (D) are irrelevant to the issue at hand. Eliminate them. Choice (E) does discuss stadium subsidies, but takes a left turn by mentioning a team may leave even after getting what it wants. This is not as directly aligned with the claim as (A), so eliminate (E). Choice (A) is correct.
32. B
Since the question mentions a call to action, look for an answer choice that references a remedy, or at least doing something, to combat the practice of offering stadium subsidies. Choice (A) does not do this, but rather states that the practice will be an inevitability for years to come. Eliminate (A). Choice (B) is at least solution-oriented (lawmakers must find a way), so that is worth keeping. Choice (C) is incorrect because, while it opposes stadium subsidies, it is certainly not solution-oriented. Choice (D), like (A), is more a statement of inevitability, bereft of any semblance of a solution. Eliminate (D). Finally, (E) is supportive of stadium subsidies and therefore contradicts the author. Eliminate it. The only choice remaining is (B), which is the correct answer.
33. B
For this question, you want to find an answer choice that touches on both the patients’ healthcare needs and their lack of information on the topic (and therefore the need to learn more). Choice (A) contradicts much of the passage because it suggests that a patient’s convenience is more important than receiving proper medical treatment form a quality doctor. Eliminate it. Choice (B) is plausible because it focuses on the complexity of the healthcare system (no two doctors are alike, diverse factors), in which patients would need to be advised as to which doctor is most appropriate for their needs. Choice (C) is extreme and contradicted by the rest of the passage, which focuses on ways patients can learn about their doctors. Eliminate it. Choice (D) is incorrect because the idea of interchangeable doctors would undermine the need to evaluate them, which contradicts the main idea of the passage. Finally, eliminate (E) since the factors in this answer choice are irrelevant to helping the patient navigating the complex world of healthcare. Choice (B) is correct.
34. E
Sentence 2 is concerned with subjective evaluations of doctors, while sentence 3 looks at newer “objective” ways to measure doctor quality. Since you are looking for a contrast, find an answer choice that provides a contrast. Choice (E) is the only transition word that contrasts. Choices (A), (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because they all transition to similar ideas rather than contrasting ones. Choice (E) is correct.
35. C
Since this is an EXCEPT question, you want to find the one answer choice that stands out from the rest. Choices (A), (B), (D), and (E) all deal with methods of evaluating physicians. Choice (C) is the one choice that is irrelevant to the evaluation process, so it is the correct answer.
36. B
The main idea of the paragraph is that the new trend in doctor evaluations comes from the perspective of patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Therefore, it is from the perspective of the healthcare consumer. Choice (A) is irrelevant to the rest of the paragraph. Eliminate it. Furthermore, eliminate (C) because it focuses on feedback from the medical community, rather than from patients, which is the focus of this paragraph. Choice (D) is tempting because the author goes on to explain that these are flawed approaches, but that does not occur until the fourth paragraph, and it is therefore not connected to the main idea of the third paragraph. Eliminate (D). Finally, (E), the idea that evaluations are too time-consuming, is not relevant to the main idea of the paragraph. Eliminate it. Choice (B) indicates that the assessment is from the perspective of the consumer, so (B) is correct.
37. B
Use POE on this question. If an answer choice does not give evidence of an unfair system, eliminate it. Choice (A) suggests that what patients say in their feedback is consistent with other types of evaluations, which would indicate that patients are accurate and therefore, fair evaluators of physicians. Eliminate it. Choice (B) states that patients are not necessarily qualified to evaluate physician quality. If they are in a position to do so, then this would be evidence of an unfair system. Keep (B). Choice (C) should be eliminated because it suggests a fair system that one of the forms of evaluation currently in use (measuring long-term patient outcomes) is relatively effective (at least more so than patient surveys). Choice (D) is incorrect because a quote from a health-consumer advocate would likely argue that patients provide relevant, effective feedback and should be considered for evaluation. In other words, this type of evidence would defend the fairness of the current system. Finally, (E) can be eliminated because it is largely irrelevant to the issue of fairness. Choice (B) is correct.
38. E
In the third paragraph, the writer claims that some patient populations could be harmed by the current system of evaluation because it would disincentivize doctors from taking on patients with conditions that are more chronic (obesity, congenital diseases) because the effects of those conditions will likely persist despite medical intervention. Therefore, some doctors may not want to take on these patients because their health circumstances would reflect poorly on their physicians. This is the opposite of (A), so eliminate it. Choice (B) is something that would make the system fairer to doctors, but it does not explain why some patients could be avoided by physicians. This answer, along with (C), is irrelevant. Eliminate both. Choice (D) is incorrect because it undermines the idea that chronic conditions are not entirely treatable by even a quality physician. Choice (E) is correct because it best describes the disincentive system that is created by tracking patient outcomes.
39. A
The fourth paragraph describes the problems with the current system of physician evaluation. Therefore, this sentence would make a great topic sentence as it gives a general claim about the all-around flaws of doctor evaluation. Choices (B), (C), (D), and (E) are incorrect as they would awkwardly misplace a topic sentence into the middle or end of a paragraph it was intended to introduce. Choice (A) would place this as a topic sentence, and thus is correct.
40. A
The main argument of the passage can be found in the first paragraph: patients need a fair way to know which doctors are most effective. This purpose is reflected in (A), which is the correct answer. Choice (B) is incorrect because it goes too far: patient input does not need to be completely removed from the process, but there are flaws in relying solely on patient input. Choice (C) is incorrect because it focuses on one detail from the third paragraph, rather than the passage as a whole. Eliminate (D) because the passage states that measuring the patient experience is a flawed method for evaluating physicians. Finally, eliminate (E) because the purpose of the passage is to find ways to inform healthcare consumers, not to treat ailments.
41. E
The main argument of the passage is that zoos have many benefits that outweigh the problems of keeping animals in captivity. Choice (A) is incorrect because the author does not tout the entertainment quality of zoos. Choice (B) articulates an oppositional argument. Eliminate it. Choices (C) and (D) do not relate to the benefits the author goes on to mention (research, education, conservation), so they are both incorrect. Choice (E) does the best job conveying the author’s central claim and is therefore correct.
42. B
For this question, look for an answer choice that conveys how successful zoos have been in repopulating animal species. Choices (C) and (E) can be eliminated because they each indicate failure. Eliminate both. Choice (D) is incorrect because it is irrelevant to explaining how the zoos have provided a necessary service. Although both (A) and (B), describe success, (A) is too measured, indicating only moderate outcomes. Eliminate (A). Choice (B) is correct because it notes that the programs have had dramatic effects (successes) recently.
43. E
Since this is an EXCEPT question, use POE. The answer to this question should be an answer choice that makes zoos look bad, while the incorrect choices are all supportive of the author’s defense of zoos. Choices (A), (B), (C), and (D) all support zoos and can be eliminated. Choice (E) shows a problem with zoos, and is therefore the correct answer.
44. C
Sentence 8 builds directly from sentence 7: both sentences argue that some important research comes out of zoos. Therefore, look for a transition that shows agreement between ideas. Choices (A), (B), (D), and (E) are incorrect because they are all transitions to be used when showing contrast. Choice (C), In fact, shows agreement, so the answer is (C).
45. E
For this question, locate an answer choice that sees zoos as beneficial. Choice (A) is incorrect because the current sentence does not provide closure and conveys a troubling tone if not followed up with a more solution-oriented sentence. Choice (B) is incorrect because its matter-of-fact content is not the author’s central claim. Choice (C) is the opposite of the author’s claim about the benefits of zoos, so it should be eliminated. Choice (D) is incorrect because, while the content is consistent with the author’s perspective, its tone is not at all consistent with anything the author has presented. Choice (E) is correct as it is consistent with the central claim and the author’s tone.