AP Multiple-Choice Stems

From the AP Language exam:

1.	What is the author's attitude toward the subject?

2.	What does the phrase ______mean?

3.	How would you characterize the style of the passage?

4.	What is the main point of the passage?

5.	Restate the phrase, ________.

6.	Define the phrase, _________.

7.	What is the narrator's purpose in writing this passage?

8.	What is the narrator's purpose in lines _______.

9.	Why does the writer use the allusion to______?"

10.	What is the tone of the passage?

11.	How would you characterize the diction and style of the passage?

12.	What is the narrator asserting in lines________?

13.	Describe the structure of the sentence in lines_____.

14.	What contrast does the narrator develop in lines _______?

15.	What effect is achieved by the narrator's using the phrases _______?

16.	What dominant technique is the narrator using in lines ______?

17.	In lines _______, ________is a metaphorical way of saying ________.

18.	What does the author achieve by juxtaposing_______and________?

19.	What does the narrator accomplish in this passage?

20.	What does the choice of words show about the narrator's beliefs?

21.	Where is there a shift of tone in the passage?

22.	The syntax in lines ________serves to ____________.

23.	What is the narrator's attitude toward the subject?

24.	What assumptions does the narrator make about the audience?

25.	How does the author seek to interest us in the first paragraph?

26.	What method does the author use to develop the argument?

27.	Line ________is parallel to what other line in the passage?

28.	What can you infer about the author's attitudes toward the subject?

29.	What is the antecedent for _______?

30.	What type of argument is the author using in this passage?

31.	What pattern of exposition is the author using in this passage?

32.	What is the atmosphere established in lines _______?

33.	Why is the sentence in lines _______ coherent, despite its length?

34.	In line______, the use of_______instead of_________accomplishes what?

35.	What is the function of _______in the passage?

36.	What is the subject of the sentence in lines ______?

37.	What does the author apparently believe about the subject?

38.	What does the author believe we should do in response to this passage?

39.	Why is the sentence in lines________remarkable?

40.	What is the function of paragraph _________? of line _______?

41.	The references in lines ______________ serve to

42.	The stylistic feature most evident in lines _________________ is the use of?