In lines 5-12 (“When . . . then”), the speaker describes changes that may take place in his appearance primarily in order to
A: dramatize the hardships that he is about to face
B: outline the reasons that his journey is necessary
C: explain some surprising aspects of the picture
D: suggest that he will understand if the beloved leaves him
E: represent how difficult it will be to be away from the beloved

Mildred’s account in line 21 (“Well . . . here it is”) of her interaction with Muriel most clearly serves to

A: introduce a second source of conflict that will soon affect all of the characters
B: offer an example of the ongoing tension among several of the characters
C: build suspense before the resolution of a crucial misconception
D: provide another perspective on an important episode in Richard’s past
E: supply context that helps explain the behavior for which Richard is being punished

In the context of the final stanza, the change from “drifting” (line 47) to “bursting” (line 50) suggests a change in the

A: pace of the speaker’s meditation
B: intensity of the speaker’s distress
C: focus of the speaker’s longing
D: impetuosity of the speaker’s actions
E: direction of the speaker’s future

In the third sentence of the fourth paragraph (“I sat . . . beast”), the narrator likens his heart to a hammer in order to convey the intense

A: determination to understand how the autoclave works

B: brokenheartedness in knowing he will never meet his mother

C: anxiety that he will be discovered in a forbidden room

D: gratitude and awe at how his experiences have shaped him

E: fear and excitement as he sits where his mother sat

[Prose Analysis] In this excerpt from Ah, Wilderness, a play by Eugene O’Neill, Richard, a teenage boy, is moping in his room due to being grounded after staying out late (a result of his belief that his “love” did not return his affections). When his sister Mildred enters, the two discuss his grounding and feelings for Muriel. In a well-written essay, analyze how the playwright uses literary devices and techniques to characterize the complex attitude Richard exhibits towards Muriel’s response to him.

In lines 11-20, the speaker imagines a future moment of conflict between the beloved and the “rival fools” that serves to

A: point out that the beloved too will inevitably age
B: warn the beloved not to be too free with her affections
C: promise that he will be willing to compete with the rival fools
D: predict that the rival fools will be responsible for his decline
E: assert that the beloved will remain true to him

Richard’s reaction to the letter Mildred gives him suggests that the “other letter” (line 22) has been an obstacle to him because he was

A: overwhelmed by the knowledge that Muriel returns his feelings
B: convinced that Muriel did not mean what she said
C: determined to sneak out of the house to see Muriel
D: upset that Muriel had talked to Mildred about her feelings
E: saddened that Muriel did not want to be in a relationship with him

In line 38, “faltered” most directly suggests that the evening seemed to

A: become obscured by clouds
B: shrink from daytime concerns
C: abandon an initial hope
D: show signs of fear
E: lose its forward momentum

The simile in last sentence of the second paragraph (“In his . . . bow”) primarily serves to

A: accentuate the description of the chorus

B: contrast with the sound of the autoclave

C: comment on the boy angel's physique

D: explain the purpose for the boy angel's arrow

E: underscore the sensuality of the boy angel

[Poem Analysis] In “Elegy V: His Picture” by John Donne, the speaker gives a picture to his lover so that he may remember him. In a well-written essay, analyze how the poet uses literary devices to characterize the complex relationship between the speaker and his lover.

In context, lines 1-2 (“Here . . . dwell”) serve to indicate which of the following about the speaker?

A: He is determined to betray no sense of any danger.
B: He is anxious to begin his journey despite his feelings.
C: He suggests that he will remain unshaken in his devotion to his beloved.
D: He expresses a fear that he may never see his beloved again.
E: He recognizes that conflict is inescapable in relationships.

Which of the following best describes a secondary conflict that remains unresolved at the end of the passage?

A: Richard is having second thoughts about his feelings for Muriel.
B: Muriel does not feel the same way about Richard as he does about her.
C: Mildred has a second letter from Muriel that she is withholding.
D: Muriel’s parents have forbidden her from leaving the house.
E: Muriel’s parents do not wish for her to see Richard any longer.

All of the following shifts are introduced in the first four stanzas (lines 1-20) EXCEPT

A: present to past
B: barrenness to abundance
C: sickness to health
D: reflecting to remembering
E: sorrow to contentment

Which choice best supports an interpretation that like the child, the adult narrator feels compelled to speculate about his mother?

A: "Why this picture?" (paragraph 3)

B: "Courage alone could not get me past that heavy door" (paragraph 4)

C: “But for a four-year-old, everything is sacred and ordinary” (paragraph 5)

D: “the metaphors of her faith were also the metaphors of medicine” (paragraph 5)

E: “When are you coming?” (paragraph 5)

[Prose Analysis] In this excerpt from "Cutting for Stone", a novel by Abraham Verghese, the narrator explores an area where his mother used to live. In a well-written essay, analyze the literary devices Verghese employs to characterize the complex nature of the relationship between the narrator and his mother.

The speaker’s presentation of his picture to his beloved builds suspense in the poem because it raises the possibility that the

A: speaker does not plan to return to the beloved after his voyage
B: speaker ultimately values art more than he values personal relationships
C: speaker is not confident that his love for the beloved will remain strong
D: beloved will in the future need a reminder of what the speaker once was
E: beloved and the speaker do not actually know each other very well

Details presented in the passage suggest that the setting of Richard and Mildred’s conversation is

A: inside their family’s home
B: inside their father’s office
C: on the porch of Muriel’s home
D: on the street in front of Muriel’s home
E: on Richard and Muriel’s secret date

Which of the following best describes the structure of the poem?

A: It begins with the expression of a desire, then imagines the fulfillment of that desire, and finally describes disillusionment with that desire.
B: It begins with an evening in the present, examines the significance of a memory, and returns to a somewhat later moment the same evening.
C: The first half describes a dream, and the second half describes awakening from the dream.
D: The first half evokes companionship, and the second half celebrates solitude.
E: Alternating stanzas depict the speaker’s internal and external worlds.

The first-person narration in the middle of the fifth paragraph (“I pulled . . . image”) includes reflections that primarily create the effect of

A: juxtaposing naïve and intellectually sophisticated views of the same experience

B: contrasting innocently positive and cynically pessimistic interpretations

C: challenging a childlike series of thoughts with harsh factual statements

D: complementing the narrator’s hazy recollections with more recent memories

E: substituting the narrator’s childhood observations with an adult’s gentle criticisms

[Literary Analysis] In many works of literature, a character is involved in a complex romantic or familial relationship that influences their decision making. From your own reading, choose a work of fiction in which such a relationship affects the plot, theme, or character development. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the effect of this relationship and how it contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

The speaker’s comparison of his own youthful looks to “milk” (line 8) primarily serves to suggest

A: a large age difference between the beloved and himself
B: an evolution in the beloved’s perspective as her love for him matures
C: the possibility that his feelings for the beloved will sour as time passes
D: the lack of knowledge he had in his youth about the difficulties of war
E: the duty the beloved will have to care for him in his sickness and old age

What lines from the passage would best support a reader’s claim that teenage rebellion is a central theme in the passage?

A: Line 4 (“He didn’t . . . seeing me”)
B: Line 14 (“Don’t . . . kids”)
C: Line 19 (“And you . . . that”)
D: Line 28 (“Can’t . . . after”)
E: Line 29 (“Goodness . . . nerve”)

The final stanza (lines 46-50) is characterized by

A: a growing resurgence of a powerful emotion
B: a frightening loss of identity and memory
C: a welcome return to the familiar
D: an alienation from the natural world
E: an awestruck acceptance of the divine

The image of Bernini’s statue functions throughout the passage as a motif that

A: presents a powerful example of religious faith

B: juxtaposes the realms of the spirit with the realms of the flesh

C: demonstrates a child's colorful imagination

D: contrasts the worlds of art and medical science

E: conveys a contradiction between memory and reality

[Literary Analysis] In many works of literature, a character seeks to act in accordance with or in opposition to the societal norms of the setting. From your own reading, choose a work of fiction in which such a desire affects the plot, theme, or character development. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the effect of this desire and how it contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.