AP® practice test

Free AP® English Language and Composition Practice Test

This is a set of 25 original practice questions that follow the official AP® English Language and Composition multiple-choice skill categories and their weights, each with a short explanation. As on the real exam, the questions come in sets built on short nonfiction passages and student drafts, all written for this test.

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  • 8 topics from the official outline
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The practice test

25 questions

Question 1 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." What is the speaker's main purpose?
Question 2 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." The details about retirees, students, and parents mainly serve to
Question 3 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." The essay's first two sentences, about travelers in earlier times, mainly serve to
Question 4 of 25A student is writing a report about honeybees. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Honeybees cannot speak, but they can give directions. (2) When a forager finds a rich patch of flowers, she returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance" on the honeycomb. (3) The angle of the dance compared with straight up on the comb shows the direction of the food compared with the direction of the sun. (4) The length of the waggle part of the dance shows how far away the food is. The writer wants to add this sentence after sentence 4: "In the twentieth century, Karl von Frisch, who was a scientist from Austria and who studied bees, was the person who was able to figure out and decode the meaning of this dance." Which version is the most concise while keeping the meaning?
Question 5 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." In context, the sentence "I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have" mainly serves to
Question 6 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." The last two sentences ("A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors.") are effective mainly because they
Question 7 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." Which statement best expresses the claim the speaker develops?
Question 8 of 25A student is writing a letter to her town council. The draft reads: (1) The Rialto Theater on Main Street has been closed for eleven years. (2) Its marquee is missing letters, and its doors are chained. (3) The town council will soon vote on whether to sell the building to a developer who plans to tear it down. (4) I think the Rialto is important. (5) A restored theater would draw visitors downtown in the evening, when most shops are now empty. (6) It would also give local schools a stage for plays and concerts. The writer wants to revise sentence 4 so that it states a clear, defensible thesis. Which version best does this?
Question 9 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." Within the essay's line of reasoning, the sentence "It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks" mainly
Question 10 of 25A student is writing a letter to her town council. The draft reads: (1) The Rialto Theater on Main Street has been closed for eleven years. (2) Its marquee is missing letters, and its doors are chained. (3) The town council will soon vote on whether to sell the building to a developer who plans to tear it down. (4) I think the Rialto is important. (5) A restored theater would draw visitors downtown in the evening, when most shops are now empty. (6) It would also give local schools a stage for plays and concerts. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 3 to establish her credibility with the council. Which choice best does this?
Question 11 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." The comparison to "a student who copies an answer" supports the writer's point by
Question 12 of 25A student is writing an essay about community gardens. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Vacant lots are common in many American cities. (2) In recent decades, some neighborhoods have turned these lots into community gardens. (3) Residents rent small plots, grow vegetables, and share tools. (4) Supporters say the gardens provide fresh food in areas where grocery stores are scarce. (5) The gardens also bring neighbors together. The writer wants to begin sentence 5 with a word or phrase that shows how it relates to sentence 4. Which choice is best?
Question 13 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." The sentence "Yet something is lost when nothing is" relies mainly on
Question 14 of 25A student is writing a report about honeybees. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Honeybees cannot speak, but they can give directions. (2) When a forager finds a rich patch of flowers, she returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance" on the honeycomb. (3) The angle of the dance compared with straight up on the comb shows the direction of the food compared with the direction of the sun. (4) The length of the waggle part of the dance shows how far away the food is. The writer is adapting this paragraph for a presentation to a class of fourth graders. Which version of sentence 3 is most appropriate for that audience while staying accurate?
Question 15 of 25A student is writing a letter to her town council. The draft reads: (1) The Rialto Theater on Main Street has been closed for eleven years. (2) Its marquee is missing letters, and its doors are chained. (3) The town council will soon vote on whether to sell the building to a developer who plans to tear it down. (4) I think the Rialto is important. (5) A restored theater would draw visitors downtown in the evening, when most shops are now empty. (6) It would also give local schools a stage for plays and concerts. The writer wants to replace sentences 1 and 2 with a single sentence that creates a vivid, specific image of the theater's neglect. Which choice best does this?
Question 16 of 25A student is writing an essay about community gardens. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Vacant lots are common in many American cities. (2) In recent decades, some neighborhoods have turned these lots into community gardens. (3) Residents rent small plots, grow vegetables, and share tools. (4) Supporters say the gardens provide fresh food in areas where grocery stores are scarce. (5) The gardens also bring neighbors together. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 5 that supports the claim in sentence 5. Which choice best does this?
Question 17 of 25A town librarian spoke to the city council about a plan to cut the hours of her branch library. Her remarks: "Members of the council, I have worked at the Eastside branch for nineteen years, and I have never once seen it empty. On weekday mornings, retirees read the newspapers they no longer pay for. After three o'clock, the tables fill with students whose homes have no quiet corner and, often, no internet connection. On Saturdays, parents bring toddlers to story hour and stay to fill out job applications on our computers. The proposal before you would close the branch on Saturdays and every weekday at five. I understand that the city's budget is tight; I have read the same report you have. But the savings in that report are measured in dollars, and the costs are measured in people. A family that loses its Saturday hours does not lose a convenience. It loses the one day when a working parent can bring a child through our doors." Which best describes how the speech is organized?
Question 18 of 25A student is writing an essay about community gardens. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Vacant lots are common in many American cities. (2) In recent decades, some neighborhoods have turned these lots into community gardens. (3) Residents rent small plots, grow vegetables, and share tools. (4) Supporters say the gardens provide fresh food in areas where grocery stores are scarce. (5) The gardens also bring neighbors together. The writer wants to add a sentence at the end of the paragraph that appeals to an audience of city planners deciding how to use vacant land. Which choice best does this?
Question 19 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." In the last two sentences ("The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us."), the writer
Question 20 of 25A student is writing a report about honeybees. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Honeybees cannot speak, but they can give directions. (2) When a forager finds a rich patch of flowers, she returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance" on the honeycomb. (3) The angle of the dance compared with straight up on the comb shows the direction of the food compared with the direction of the sun. (4) The length of the waggle part of the dance shows how far away the food is. The writer wants to begin sentence 4 with a transition. Which choice best shows how sentence 4 relates to sentence 3?
Question 21 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." The word "malfunction" in the third sentence suggests that
Question 22 of 25A student is writing a letter to her town council. The draft reads: (1) The Rialto Theater on Main Street has been closed for eleven years. (2) Its marquee is missing letters, and its doors are chained. (3) The town council will soon vote on whether to sell the building to a developer who plans to tear it down. (4) I think the Rialto is important. (5) A restored theater would draw visitors downtown in the evening, when most shops are now empty. (6) It would also give local schools a stage for plays and concerts. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 6 that ends the paragraph by tying both reasons back to her position. Which choice best does this?
Question 23 of 25The following is from an essay about phone navigation apps: "For most of human history, getting lost was the price of going anywhere new. Travelers asked strangers for directions, misread the stars, and now and then ended up in the wrong valley. Today a phone announces every turn before we reach it, and getting lost has become rare enough to feel like a malfunction. It would be easy to celebrate this as pure progress, and in many ways it is: fewer missed flights, fewer drivers circling unfamiliar blocks. Yet something is lost when nothing is. A person who follows a blue line on a screen arrives without having learned the shape of the city. She knows the destination but not the route, the way a student who copies an answer knows the answer but not the problem. The point is not to throw away our phones. It is to notice what we hand over each time we let them think for us." The writer's attitude toward phone navigation apps is best described as
Question 24 of 25A student is writing a report about honeybees. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Honeybees cannot speak, but they can give directions. (2) When a forager finds a rich patch of flowers, she returns to the hive and performs a "waggle dance" on the honeycomb. (3) The angle of the dance compared with straight up on the comb shows the direction of the food compared with the direction of the sun. (4) The length of the waggle part of the dance shows how far away the food is. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 4 that supports the claim that the dance tells other bees how far away the food is. Which choice best does this?
Question 25 of 25A student is writing an essay about community gardens. The draft paragraph reads: (1) Vacant lots are common in many American cities. (2) In recent decades, some neighborhoods have turned these lots into community gardens. (3) Residents rent small plots, grow vegetables, and share tools. (4) Supporters say the gardens provide fresh food in areas where grocery stores are scarce. (5) The gardens also bring neighbors together. The writer wants to add this sentence after sentence 4 while keeping the essay's formal, even-handed tone: "Critics say the gardens are a total waste of space and honestly kind of a joke." Which version best does this?

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