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📚AP English Literature
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📚AP English Literature

FRQ 1 – Poetry Analysis
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Practice FRQ 1 of 491/49

1. In H. D.'s poem "Pursuit," published in 1916, the speaker closely tracks the physical traces left behind by someone moving rapidly through a forest. Read the poem carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how H. D. uses literary elements and techniques to convey the speaker's complex experience of pursuing an elusive figure.

In your response you should do the following:

  • Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.

  • Select and use evidence to support your line of reasoning.

  • Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.

  • Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.

Pursuit

What do I care

that the stream is trampled,

the sand on the stream-bank

still holds the print of your foot:

5

the heel is cut deep.

I see another mark

on the grass ridge of the bank--

it points toward the wood-path.

I have lost the third

10

in the packed earth.

But here

a wild-hyacinth stalk is snapped:

the purple buds--half ripe--

show deep purple

15

where your heel pressed.

A patch of flowering grass,

low, trailing--

you brushed this:

the green stems show yellow-green

20

where you lifted--turned the earth-side

to the light:

this and a dead leaf-spine,

split across,

show where you passed.

25

You were swift, swift!

here the forest ledge slopes--

rain has furrowed the roots.

Your hand caught at this;

the root snapped under your weight.

30

I can almost follow the note

where it touched this slender tree

and the next answered--

and the next.

And you climbed yet further!

35

you stopped by the dwarf-cornel1--

whirled on your heels,

doubled on your track.

This is clear--

you fell on the downward slope,

40

you dragged a bruised thigh--you limped--

you clutched this larch2.

Did your head, bent back,

search further--

clear through the green leaf-moss

45

of the larch branches?

Did you clutch,

stammer with short breath and gasp:

_wood-daemons3 grant life--

give life--I am almost lost._

50

For some wood-daemon

has lightened your steps.

I can find no trace of you

in the larch-cones and the underbrush.

Source: H. D., Sea Garden, 1916

1 dwarf-cornel: a low-growing shrub
2 larch: a type of coniferous tree
3 wood-daemons: nature spirits or deities

Timed

00:00

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FRQ Directions
Free Response Question Practice

This practice environment simulates the AP AP English Literature Free Response Questions section. Here are some guidelines:

  • Read each question carefullybefore responding. Pay attention to command verbs like "identify," "explain," "analyze," or "evaluate."
  • Use the timer to practice time management. You can pause, restart, or hide the timer as needed.
  • Mark for Review if you want to come back to a question later.
  • Your responses are saved automatically as you type. You can also use the drawing tool for questions that require diagrams or graphs.
  • Use the toolbar for formatting options like bold, italic, subscript, and superscript.
  • Navigate between questions using the Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Tip: Answer all parts of each question. Partial credit is often available, so even if you are unsure, provide what you know.