Sample AP Essay Questions - 

Prose Question

(1970)  Meredith’s “Ferdinand and Miranda” from The Ordeal of Richard Feveral:  Show how the young woman and the young man in the passage are made to seem naturally suited for one another.

Poetry Question

1970 Poem: “Elegy for Jane” (Theodore Roethke) Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe the speaker's attitude toward his former student, Jane.

Open Question

(1970) - Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Sample Text dependent question (Brit. Lit.)

     What can you infer from King’s letter about the letter that he received?  

Part A

After the first day on the job, the bank’s new manager realized he would be busier than he had been led to believe. Not only was he assisting the bank tellers with their work, but his new boss had decided to inundate him with other tasks like creating security systems, managing the bank’s deposits and refunds, securing loans, and maintaining the daily operations. The new manager was exhausted as he locked the bank up for the night.

The word “inundate” from the passage is closest in meaning to

1.         overload
2.         provide
3.         assault
4.        underwhelm

 Part B

Which words from the lines of text in Part A best help the reader understand the meaning of inundate?

     A.    “. . . the bank’s new manager realized . . .”

     B.    “Not only was he assisting the bank tellers with their work . . .”

     C.    “he had been led to believe”

     D.    “manager was exhausted as he locked the bank up . . .”

     E.    “other tasks . . .”

     F.    “. . . his new boss had decided”