1987 AP Exam

Section I:

1. C                                           47. B
2. A                                           48. A
3. C                                           49. C
4. E                                           50. E D
5. D                                           51. C
6. C  D                                      52. C B
7. A  E                                      53. E
8. D  B                                      54. A B
9. A  E                                      55. D A
10. C                                           56. B
11. D                                           57. C
12. B                                           58. D
13. C  B                                       59. D
14. C                                           60. B
15. A                                           61. A
16. B                                          
17. C
18. E
19. A
20. B
21. E
22. D E
23. B A
24. C A
25. E C
26. E
27. A D
28. A C
29. A
30. B
31. D
32. D B

 31 OUT OF 47

NOTES: The questions I found easiest were the ones that had answers that were clearly related to the text, or could easily be interpreted or found in the text. The questions that will haunt me are the ones that asked what kind of verse form were presented and things similar to this. Another thing I found challenging was the immense amount of high vocabulary, it hindered my ability to understand the text and sometimes even the question.

Section II:

 1.
Leisure, in the olden days people actually knew how to unwind, relax, and have a peaceful moment. Nowadays, people cannot sit still for a moment, they must always have something to do, something to work on, or a goal to reach, even if they are simply trying to enjoy some peaceful seconds. In her poem, George Eliot is able to provide multiple examples of the differences between the 'old' leisure and leisure experienced now. Eliot clearly depicts the differences in the text through the use of imagery, juxtaposition, and tone.

Relaxation in the past was simple. Leisure time simply meant reading the newspaper peacefully, or "sauntering by the fruit tree wall." In the olden days, time to relax actually meant just that, people took time out of their day to simply relax from the busy week that they had just completed. It was a time for rest, and people did so and "slept the sleep of the irresponsible." Eliot provides a multitude of examples and creates a sense of happiness and joy when speaking of the past leisure.

"Eager for amusement," that is what the 'leisure' time of today looks like. People are constantly searching for some arduous activity to complete so they can 'relax.' The people of today are "diseased by hypothesis," because even when they aren't working they keep worrying and thinking about new ideas, possibly even new problems that could potentially arise. Leisure time now has turned into more work, just another task that must get finished, transforming leisure into something one must work to. It no longer provides rest from a busy week, it doesn't provide time off. When Eliot describes the leisure time of her time(today), she makes it sound like more difficult tasks and work to be accomplished, she doesn't produce a joyous tone, rather something more melancholic.

George Eliot is able to clearly define the differences between 'old' leisure and the leisure of today through the use of multiple literary devices. Eliot uses imagery to create a picture in the readers' mind of what leisure used to be, "chiefly in the country... scenting the apricots when they were warmed by the morning sunshine." Or the fact that it actually used to be time to relax and occasionally one "only read one newspaper." Eliot clearly uses juxtaposition multiple times throughout the text to compare the old to the new. Some contrasting ideas she put together was that of the one newspaper read, to building of an entire theory. The tone finely depicts how Eliot feels about both types of leisure. When she speaks of the old she sounds nostalgic and joyous in the memories, but when she speaks of the new leisure, she sounds bitter and unhappy/unsatisfied. Eliot's bitterness for the new is clearly depicted in the lines where she speaks about philosophers attempting to create more room for leisure and Eliot responds with "do not believe them." Through this multitude of literary devices Eliot is able to create a clear line between the old and new forms of leisure.


2.
Novels and books often times carry a secondary purpose to just pure entertainment, literary works advocate for political or social changes. One of the biggest issues that has been around for awhile is that of immigration, and in The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck addresses this issue. Although this novel is quite old, it still addresses the issue of immigration then and even now. It diverges into the lives and unfairness that these immigrants have to face, and exposes the cruel attitudes that they are 'welcomed' with when only searching for a better life. This novel also exposes the realities of the 'American Dream.' The author is able to address these issues with the use of realistic fiction, ethos, and pathos.

Throughout his novel, Steinbeck follows a family who is forced out of their property and have no choice but to travel. Steinbeck clearly shows how some immigrants don't actually make the choice of 'invading' a country, but are pushed out by circumstance. Often times immigrants are fleeing war, violence, or some drastic situation and need a refuge, the last thing they want to do is fight someone because they don't have a 'right' to live and thrive in the country. Most immigrants only wish to survive with their family intact, yet sometimes the natives of the land separate and destroy families. Take for example the family in Steinbeck's novel, they lose an elder because of the lack of food (caused by the lack of working opportunities given to them), they lose another member because he chooses to go his own way when the family decides to push on, and a third member is lost to police brutality. Immigrants are humans, and all humans deserve to live peacefully and securely.

Steinbeck is able to expose the injustices and the realities faced by immigrants through the use of pathos, ethos, and realistic fiction. The realistic fiction is necessary to show exactly how things were going on, and to depict the brutality that not only life, but people inflicted on these immigrants. Ethos is derived from the fact that Steinbeck lived in the time of tenant farmers and labor unions, he himself was also an immigrant in his manner of travel. Steinbeck is also able to bring in pathos in causing the reader to feel understanding, making the audience feel compassion for the traveling family, especially for the kids. John Steinbeck was able to construct and argument for the better treatment and understanding of immigrants through his novel The Grapes of Wrath.



NOTES: The difficult part of Section II is staying within the time constraints. I attempted to do the short essays in the 35 minutes allotted, but ended up giving myself 5-10 minutes to revise, something I probably wont have time for in the real test. The first question seemed a tad bit easier, but when having to pick your own selection from a list of books the prompt becomes a bit more difficult. I struggled with the second prompt because I had only read about 3 texts from the list, and I couldn't clearly find what the prompt was asking for in any of them. I did try my best though, but it is not my strongest writing. I need to work on time management and improving my vocabulary a lot more.