AP
®
English Literature and Composition
2014 Free-Response Questions
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2014 AP
®
ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
© 2014 The College Board.
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ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
SECTION II
Total time—2 hours
Question 1
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
The following poem is by the sixteenth-century English poet George Gascoigne. Read the poem carefully. Then
write an essay in which you analyze how the complex attitude of the speaker is developed through such devices as
form, diction, and imagery.
For That He Looked Not upon Her
You must not wonder, though you think it strange,
To see me hold my louring
1
head so low;
And that mine eyes take no delight to range
About the gleams which on your face do grow.
The mouse which once hath broken out of trap
5
Line
Is seldom ’ticèd
2
with the trustless bait,
But lies aloof for fear of more mishap,
And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit.
The scorchèd fly which once hath ’scaped the flame
Will hardly come to play again with fire,
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Whereby I learn that grievous is the game
Which follows fancy dazzled by desire:
So that I wink or else hold down my head,
Because your blazing eyes my bale
3
have bred.
(1573)
1
gloomy
2
enticed
3
misery
2014 AP
®
ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
© 2014 The College Board.
Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
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Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
The following passage is from the novel The Known World by Edward P. Jones. Read the passage carefully. Then, in
a well-organized essay, analyze how the author reveals the character of Moses. In your analysis, you may wish to
consider such literary elements as point of view, selection of detail, and imagery.
Unfortunately, we have been denied permission to
reproduce the excerpt from
Edward P. Jones’
The
Known World on this website.
The excerpt is taken from the beginning of the novel.
2014 AP
®
ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
Question 3
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement
applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or
forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you
analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the
meaning of the work as a whole.
You may choose a novel or play from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize
the plot.
Othello
The Age of Innocence
The Poisonwood Bible
Antigone
The Portrait of a Lady
The Awakening
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Beloved
A Raisin in the Sun
The Crucible
The Scarlet Letter
Death of a Salesman
A Streetcar Named Desire
Ethan Frome
A Tale of Two Cities
King Lear
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Linden Hills
Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
Things Fall Apart
Much Ado About Nothing
A Thousand Acres
Noah’s Compass
The Women of Brewster Place
Oryx and Crake
STOP
END OF EXAM
© 2014 The College Board.
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