Practice Test 6 - AP English Language and Composition

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

Read the following AP English Language–style argumentative passage written for a city council hearing in a region where hunting is common and considered part of local heritage. Passage (embedded): The city should ban hunting on all public land immediately. Hunting is cruel and outdated, and it has no place in a modern society. "Most decent people feel sick at the idea of killing an animal for sport." Supporters claim hunting controls populations, but nature can handle itself if humans stop interfering. Besides, anyone who needs meat can buy it at the grocery store like everyone else. A ban would show that our city is compassionate and forward-thinking. "If we want to be known as a humane community, we have to stop catering to hunters." Evaluation: Why is the passage least likely to persuade its intended audience?
Read the student essay below, then answer the question. Our city council is considering replacing several downtown parking spaces with protected bike lanes. The loudest argument against the plan is that it will "kill business." The assumption is simple: fewer parking spots equals fewer customers. But that assumption treats a street like a storage unit for cars rather than a public space designed to move people. First, bike lanes increase safety, and safety affects whether people visit an area at all. A parent deciding where to take kids for ice cream is not only thinking about taste; they're thinking about crossing the street without feeling like they're stepping into traffic. Protected lanes calm the roadway and create clearer patterns for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Second, the parking argument ignores turnover. A single curbside space might be occupied for hours by the same car, while a bike rack can serve many customers in the same time. Businesses benefit from a steady flow of visitors, not from a few vehicles camping in "prime" spots all afternoon. Third, downtown already has parking: garages, side streets, and lots. What it lacks is a safe network for people who would happily bike a mile if it didn't feel like a near-death experience. If the council wants to support local commerce, it should think about access in multiple forms, not just the easiest one for drivers. Therefore, the council should build the bike lanes, and then downtown will finally be better. Which concluding sentence would most effectively extend the argument's implications?
Read the following passage and answer the question. When a library eliminates overdue fines, it doesn't eliminate accountability; it changes what accountability targets. Under the fine system, patrons with money returned books late and paid, while patrons without money avoided the library entirely once a debt appeared. The result was fewer returns from the very people the library most needed to reach. Without fines, more patrons bring materials back because the transaction no longer feels like a punishment they cannot afford. Inventory circulation improves, which means popular titles spend less time "missing" in limbo. Staff also spend fewer hours negotiating fee waivers and more hours helping patrons find resources. Critics worry that people will stop returning books, but the evidence in many communities points the other way: removing fines reduces the shame barrier that kept books and readers away in the first place. The passage relies most heavily on…
Read the student-written argumentative passage below and answer the question that follows. Scenario: A university is considering making standardized test scores optional for admissions. The audience includes faculty who worry about academic rigor, first-generation applicants, alumni donors, and admissions staff. Passage (student essay): Standardized tests should be optional because they are basically a paywall. Everyone knows rich students buy tutoring and game the system, while everyone else is left behind. The university claims it cares about "merit," but real merit is resilience, not bubbling answers on a Saturday morning. Faculty members who worry about rigor should relax. If a student has a decent GPA, that's all the proof we need that they can handle college. Besides, professors should want diverse perspectives more than they want perfect grammar in freshmen essays. Alumni donors should support this too, because a truly ethical university doesn't cling to outdated metrics just to look selective. Revision: Which change would best align the argument with the audience's values? (Choose the revision that improves audience awareness without abandoning the writer's position.)
Read the following excerpt and answer the question. In an essay about reading fiction, a student writes: "Fiction is a flight simulator for empathy. You can't learn to land a plane by memorizing the manual alone; you need practice responding to changing conditions. Stories give us controlled turbulence: we inhabit a character's fear, pride, or grief without causing real harm. A 2022 survey at our school found that students who read at least one novel per month were more likely to report feeling comfortable talking with someone from a different background. Fiction won't replace real relationships, but it can train our attention for them." The comparison is effective because it
Read the student essay below, then answer the question. Our high school has started assigning "community service hours" as a graduation requirement. On paper, it sounds like a perfect plan: students volunteer, the community benefits, and everyone learns empathy. But mandatory service often produces the opposite of its intended lesson, because it turns care into a box to check. When service is required, students focus on what counts rather than what matters. They hunt for the easiest hours, not the most meaningful work. That's not because teenagers are uniquely selfish; it's because the system rewards completion over commitment. If you're balancing sports, jobs, and family responsibilities, you'll pick the quickest option available. The result is a shallow interaction that doesn't build long-term civic habits. The requirement can also widen inequality. Students with transportation, flexible schedules, or parents who can connect them with "approved" organizations have an advantage. Meanwhile, students who work to support their families may have less time to volunteer for free. A policy meant to build community can end up punishing the students already carrying the most responsibility. A better approach is to create supported opportunities: service-learning courses tied to curriculum, partnerships that provide transportation, and recognition for sustained involvement rather than raw hours. Schools can encourage volunteering by making it easier and more meaningful, not by attaching it to a diploma like a fee. In conclusion, community service should not be required for graduation, and schools should just stop doing it. Which revision to the bolded conclusion would best reinforce the author's purpose?
Read the student essay excerpt below, written as a letter to parents in a school district where many families prioritize competitive college admissions. The district is considering replacing class rank with a broader evaluation system that reduces emphasis on GPA. Essay excerpt (with context embedded): Class rank should be eliminated because it turns learning into a game. Students obsess over decimals instead of ideas. Parents who care about rank are basically teaching their kids to be obsessed with status. If we remove rank, students will collaborate more and take classes they actually enjoy. Colleges say they value "holistic" applicants anyway, and our district should lead the way by refusing to sort children like trophies. The board should approve the change and stop rewarding the kind of competitiveness that makes students miserable. Revision: Which change would best align the argument with the audience's values (parents focused on admissions) while keeping the writer's position?
In a post on a neighborhood social-media group after several car break-ins, a resident argues against "vigilante patrols." The resident writes: "I understand the anger—my own car window was smashed last month. But organizing late-night 'patrols' with flashlights and baseball bats is more likely to create mistaken confrontations than to stop theft. If we want fewer break-ins, we should do what evidence supports: improve lighting on the two darkest blocks, coordinate with the precinct for a focused presence during peak hours, and set up a camera-sharing registry so footage can be turned over quickly. A plan that reduces opportunity will protect everyone, including people who might otherwise be treated as suspects for simply walking home. Let's be firm about safety and equally firm about not turning our streets into a guessing game." The author adapts tone to the audience by…
Read the following excerpt from an education policy essay about a state's new "back-to-basics" curriculum mandate: The board's resolution arrives with the confidence of a stamped form: neat, official, and allergic to nuance. Supporters promise "rigor," but what they mean is a single approved list of texts and a single approved interpretation. Teachers are instructed to "deliver" lessons, as though students were packages and curiosity a shipping error. The mandate's language is unyielding, flattening classrooms into compliance centers where deviation becomes misconduct. Of course, the policy is marketed as empowerment—an almost comic inversion, given that it treats professional judgment like a contaminant. In the name of clarity, the state has chosen a curriculum that cannot bend, and therefore cannot meet children where they are. The word unyielding helps establish a tone of…
Read the following AP English Language–style argumentative passage and answer the question. In my town, the school board is considering a policy that would require all high school students to complete a one-semester personal finance course before graduation. Supporters argue that students need practical skills; opponents argue that graduation requirements are already too crowded. (1) Personal finance is not an "extra" skill; it is a basic literacy students will use immediately after high school. Because many students sign leases, accept student loans, or open credit cards before they turn twenty, schools should treat money management the way they treat writing: as preparation for adult life. (2) The consequences of financial ignorance are not abstract. A single missed payment can lower a credit score for years, raising the cost of borrowing for cars and housing. Even small misunderstandings—like confusing minimum payments with full repayment—can snowball into long-term debt. If schools can teach algebraic functions that many students will never use, they can teach interest rates and budgeting that nearly everyone will. (3) Some people claim students can learn these skills at home, but that assumption ignores reality. Not every household has time, expertise, or stability to teach financial planning. My cousin never learned how to budget, and he ended up overdrawing his account twice in one month. A required course would at least guarantee that every student hears the basics from a trained instructor. (4) Finally, requiring personal finance would strengthen—not weaken—academic goals. Students who understand how loans work may make more realistic college decisions, and students who track spending may be less likely to drop out due to unexpected expenses. The course would not solve every problem, but it would reduce preventable mistakes that follow people for years. Evaluation: Why is the evidence in the bolded sentence insufficient?
Read the student essay below, then answer the question. Colleges should make community service a graduation requirement. At my school, students who volunteer often say they feel more connected, and our guidance office claims scholarships frequently ask for service hours. Requiring service would benefit students and society. Service helps communities. Food banks, animal shelters, and tutoring programs rely on volunteers. If colleges require service, more people will help in these places. Service also helps students. Volunteering teaches time management and communication. Students meet people outside their usual circles, which can make them more open-minded. Some critics argue that forcing service ruins the point, because "real" volunteering should be voluntary. But students are forced to take many classes they do not choose, and those classes still teach them. Service would be similar. Therefore, colleges should require community service because it helps communities and helps students grow. Revision: Which revision would most improve the essay's logical development? A. Replace "ruins the point" with a more academic phrase to improve diction. B. In paragraph 4, address the difference between required classes and required service by explaining how colleges could preserve student choice (e.g., selecting among many organizations) and prevent "check-the-box" volunteering. C. Add a sentence in paragraph 2 listing additional types of nonprofits. D. Repeat the scholarship point in the conclusion to reinforce the introduction.
Read the following embedded passage and answer the question. A coach claims that the team's improved performance came from changing practice structure, not from recruiting better athletes. She explains that last season, practices ended with scrimmages that rewarded fast scorers; this season, the team switched to drills emphasizing decision-making under pressure. As evidence, she notes that in game film analysis, turnovers in the final five minutes fell from an average of 4.1 per game to 2.3, while overall scoring remained roughly constant. She also points out that the roster is nearly identical—only one new player logs significant minutes—making a talent explanation less likely. The coach concedes that opponents vary, but she claims the late-game turnover drop reflects a specific skill the new drills targeted. Her claim is that practice design directly shaped late-game execution. The evidence supports the author's claim by…
The author's central argument is that...
Read the following excerpt from a public health notice about flu shots (embedded below). "Last winter, the clinic administered 3,200 flu vaccines, and emergency room visits for influenza-like illness dropped in the surrounding zip codes. Vaccination is not a magic shield; some people will still get sick. But it is a practical layer of protection, especially for residents who live with infants or older relatives. If you are undecided, consider the shot less as a personal statement and more as a small civic habit." By choosing habit, the author conveys a tone that is…
Read the paragraph from a student's argumentative essay about water conservation and answer the question. Public campaigns often ask residents to "use less water," but vague messaging rarely changes habits. The city should provide free home water-audit kits because specific feedback helps households identify waste they can actually fix. During a six-month trial, households that used the audit kits reduced average monthly water use by 9%, while households that only received reminder postcards reduced use by 2%, according to the city utilities department. The audit-kit group reduced water use by 9% and the postcard group reduced water use by 2%. Why does the evidence fail to fully support the claim as written?
The author's primary argument is that...
Read the excerpt below, then answer the question. A resident argues for preserving a local wetland threatened by development. "The developer calls it 'empty land.' But the wetland holds floodwater, filters runoff, and shelters birds. During last year's storm, nearby streets flooded—except the blocks behind the reeds. Call it empty if you want; water will call it useful. Nature does not care about our labels." The author's use of Call it empty if you want; water will call it useful. syntax serves to…
Read the following passage and answer the question. A school principal defends a new phone-free policy. She opens by describing a typical class period in which students glance down every few minutes, and she notes that teachers report spending more time redirecting attention than teaching. She then cites a district survey showing that after a similar policy elsewhere, reported classroom interruptions dropped by 30% and average quiz scores rose slightly. Next, she clarifies what the policy does and does not do: phones stay in lockers during class, but students can access them at lunch and in emergencies through the office. She ends by arguing that because the policy targets distraction while preserving reasonable access, it is a balanced response rather than a punishment. The sequence of ideas mirrors the author's logic by…
A 2021 school board comment from a parent argues that remote learning revealed unequal access to reliable internet and quiet study spaces. The parent cites district surveys showing higher absenteeism in low-income neighborhoods, urges the board to fund loaner laptops and community Wi‑Fi hotspots, and warns that "learning loss" will widen existing achievement gaps. Anticipating budget concerns, the speaker points to federal relief funds and frames connectivity as essential infrastructure like buses and textbooks. The author's argument emerges in response to…
Read the following passage and answer the question. Schools that replace letter grades with "standards-based" reports argue that the change reduces stress and clarifies what students actually know. The idea is sensible: a single B can hide uneven strengths, while separate scores for writing, research, and revision can guide improvement. ___ the shift often fails when teachers receive no time to calibrate expectations across classrooms. Families then see a new system that looks precise but feels arbitrary, and students lose trust in feedback. If districts want this reform to work, they must invest in training and shared scoring sessions, not just new report-card software. Which transition best fits in the bolded location?

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