Practice Test 1 - AP English Language and Composition

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

Read the following excerpt from a college administrator's email about a new policy (embedded below). "Starting this semester, students may use the library's quiet floor without reserving a seat. The old system was designed to prevent crowding, but it produced an odd side effect: empty desks 'held' by reservations while other students circled with laptops in hand. We are replacing that arrangement with a simpler rule—first come, first served—and we will monitor usage weekly to see whether the change actually reduces stress rather than merely relocating it." By choosing circled, the author conveys a tone that is…
The writer adopts the voice of a(n)
Read the following excerpt from a state park director's testimony to a legislative committee considering cutting park funding. The director reports that visitor numbers increased by 18% and that rangers responded to 40% more medical calls last summer: "Parks are not a luxury line item; they are public safety infrastructure. When trails are understaffed, injuries become helicopter rescues. When bathrooms aren't maintained, water quality suffers downstream for farms and towns. I respect the committee's duty to scrutinize every dollar, which is why we're proposing a targeted approach: fund seasonal rangers and maintenance first, and delay new signage projects. Constituents don't ask for perfection; they ask for clean water, safe trails, and a place their kids can afford to explore." Which assumption about the audience underlies the author's argument?
Read the following excerpt from a magazine piece about consumer repair and answer the question. A cracked phone screen used to be an inconvenience; now it is a sales pitch. Manufacturers seal batteries, glue components, and wrap basic fixes in proprietary tools, then tell customers that replacement is "simpler" than repair. Simpler for whom? The result is predictable: drawers of dead devices, overflowing e-waste bins, and families paying for upgrades they didn't plan. Because when repair becomes a maze of pentalobe screws and warnings and voided warranties, what looks like choice is really a shove. Right-to-repair laws won't stop innovation; they'll stop the quiet coercion that passes for convenience. If we can fix what we own, we can keep what we earn. Which explanation best accounts for the author's decision to structure the bolded sentence this way?
Choose the grammatically correct sentence.
Read the following excerpt and answer the question. In a newsletter about saving for emergencies, a financial counselor explains: "An emergency fund is a household's fire extinguisher. You don't buy one because you expect a blaze tomorrow; you buy it because small fires happen, and panic makes them spread. When your car needs an unexpected $600 repair, the extinguisher keeps you from 'putting it out' with a high-interest credit card. In our clinic, clients with even $1,000 set aside were half as likely to miss rent after a surprise bill. The goal isn't to hoard cash forever; it's to keep one spark from taking the whole kitchen." The comparison is effective because it
Read the embedded passage, then answer the question. My school district is debating whether to ban smartphones during the school day. The loudest voices frame the issue as a battle between "discipline" and "freedom," but that framing ignores what phones actually do: they fracture attention, intensify social comparison, and invite constant micro-conflict through group chats. Still, a total ban can backfire if it treats every student as equally distracted and every teacher as equally prepared to manage enforcement. If the district wants a policy that improves learning without creating a black market of hidden devices, it must distinguish between instructional and non-instructional use, build routines that reduce temptation, and set up enforcement that is simple enough to apply consistently. Otherwise, the rule will be strict on paper and chaotic in hallways, which is the worst of both worlds. In the thesis, the author signals the organization by…
Read the following excerpt and answer the question. A public library is not merely a building full of books; it is a civic tool that converts private curiosity into public resilience. During last summer's heat wave, our branch became an unofficial cooling center, and staff helped seniors navigate online forms for energy assistance. When the local factory closed, the library's job-search workshops filled, not because people suddenly loved résumés, but because they needed a place with computers, guidance, and dignity. Critics argue that libraries are obsolete because "everything is online." Yet online information still requires devices, reliable internet, and the skills to evaluate what you're seeing. The library supplies those missing pieces, quietly preventing inequality from becoming permanent. Defund it, and the cost doesn't vanish; it reappears in emergency services, unemployment, and social isolation. The passage develops its argument mainly through…
Read the excerpt below, then answer the question. A student argues that schools should teach media literacy alongside traditional reading. "A novel asks you to interpret one author. A news feed asks you to interpret a thousand, some real, some automated, some paid. When information is endless, attention becomes ethics. The skill is not only reading words; it is choosing what deserves your mind." The author's use of When information is endless, attention becomes ethics. syntax serves to…
Read the following student-written argumentative passage (AP English Language style) and answer the question. My state is debating whether to make community college tuition-free for residents who maintain a 2.0 GPA. Critics say it would be "too expensive," but they often treat higher education like a luxury item instead of a public good. Free community college would not magically fix every economic problem, yet it would remove a major barrier for students who are already doing what society asks: working, studying, and trying to build stable lives. The cost argument usually ignores the cost of doing nothing. When people cannot afford credentials, they are more likely to remain in low-wage jobs with limited mobility. That means lower tax revenue and higher reliance on public assistance over time. Even a modest increase in degree completion can pay back the initial investment through a stronger workforce. Free tuition also recognizes that many students are not "traditional." They are parents, caregivers, or workers changing careers after layoffs. For them, debt is not a motivational tool—it is a warning sign that education might not be worth the risk. Making community college accessible signals that the state values upward mobility more than gatekeeping. Of course, tuition is not the only expense. Transportation, books, and childcare still matter. But tuition-free programs can be paired with targeted grants and advising, which is more realistic than expecting students to bootstrap their way through a system designed for people with money. In conclusion, community college should be free because it helps people and is good for the economy. Also, the state should build more football stadiums to increase school spirit. Which revision to the bolded conclusion would best reinforce the author's purpose?
Read the following excerpt and answer the question. The city council keeps arguing about whether to ban food trucks from parking near brick-and-mortar restaurants, as if the only options are "protect tradition" or "let chaos reign." But the evidence from nearby towns suggests a third outcome: food trucks can increase foot traffic for everyone. In Riverbend, a rotating truck court opened on Fridays; a bookstore reported higher evening sales because people lingered after eating. In Easton, a restaurant owner who initially opposed trucks began offering a "dessert partnership" with one, splitting profits on weekends. Even in our own downtown, the one permitted taco truck draws lines that spill toward adjacent shops. None of this means every street should become a parking lot of grills and generators. Yet these examples show that managed competition can function like an advertisement, not an invasion. The passage develops its argument mainly through…
Read the paragraph from a student's argumentative essay about nutrition policy and answer the question. If the goal of school lunch is to support learning, then nutrition standards cannot be treated as optional. Schools should limit sugary drinks on campus because high-sugar beverages contribute to energy crashes that make it harder for students to focus. After one district removed soda from vending machines, a nurse's office log showed afternoon headache complaints decreased from an average of 14 per week to 9 per week over the next two months. Fewer students complained of headaches. Which revision of the bolded commentary would best connect the evidence to the paragraph's claim?
Read the following student-written argumentative passage (embedded here) and answer the question that follows. My city is deciding whether to install speed cameras in school zones. According to the transportation department, 41% of drivers exceed the speed limit in school zones during morning drop-off, and the police department reports that only a small fraction of those violations result in tickets because officers can't be everywhere at once. Meanwhile, the PTA has documented multiple near-misses at two crosswalks where visibility is poor. If we are serious about child safety, we need consistent enforcement. Speed cameras would deter speeding because they make consequences predictable. Right now, many drivers gamble that they won't see an officer, and they win that gamble most days. Cameras change the calculation. When drivers know they will be fined, they slow down, and the safest accident is the one that never happens. Cameras also reduce biased enforcement. When an officer decides whom to stop, personal judgment can shape outcomes, even unintentionally. A camera records speed, not appearance. If the goal is fairness and safety, automated enforcement is more consistent than sporadic traffic stops. Some residents argue that speed cameras are a "cash grab" and that the city should fix road design instead. That's just a slogan people use when they don't like accountability. The city should install speed cameras in school zones immediately. Question: Which revision would best incorporate an opposing view without weakening the writer's claim? Consider revising the bolded sentence.
Read the student essay excerpt below, then answer the question. Money matters to everyone, and budgets can be complicated. In the United States, people pay taxes for many reasons. This year, our town is voting on a property-tax increase to fund repairs to the aging water system, but some residents say the current rates are already too high. In the rest of the essay, the student argues in favor of the increase, citing frequent water-main breaks, boil-water advisories, and the long-term cost of emergency fixes compared to planned upgrades. Which revision to the bolded introduction would best establish context for the argument?
Read the following excerpt and answer the question. A restaurant owner defends adding a 3% "kitchen equity fee" instead of raising menu prices. She explains that many customers compare restaurants by scanning entrée prices, not by calculating total compensation for staff. If she raises listed prices, some diners will assume the restaurant has become overpriced and will not try it, even if the final bill would be similar elsewhere. A separate fee, she argues, makes compensation more transparent: it signals that the restaurant is paying back-of-house workers more fairly while keeping the menu comparable at first glance. Since the goal is to change how diners think about labor without losing them before they sit down, she concludes, the fee is a more rational tool than silently inflating prices. The author's reasoning supports the thesis by…
Read the student-written argumentative passage below, then answer the question. Our city council is considering replacing two vehicle lanes downtown with a protected bike lane and wider sidewalks. People keep framing this as a "war on cars," but downtown already functions like a place you pass through, not a place you stay. When streets are designed only for speed, businesses suffer because no one wants to linger near roaring traffic. I've watched families avoid the area because crossing the street feels like a dare, and I've seen shop owners tape handwritten "slow down" signs to windows as if that could compete with engine noise. Opponents say removing lanes will create gridlock. But traffic engineers have documented "induced demand": when you build for cars, more cars show up. The reverse is also true—when you prioritize other modes, some trips shift. Not everyone will bike, but some will, and some will walk from nearby parking instead of circling for the closest spot. The point is not to punish drivers; it is to give people options. A protected bike lane also improves safety in a way paint-on-the-road lanes never do. Right now, cyclists either hug the curb and hope drivers notice them or ride on sidewalks and scare pedestrians. Physical separation reduces conflicts. And wider sidewalks matter too: they make room for outdoor seating, street trees, and the kind of small events that actually make downtown feel like a community center instead of a corridor. If the council wants a downtown that attracts customers, it should stop designing it like a highway. The best cities are not the ones where you can drive through fastest; they are the ones where people want to be. Which thesis statement would most effectively introduce the argument's structure? Downtown should be redesigned to prioritize bikes and pedestrians.
Read the following excerpt from a newspaper feature about volunteerism. The author notes that after a flood, the town received thousands of donated items but only a few volunteers trained to sort and distribute them. The author argues that goodwill without coordination can create new problems. Boxes arrived, hallways filled, tempers frayed. Which explanation best accounts for the author's decision to structure the bolded sentence this way?
A school district is considering switching to later start times for high school students. The superintendent argues that teenagers' sleep cycles make early mornings especially difficult, and she cites attendance data showing first-period absences are highest on Mondays. Teachers worry that later dismissal will cut into sports and after-school jobs, but the superintendent counters that fatigue already harms performance. She adds that neighboring districts that shifted start times saw small but consistent GPA increases over two years. When the board reviewed the proposal, they said it would help students, which surprised the superintendent. Which change best clarifies meaning in the bolded sentence?
A tech ethics writer critiques "move fast and break things" culture after a major app update exposed users' location data. He notes that the company treated privacy fixes as optional add-ons rather than core design requirements. He writes, "Building software without privacy is like constructing a house and adding the locks later." He argues that retrofitting security costs more and leaves people vulnerable in the meantime. The comparison to constructing a house and adding the locks later helps the author…
Read the following student-written argumentative passage and answer the question. At my school, students are required to complete 40 hours of community service to graduate. The policy sounds noble, but mandatory service often produces the opposite of what volunteering is supposed to create: genuine investment. When service becomes a box to check, students chase signatures instead of learning how to contribute. Supporters claim the requirement builds character, yet character is not formed by forced hours; it is formed by meaningful choices. Many students already juggle jobs, siblings, and long commutes. For them, "free" hours are not free. A student working 20 hours a week to help with rent is not less civic-minded than a student who can spend Saturdays at a charity event. The requirement also encourages shallow participation. Students pick whatever is easiest, not what matches community needs. Last year, the counseling office approved dozens of identical hours for the same one-day festival because it was convenient to supervise. Meanwhile, the local food pantry still struggles to recruit consistent help during weekday mornings. If the goal is community benefit, the system should reward reliability and skill-building, not just time. A better approach would be to replace the requirement with a "civic pathway" menu: internships, sustained volunteering, or project-based work tied to coursework. Students could still be encouraged—strongly—to serve, but they would do so in ways that fit their lives and actually matter. In conclusion, mandatory community service is not good because students don't like it and it should be changed. Also, schools should teach students how to do taxes. Which revision to the bolded conclusion would best reinforce the author's purpose?

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