Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature Practice Exam

What is prose?

1. Structured poetry with fixed meter.

2. The ordinary form of spoken or written language without rhyme or meter.

3. A genre characterized by fictional narratives.

4. A type of verse that exaggerates human emotions.

The correct answer is: The ordinary form of spoken or written language without rhyme or meter.

Prose refers to the ordinary form of spoken or written language that is not organized according to the formal structures found in poetry, such as rhyme or meter. It is typically structured in sentences and paragraphs and is the most common type of language used in everyday communication, literature, essays, and other forms of writing. Prose can encompass a wide range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, drama, and more, but its defining characteristic is the absence of the rhythmic and rhyming patterns that characterize poetry. This makes option B the most accurate definition of prose. While other options might describe different literary forms or elements, they do not accurately capture the essence of prose. For example, structured poetry with fixed meter clearly aligns with poetry rather than prose, and genres characterized by fictional narratives might include prose but do not specifically define it. Similarly, a type of verse that exaggerates emotions would pertain to poetic forms rather than prose. Thus, option B effectively distinguishes prose from these other literary forms.