Upon analyzing trends of the open-ended AP Literature prompts, it is evident that the test changed in functionality over time. The earliest of all exams had two responses in which a student could choose whichever he or she felt most comfortable with, but that trend was short-lived. The College Board also constructed prompts that compared two different works, and required a more plot-based response, as opposed to how the work contributed to society or what the author’s intended purpose of creating the work was, which soon shifted to the “avoid plot summary” tail of each prompt. There was also a theme of discussing the author and current events in the prompts at this time, which does not testify to what they extensively ask today. The works from 1981 on focus primarily …show more content…
The AP exam creators predominantly concern themselves with how small, or large, aspects of the piece contribute largely to the work, for this “work as a whole” move has transcended over the years. A great deal of these prompts could be further categorized into what the question asks and what the focus of the prompt is. Only the first ten years of prompts had a focus other than the work as a whole; however, the way in which the College Board posed the questions was similar, for the other part of the question began similarly, it was the response it elicited that differed. For example, the prompt calls for a work utilizing a character of merit, setting, symbolism, allusion, among other prominent ideals, but these beginning questions neglect to ask how these features contribute to the work as a whole, rather asking only how an audience would react to the reference or merely focus on the