AP English Language Free Response Argument for Helen Keller

👋 Welcome to the AP English Lang FRQ: Argument 1 (Helen Keller). These are longer questions, so grab some paper and a pencil, or open up a blank page on your computer.

⚠️ (Unfortunately, we don't have an Answers Guide or Rubric for this question, but it can give you an idea of how an Argument FRQ might show up on the exam.)

⏱ The AP English Language exam has 3 free-response questions, and you will be given 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the FRQ section, which includes a 15-minute reading period. (This means you should give yourself ~40 minutes to go through each practice FRQ.)

• • 😩 Getting stumped halfway through answering? Look through all of the available resources on Arguments.

Setup

Helen Keller (1880-1968) lost her abilities to speak and hear after suffering from an illness at nineteen months old. She learned to read and write with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and she became an influential author and disability rights activist. Keller once argued that “avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.” She quipped that “the fearful are caught as often as the bold.”

Guidelines

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which it is beneficial to intentionally avoid danger.

In your response you should do the following:

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