AP Lang Skills Kit, Module 10 of 11

Multiple Choice, Writing

Answer the writing questions in Section 1 the way the exam is built. You will name the writer's goal before you look at the choices, then prove an answer and remove the choices that fail. You will learn the kinds of writing questions, the grammar and punctuation rules that appear most, the eight ways wrong choices fool you, how to keep pace, and how to keep a miss log.

1

Start here

Goal: answer the writing questions in Section 1 the way the exam is built. You will name the writer's goal before you look at the choices, then prove an answer and remove the choices that fail. You will learn the kinds of writing questions, the grammar and punctuation rules that appear most, the eight ways wrong choices fool you, how to keep pace, and how to keep a miss log.

Time: three sittings of about 35 minutes, one 15-minute return day, and one timed set of 10 questions when you have about 30 minutes.

Help: you can do this on your own or with family. You do not need a tutor. The Forms score your answers, and the answer key explains every choice, including the wrong ones.

How it works: start at the top and work down in order. When you reach a line that says Stop here, you are done for that day.

Get these ready:

Why it is built this way: a major review of study methods rated practice testing and spacing your study over time as the two most useful methods. So this module has you try first, come back later, and replay the games. Wrong answers on writing questions are not random. Many are built in the same few ways. Giving each way a name helps you say why a choice fails, and your miss log shows which kind of wrong choice fools you most often. We do not claim a rule that works on every question. The names are a way to explain and remember.

Original practice only: every draft in this module was written for this kit, and every question was written for this kit. The towns, schools, and groups in them are invented. None of it is from College Board. You will find a link to College Board's own sample questions in Part 6.

2

Your study plan

WhenWhat to doTime
Sitting 1Try First Check, then Part 1 and Part 2, then Game 135 minutes
Sitting 2, two or three days laterReplay Game 1, then Part 3, Part 4, and Game 235 minutes
Sitting 3, about a week after Sitting 1Replay Game 2, then Game 3, Part 5, and the Exit Check35 minutes
Return day, one to two weeks after Sitting 3Replay one game, then retake the Exit Check15 minutes
When you have about 30 minutesPart 6: a timed set of 10 questions on two new drafts, then score it and log every miss30 minutes

If you get stuck

Do these in order:

  1. Read the explanation in your Form results or the answer key.
  2. Open the tools table below and find the step you are stuck on. If a grammar word stopped you, open the Grammar Help guide.
  3. Add the question to the My Mistakes tab, keep going, and try again at your next sitting.
  4. Still stuck? Post your question in the Community Stream in the Student Hub. Start your post with Q: so tutors and other students can answer it. Ask about one specific question or step.

Doing this with your family

A family member does not need to know the answers. They can run the timer and read each question out loud. Then they can ask two questions: "What does the writer want this sentence to do?" and "Which choice does only that?" Games 1 to 3 work well with two players.

Your writing-question tools

ToolWhat it isWhere you use it
Name the goal, then Identify, Prove, EliminateGoal: what does the writer want here? Identify: what is this question asking me to do? Prove: what must a right answer do, and where is the proof in the draft? Eliminate: which choices fail? If any part of a choice fails, the whole choice fails.Every question
Question decoderA table of ten kinds of writing questions. Each one has a code, a task, and one move.Part 2
Grammar listThe eight rules that appear most, each with a quick test and a link to Grammar Help.Part 4 and Game 3
Trap namesEight names for the ways a wrong choice fails: Off goal, Wrong relationship, Repeats, Wrong tone, Breaks a convention, Changes the meaning, Not in the passage, Sounds smart.Part 4, Game 2, and Part 6
Pace tableAbout 1 minute per question after about 1 minute with the draft.Part 5 and Part 6
Miss logA row on the My Mistakes tab for each miss, with the trap of the choice you picked.Part 4 and Part 6
3

Sitting 1

35 minutes

Try first (about 5 minutes)

Open the Try First Check. Answer all 5 questions before you read anything below. Mark how sure you are on each one. It is fine to miss some, because trying first helps you remember the answers later.

Answer here: Try First Check

Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.

When you submit, choose View score and read why each answer is right or wrong. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker.

Got 5 out of 5? Skip Part 1 and go to Part 2.

Part 1: Name the goal, then three steps (about 15 minutes)

Writing questions at a glance

FeatureWhat to know
Questions20 to 22 of the 45 in Section 1. Reading questions are the other 23 to 25 (Module 9).
What you seeA draft with numbered sentences, then questions about how to improve it. Some questions point at a sentence or a part of a sentence.
Your jobAct as the editor. Decide what the writer wants, then choose the revision that does it.
ChoicesEach question has 4 answer choices. A wrong answer does not lose points, so answer every question.
What is testedThe writer's goal, adding or choosing evidence, combining sentences, transitions, order, tone and purpose, and sentence rules such as punctuation, agreement, tense, and modifiers.

Read the draft first

Read the whole draft once at your normal speed. Then jot one line: what is this draft trying to do, and who is it for? A news article, a science report, and a letter to a council each want different things. This takes about 20 seconds and helps with every question.

Your plan for each question

  1. Name the goal. What does the writer want this sentence or paragraph to do? Say it in your own words before you read the choices.
  2. Identify. What kind of question is this? Use the decoder in Part 2.
  3. Prove. What must a right answer do, and where is the proof in the draft? Point to the words.
  4. Eliminate. Which choices fail? If any part of a choice fails, the whole choice fails. Name the trap if you can.

A choice can be good writing and still be wrong. It must do the job the writer wants, and nothing else.

See the plan on one question

This is a draft of an article for a community newsletter. The Eastside Bike Co-op is an invented place. The sentences are numbered.

[1] The Eastside Bike Co-op opened in a borrowed garage in 2019.

[2] Anyone can walk in and borrow tools to fix a bike.

[3] Volunteers show beginners how to patch a tire or adjust a brake.

[4] The co-op has grown.

[5] It now has a real storefront and more than two hundred members.

[6] Some members say the best part is not the savings but the chance to learn a skill.

Source: original passage written for this kit.

Question. The writer wants to combine sentences 4 and 5 into one sentence that shows how the growth led to what the co-op has now, in the fewest words that keep the meaning. Which choice does this best?

A) The co-op has grown, now it has a real storefront and more than two hundred members.

B) The co-op has grown to the point where it has now come to have a real storefront and more than two hundred members.

C) The co-op has grown, and it now has a real storefront and more than two hundred members.

D) The co-op has grown; however, it now has a real storefront and more than two hundred members.

Plan stepWhat you think
Name the goal.The writer wants one sentence from sentences 4 and 5 that shows growth led to the storefront and members, using few words.
Identify.The question says "combine." It is a combine question (C). Check three things: the link between the ideas, the punctuation, and the extra words.
Prove.Sentence 4 says the co-op "has grown." Sentence 5 says what it "now has." The second sentence is the result of the first, so the link is addition or result, not contrast.
Eliminate.Your turn.

Your turn: which choices fail, and why? Which choice is left? Write your answer and name the trap for each choice you removed. Use the trap names in Part 4. Then check the Part 1 section of the answer key.

How Do I Use the New Writing MCQs?Garden of English, about 7 minutes. Opens on YouTube. Not yet watched.
AP Lang Writing Multiple ChoiceCoach Hall Writes, about 7 minutes. Opens on YouTube. Not yet watched.

Part 2: The question decoder (about 12 minutes)

Every writing question asks you to do one kind of job. When you know the job, you know what to look for in the draft. This table lists ten kinds. Each has a code letter you will use in this module.

CodeKind of questionThe stem sounds likeWhat it asks you to doYour one move
GWrite to a goal"The writer wants to introduce / sum up / state the main point ..."Choose a sentence that does a named job.Say the job in your own words. Pick the choice that does only that job.
EAdd or choose evidence"The writer wants to add a sentence that supports / gives a detail / answers the worry ..."Choose a fact or example that backs up a claim.Find the claim. Pick the choice with a specific fact or example for that claim, not a general statement.
CCombine sentences"Which choice most effectively combines sentences 3 and 4?"Join two sentences into one that is clear and short.Name the link (cause, contrast, addition). Check the punctuation. Cut extra words.
TTransition"Which word or phrase best begins sentence 5?"Choose the link word that fits how two ideas relate.Say the link with a plain word: but, so, for example, also, in short. Then pick the matching transition.
OOrder and placement"Where is the best place for sentence 6?"Put a sentence where the idea builds.Find the sentence's topic. Place it next to the sentences about the same thing, in time or logic order.
DDelete or keep"Should the writer delete sentence 4?"Decide whether a sentence serves the writer's goal.Say the passage's goal. Keep the sentence only if it helps that goal.
NTone and purpose"Which choice best fits the audience / maintains the style of the passage?"Match style to audience and purpose.Name the audience (friend, council, report reader). Reject slang and also stiff, fancy wording.
PPunctuation"Which choice best revises the sentence?" with choices that differ in commas, semicolons, or colonsFix the punctuation.Mark each full sentence and each extra phrase. Apply the Grammar Help test.
AAgreement and tense"Which choice best revises the underlined verb?"Make verbs match subjects and keep one time frame.Cross out words between the subject and verb. Check the tense of the sentences around it.
MModifiers and parallel structure"Walking to school, ..." or a list with mixed formsPut describing words next to what they describe, and match the forms in a list.Read the opening phrase, then the first noun after the comma. For a list, stack the items.

A note on conventions: P, A, and M questions are about rules. The right answer follows the rule and keeps the meaning. The wrong choices usually break a rule, change the meaning, or add extra words.

Decoder check

Write the code letter for each stem. Then check the answer key.

#The stemCode
1Which choice most effectively combines sentences 3 and 4?
2The writer wants to add a sentence that gives a specific example. Which choice does this best?
3Where is the best place for sentence 6?
4Which choice best fixes the verb tense in sentence 2?
5Which word or phrase best begins sentence 5 to show contrast?
6Should the writer delete sentence 7?
Finding connections between ideas within a passageKhan Academy, about 3 minutes. Opens on YouTube. Not yet watched.
Khan Academy, Rhetorical synthesis worked example (SAT Reading and Writing, link from Module 1)Opens on YouTube. Not yet watched.
Khan Academy, SAT Reading and Writing, Expression of Ideas unitOpens on YouTube. Not yet watched.

Game 1: Name the Goal

Goal: name what the writer wants before you look at any choice. Set a timer for 3 minutes. For each situation below, write the number of the goal from the list.

NumberGoal
1Support a claim with a specific fact or example
2Show a contrast
3Show a cause or a result
4Add a similar point
5Combine ideas clearly and briefly
6Put sentences in the best order
7Match the tone to the audience
8Cut what does not serve the point
3:00

Play with a family member or friend: one person reads a situation and the other names the goal and says what kind of word or sentence would do it.

4

Sitting 2

35 minutes

Replay Game 1 and try to beat your score.

Part 3: Practice set (about 15 minutes)

These are original practice questions, not College Board questions. Open the Practice Set and answer them there. The Form shows the draft, asks how sure you are on each question, scores your answers, and explains every choice. The same draft and questions are printed below. If you prefer paper, answer them below, mark each one 1 (guess), 2 (maybe), or 3 (sure), and check them in the answer key.

Answer here: Practice Set

Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.

For each question, name the goal first. Then use Identify, Prove, and Eliminate. Point to the words in the draft before you pick.

Draft

This is a student's draft of a school newspaper article. Marlow High School is an invented school. The sentences are numbered. The draft has some problems for you to fix.

[1] Last spring, students at Marlow High School began sorting their lunch scraps into three bins.

[2] Within a month, the whole cafeteria takes part.

[3] The school's trash dropped by almost a third, the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds.

[4] The program started small, with one table and a sign.

[5] Sorting takes only a few seconds.

[6] Many students were surprised.

[7] Teachers also report that the cafeteria floors are cleaner than they used to be.

[8] The cafeteria's lunch menu includes pizza, salad, and fruit cups on most days.

[9] The program's success shows that small habits, repeated by many people, can change a school.

[10] Other schools in the district is asking how to start their own.

Source: original passage written for this kit.

Question 1. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 2 that gives a specific detail showing how many students joined. Which choice does this best?

A) By June, about 600 of the school's 700 students were sorting their scraps at every lunch.

B) Composting is a process in which food waste breaks down into soil.

C) Many students joined the program.

D) Participation thus attained a proportionately substantial magnitude.

Question 2. Sentence 2 reads, "Within a month, the whole cafeteria takes part." Which choice best revises the underlined verb phrase, "takes part"?

A) takes part

B) took part

C) will take part

D) has been taking part

Question 3. Sentence 3 reads, "The school's trash dropped by almost a third, the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds." Which choice best revises the sentence?

A) The school's trash dropped by almost a third, the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds.

B) The school's trash dropped by almost a third the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds.

C) The school's trash dropped by almost a third: the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds.

D) The school's trash dropped by almost a third, and the garden club now uses the compost in its vegetable beds.

Question 4. The writer wants to move sentence 4 ("The program started small, with one table and a sign.") to a better place. Where should it go?

A) After sentence 1

B) After sentence 5

C) After sentence 9

D) Where it is now

Question 5. The writer wants to combine sentences 5 and 6 into one clear sentence. Which choice does this best?

A) Sorting takes only a few seconds, many students were surprised.

B) Many students were surprised that sorting takes only a few seconds.

C) Sorting takes only a few seconds, although many students were surprised.

D) Many students were surprised by the surprising fact that sorting takes only a few seconds.

Question 6. The writer is considering deleting sentence 8. Should the writer delete it?

A) Yes, because it does not support the passage's point about the program's results

B) No, because it explains why students enjoy the program

C) Yes, because it repeats information from sentence 7

D) No, because the passage should describe every part of the cafeteria

Question 7. Sentence 9 begins, "The program's success shows ..." The writer wants to add an opening phrase that shows the sentence sums up the passage. Which choice does this best?

A) For example,

B) However,

C) In short,

D) Notwithstanding the foregoing,

Question 8. Sentence 10 reads, "Other schools in the district is asking how to start their own." Which choice best revises the underlined verb phrase, "is asking"?

A) is asking

B) are asking

C) asks

D) are making inquiries about

Part 4: Check, explain, and log (about 10 minutes)

Read the explanation for every choice, including the questions you got right. You can find them in your Form results and in the answer key. Every wrong choice has a trap name. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker.

The eight traps

TrapWhat it means
Off goalIt may be true or well written, but it does not do what the writer wants here.
Wrong relationshipThe link word or the order connects the ideas in the wrong way.
RepeatsIt says again what the draft already says, or it adds words that add nothing.
Wrong toneThe style does not fit the audience and purpose, too casual or too stiff.
Breaks a conventionIt has a punctuation, agreement, tense, or modifier error.
Changes the meaningIt fixes the wording but changes the facts or the point.
Not in the passageIt claims something the passage does not say.
Sounds smartIt uses impressive words, but the meaning or fit is poor.

Three trap names are close to Module 9: Off goal is the writing version of Off task, and Wrong relationship and Sounds smart mean the same thing. Repeats, Wrong tone, Breaks a convention, Changes the meaning, and Not in the passage are the ways wrong choices fool you most often in writing questions.

The grammar and punctuation that appear most

You do not need to learn every rule. These eight appear most in writing questions. Each has one quick test. Open Grammar Help or the matching packet when you need more.

RuleQuick testWhere to learn more
Sentence boundaries: comma splice, run-on, fragmentCover everything after the comma, then everything before it. If both stand alone, a comma is not enough.Grammar Packet 1
Commas: after an opening phrase, around extra information, none between subject and verbRemove the words. If the meaning stays, use a comma on each side. Do not split a subject from its verb.Grammar Packet 2
Subject-verb agreementCross out the words between the subject and the verb. Read what is left.Grammar Packet 3
Pronoun agreementFind the noun the pronoun replaces. Are both singular or both plural?Grammar Packet 3
Verb tenseUnderline the verbs in the sentences around it. Keep one time frame unless the time changes.Grammar Packet 3
Modifiers: dangling and misplacedRead the opening phrase, then the first noun after the comma. Is that noun doing the action?Grammar Packet 4
Parallel structureStack the items in a column. Do they start the same way?Grammar Packet 4
Semicolons and colonsA semicolon joins two sentences. A colon follows a full sentence and introduces an explanation or list.Grammar Packet 1 and the Grammar Help guide

The Grammar Help: Terms and Tools guide explains every term in this table.

How to fill in your miss log

For each question you missed or rated 1 or 2, add a row on the My Mistakes tab of your tracker:

After a few questions, look at the Trap column. If one trap shows up again and again, that is the kind of wrong choice that fools you most. Watch for it first.

Game 2: Name the Trap

Goal: name how a wrong choice fails. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Each item gives a short draft, the question, and a wrong choice. Write the number of the trap. If you named a different trap, count it only if you can prove it with words from the draft. Play again at your next sitting.

NumberTrapWhat it means
1Off goalIt may be true or well written, but it does not do what the writer wants here.
2Wrong relationshipThe link word or the order connects the ideas in the wrong way.
3RepeatsIt says again what the draft already says, or it adds words that add nothing.
4Wrong toneThe style does not fit the audience and purpose, too casual or too stiff.
5Breaks a conventionIt has a punctuation, agreement, tense, or modifier error.
6Changes the meaningIt fixes the wording but changes the facts or the point.
7Not in the passageIt claims something the passage does not say.
8Sounds smartIt uses impressive words, but the meaning or fit is poor.
4:00

Play with a family member or friend: one person reads an item and the other names the trap. Then switch.

5

Sitting 3

35 minutes

Replay Game 2 and try to beat your score.

Game 3: Fix the Sentence Type

Goal: name the kind of error in a sentence. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Each item is a sentence with one error. Write the number of the error type. Then, if you have time, write the corrected sentence.

NumberError type
1Comma splice or run-on
2Fragment
3Comma that does not belong, or a missing comma
4Subject-verb agreement
5Pronoun agreement
6Verb tense shift
7Dangling or misplaced modifier
8Parallel structure
4:00

Play with a family member or friend: one person reads the sentence out loud. The other names the error type and says the fix.

Part 5: Pace (about 10 minutes)

Section 1 gives you 1 hour for 45 questions. That is about 80 seconds for each question on average, and the time you spend reading each passage counts. Writing questions are often quicker than reading questions, because the draft is short and the choices are short. Use this table as a guide, not a rule.

StepAbout how longWhat to do
Read the draft and jot one line on its goal and audience1 minuteRead once at your normal speed. Do not reread the whole draft.
Each questionAbout 1 minuteName the goal, Identify, Prove, Eliminate. Point to the words before you pick.
A question that is not clear after 2 minutesStopPick your best choice, mark the question, and move on. Come back if time is left.
The last 3 minutes of the section3 minutesMake sure every question has an answer. A blank earns nothing, and a wrong answer loses nothing.

A draft with 5 questions fits in about 6 minutes: 1 for the draft and 1 for each question. That is the pace you will use in Part 6. If you can do the writing questions faster, you have more time for the reading questions.

Pace drill

Replay Game 3 with the timer set to 3 minutes and 30 seconds instead of 4. Then replay Game 1 with the timer set to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Write both scores. The goal is to keep your score while you go faster.

AP Lang Exam TipsCoach Hall Writes, about 17 minutes. Opens on YouTube. Not yet watched.

Exit Check (about 5 minutes)

Open the Exit Check. Answer all 5 questions without your notes. When you submit, choose View score and read why each answer is right or wrong. Write your score on the My Scores tab of your tracker. Add any question you missed to the My Mistakes tab, with the trap.

Answer here: Exit Check

Trouble with the box? Open it in its own tab.

4 or 5 right: you are ready for your return day. 3 or fewer right: replay Game 2 and Game 3 and reread Part 2 before your return day.

Set your return date. Pick a date one to two weeks from today. Write it on the Next Step tab of your tracker and on your calendar.

Stop here. Come back on your return date.
6

Return day

15 minutes
  1. Replay the game that felt hardest.
  2. Retake the Exit Check without your notes.
  3. Write your score on the My Scores tab and compare it with your first try.

4 or 5 right: go to Part 6. 3 or fewer right: open the help for the questions you missed, then retake the Exit Check in a few days.

7

Part 6: Your timed set and miss log

Do this any time after Sitting 3, when you have about 30 minutes. You will answer 10 questions on two new drafts in 12 minutes. That is 6 minutes for each draft with 5 questions. Then you will score your set and log every miss.

  1. Put your phone away. Ask a family member to run the timer, or set it yourself for 12 minutes.
  2. Start the timer. Read Draft 1, jot one line on its goal and audience, and answer Questions 1 to 5. For each, name the goal, then Identify, Prove, Eliminate. Aim to finish in 6 minutes.
  3. Read Draft 2 and answer Questions 6 to 10 in the next 6 minutes.
  4. When the timer ends, stop. Mark the question you were on. Then guess on any question you did not reach, and put a star by each guess. Do not change any other answer.
  5. Score your set with the answer key. Write your score on the My Scores tab, in a blank row at the bottom (Module 10, Timed set, out of 10).
  6. Log every miss on the My Mistakes tab, as you did in Part 4. For each one, write the trap of the choice you picked, the question type code, and the step you skipped.
  7. Look at your pace. Which questions took more than 2 minutes? Did you finish both drafts in 12 minutes? Write one thing to change next time.

Draft 1

This is a student's draft of a science report about a town. Pinecrest is an invented town. The sentences are numbered.

[1] In 2021, the town of Pinecrest voted to replace its streetlights.

[2] Residents expected a brighter main street.

[3] Instead, the new lights were designed to point downward and glow a soft amber.

[4] The change was meant to protect the night sky, it did exactly that.

[5] By 2023, volunteers with a simple sky meter counted twice as many visible stars as they had in 2019.

[6] Walking down Main Street at night, the stars are easy to see now.

[7] Drivers also report less glare.

[8] Some shop owners worried that dimmer lights would hurt business.

[9] Pinecrest basically proves you can save the stars and still be safe, which is pretty cool.

Source: original passage written for this kit.

Question 1. Sentence 4 reads, "The change was meant to protect the night sky, it did exactly that." Which choice best revises the sentence?

A) The change was meant to protect the night sky, it did exactly that.

B) The change was meant to protect the night sky, and it did exactly that.

C) The change was meant to protect the night sky; and it did exactly that.

D) The change was meant to protect the night sky which it did exactly that.

Question 2. The writer wants to combine sentences 1 and 2 into one sentence that is clear and keeps the order of events. Which choice does this best?

A) In 2021, the town of Pinecrest voted to replace its streetlights, residents expected a brighter main street.

B) Residents expected a brighter main street, so in 2021 the town of Pinecrest voted to replace its streetlights.

C) In 2021, the town of Pinecrest voted to replace its streetlights, and residents expected, at that time, in 2021, a brighter main street.

D) When the town of Pinecrest voted in 2021 to replace its streetlights, residents expected a brighter main street.

Question 3. Sentence 6 reads, "Walking down Main Street at night, the stars are easy to see now." Which choice best revises the sentence?

A) Walking down Main Street at night, a visitor can easily see the stars now.

B) Walking down Main Street at night, the stars are easy to see now.

C) Walking down Main Street at night, the stars now shine for everyone.

D) Walking down Main Street at night, one's seeing of the stars is now facilitated.

Question 4. The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 8 that answers the shop owners' worry with evidence. Which choice does this best?

A) Business owners are important members of any community.

B) Some owners also worried about the cost of the new lights.

C) Sales on Main Street rose in 2022, and two new cafes opened the next spring.

D) Dimmer lights, many people think, may in the end hurt business.

Question 5. Sentence 9 reads, "Pinecrest basically proves you can save the stars and still be safe, which is pretty cool." The writer wants to revise it for a school science report, keeping its full point. Which choice does this best?

A) Pinecrest basically proves you can save the stars and still be safe, which is pretty cool.

B) Pinecrest evidences that the preservation of nocturnal illumination parameters is compatible with safety.

C) Pinecrest saved the stars.

D) Pinecrest shows that a town can protect its night sky and still keep its streets safe.

Draft 2

This is a draft of a letter to the town council. Dunmore is an invented town. The sentences are numbered.

[1] Our town needs a tool library.

[2] A tool library lets residents borrow drills, ladders, and saws for a few days at a time.

[3] Most households owns tools that sit unused for months.

[4] Buying a tool for one small job wastes money and storage space.

[5] A shared collection would help neighbors save money, free up garage space, and reducing waste.

[6] Nevertheless, a tool library opened in nearby Dunmore with a hundred donated tools.

[7] Within a year, residents there borrowed tools more than 1,400 times.

[8] I once borrowed a ladder from my uncle, and he never asked for it back.

[9] The community center has an empty room that is large enough for a collection.

[10] So yeah, the town council should totally say yes.

Source: original passage written for this kit.

Question 6. Sentence 3 reads, "Most households owns tools that sit unused for months." Which choice best revises the underlined verb, "owns"?

A) owns

B) is owning

C) own

D) have owned

Question 7. Sentence 5 reads, "A shared collection would help neighbors save money, free up garage space, and reducing waste." Which choice best revises the underlined words, "and reducing waste"?

A) and reduce waste

B) and reducing waste

C) and to reduce waste

D) and waste could be reduced

Question 8. Sentence 6 reads, "Nevertheless, a tool library opened in nearby Dunmore with a hundred donated tools." The writer wants to replace "Nevertheless," with a phrase that introduces a real example of sentence 5's point. Which choice does this best?

A) Nevertheless,

B) For example,

C) Otherwise,

D) In illustration of such a premise,

Question 9. The writer is considering deleting sentence 8. Should the writer delete it?

A) No, because it shows the writer has experience borrowing tools

B) No, because it proves that most households share tools with relatives

C) Yes, because it repeats the point of sentence 7

D) Yes, because it is a personal story that does not support the case for a town tool library

Question 10. Sentence 10 reads, "So yeah, the town council should totally say yes." The writer wants to revise it for a letter to the town council that asks for action politely. Which choice does this best?

A) So yeah, the town council should totally say yes.

B) I urge the town council to vote yes on a tool library.

C) The town council might consider a tool library at some point.

D) The council is encouraged to formulate an affirmative determination thereupon.

Your answer sheet

QuestionMy answerRight? (Y or N)How sure (1, 2, or 3)Starred guess?Trap of my choiceQuestion type codeStep I skipped
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

My score: ____ / 10 Time used: ____ minutes My most common trap: ____________

This score is practice feedback on a few questions. It is not an official AP score, and it does not predict your exam score.

Try College Board's own sample questions (optional)

College Board publishes sample multiple-choice questions for this course. They are on College Board's site, and you should read them there only. Do not paste official questions or passages into AI tools, because College Board does not allow its content to be used with them.

  1. Open College Board's AP English Language and Composition course page and find the Course and Exam Description. You can also open the Course and Exam Description PDF directly.
  2. Find the sample multiple-choice questions that ask you to revise or edit a draft. Try 5 of them at the same pace: about 1 minute each after you read the draft.
  3. Check your answers with the answer key College Board provides. Log each miss on the My Mistakes tab, and name the trap by looking at the choice you picked.

If you want more official practice, College Board's past exam questions page may list more sample material.

Next step: open the Next Step tab of your tracker and look at your top sticking point. If it is Writing questions, replay Game 2 or Game 3. Then go to Module 11, which brings the whole exam together.

AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this product.

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