AP® English Literature and Composition Sample Student Responses and Scoring Commentary Set 2 - Free-Response Question 3 - Literary Argument

Sep 22, 2026

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2023 AP® English Literature and Composition Sample Student Responses and Scoring Commentary Set 2 for Free-Response Question 3 focuses on Literary Argument and the character of a rebel who disrupts societal, familial, or political affairs. The prompt requires a thesis with defensible interpretation, text-based evidence, and commentary explaining how evidence supports the line of reasoning, with attention to grammar and punctuation. The scoring guidelines detail point-by-point criteria for thesis quality and evidence/commentary development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Literary Argument (Question 3)

Prompt Requirements

Scoring Guidelines: Row A (Thesis)

Scoring Guidelines: Row B (Evidence and Commentary)

2023 AP® English Literature and Composition Sample Student Responsesand Scoring Commentary Set 2 Inside: Free-Response Question 3 5 Scoring Guidelines 5 Student Samples 5 Scoring Commentary © 2023 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of College Board. Visit College Board on the web: [collegeboard.org](collegeboard.org). [AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org](AP Central is the official online home for the AP Program: apcentral.collegeboard.org). Question 3: Literary Argument 6 points Many works of literature feature a rebel character who changes or disrupts the existing state of societal, familial, or political affairs in the text. They may break social norms, challenge long-held values, subvert expectations, or participate in other forms of resistance. The character’s motivation for this rebellious behavior is often complex. Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a character changes or disrupts the existing state of societal, familial, or political affairs. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the complex motivation of the rebel contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. In your response, you should do the following: • Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation. • Provide 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. | Reporting Category | Scoring Criteria | | | --- | --- | --- | | Row A
Thesis
(0–1 points) | 0 points
For any of the following:
• There is no defensible thesis.
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the issue with no apparent or coherent claim.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt. | 1 point
Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation of the selected work. | | | Decision Rules and Scoring Notes | | | | Responses that do not earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt.
• Make a generalized comment about the selected work that doesn’t respond to the prompt. | Responses that earn this point:
• Provide a defensible interpretation of the complex motivation of the rebel character.
OR
• Make a claim about how the complex motivation of the rebel contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole. | | | Examples that do not earn this point:
Restate the prompt
• “In many literary works, characters rebel against their families, societies, or governments, but their motivation for doing so is usually pretty complex.”
Do not respond to the prompt but make a generalized comment about the selected work
• “In Fences, Cory and Troy have a difficult relationship.”
• “Elizabeth Bennet lives in the 18th century, which was a time when women were expected to get married very young.”
• “In The Coquette, we get Eliza’s story in her own words by reading her letters.” | Examples that earn this point:
Provides a defensible interpretation
• “In King Lear, Cordelia’s quiet rebellion is grounded in her genuine love for her father and her suspicion of Regan and Goneril’s true intentions.”
• “In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy actively resists Nurse Ratched’s rules because of his care for his fellow inmates.”
• “With her refusal to inhabit a subservient role, Sofia, Harpo’s assertive and defiant wife in The Color Purple, inspires the other female characters to rebel against their situations, but her experience also serves as a cautionary tale of what eventually happens to rebels.” | | | Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere with

FAQs

What is the core task of Free-Response Question 3?

Choose a work of fiction where a character changes or disrupts societal, familial, or political affairs, then write an essay analyzing how that rebel’s complex motivation contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

What must a response include to meet the prompt requirements?

Include a thesis presenting a defensible interpretation, provide evidence, explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning, and use appropriate grammar and punctuation.

How do the scoring guidelines evaluate the thesis?

The rubric awards the thesis point when it responds to the prompt with a defensible interpretation of the rebel character’s complex motivation or its contribution to the work’s overall meaning.

Sep 22, 2026

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