TMC COPYRIGT @2026
THE AMERICAN LITERATURE INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE
Can You Analyze Like a Top AP Student?
Level: International High School / Pre-University
Time: 60 Minutes
Skills Tested: Literary analysis, historical context, theme, symbolism, argumentation
Answers at the end of the test
SECTION A: Foundational Knowledge (Short Answer)
1. Identify the major themes in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
2. Explain the significance of the green light in The Great Gatsby.
3. What is the central conflict in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?
4. Define “Transcendentalism” and name one key writer.
SECTION B: Literary Analysis
5. Analyze the use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
6. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, how does the theme of the American Dream
appear?
7. Discuss how race and identity shape the narrative in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper
Lee.
SECTION C: Poetry Analysis
8. Identify the main theme of “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson.
9. How does Langston Hughes portray the American Dream in “Harlem”?
10. Identify one literary device used in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.
SECTION D: Historical & Literary Context
11. What literary movement is associated with Ernest Hemingway?
12. Define Modernism in American literature.
13. What social issue influenced The Grapes of Wrath?
SECTION E: Critical Thinking (Short Essay Style)
14. Compare the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men.
15. How does fear operate as a tool of control in The Crucible?
TMC COPYRIGT @2026
, TMC COPYRIGT @2026
SECTION F: Advanced Analytical Skills
16. Identify tone in the opening chapter of The Great Gatsby.
17. Explain tragic flaw in Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman.
18. Define “unreliable narrator” and name one example from American literature.
19. Identify two characteristics of Realism in American literature.
20. Write a thesis statement analyzing how identity shapes one American novel studied.
TMC COPYRIGT @2026
THE AMERICAN LITERATURE INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE
Can You Analyze Like a Top AP Student?
Level: International High School / Pre-University
Time: 60 Minutes
Skills Tested: Literary analysis, historical context, theme, symbolism, argumentation
Answers at the end of the test
SECTION A: Foundational Knowledge (Short Answer)
1. Identify the major themes in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
2. Explain the significance of the green light in The Great Gatsby.
3. What is the central conflict in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?
4. Define “Transcendentalism” and name one key writer.
SECTION B: Literary Analysis
5. Analyze the use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
6. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, how does the theme of the American Dream
appear?
7. Discuss how race and identity shape the narrative in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper
Lee.
SECTION C: Poetry Analysis
8. Identify the main theme of “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson.
9. How does Langston Hughes portray the American Dream in “Harlem”?
10. Identify one literary device used in “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.
SECTION D: Historical & Literary Context
11. What literary movement is associated with Ernest Hemingway?
12. Define Modernism in American literature.
13. What social issue influenced The Grapes of Wrath?
SECTION E: Critical Thinking (Short Essay Style)
14. Compare the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men.
15. How does fear operate as a tool of control in The Crucible?
TMC COPYRIGT @2026
, TMC COPYRIGT @2026
SECTION F: Advanced Analytical Skills
16. Identify tone in the opening chapter of The Great Gatsby.
17. Explain tragic flaw in Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman.
18. Define “unreliable narrator” and name one example from American literature.
19. Identify two characteristics of Realism in American literature.
20. Write a thesis statement analyzing how identity shapes one American novel studied.
TMC COPYRIGT @2026
