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Flashcards: Syntax and Sentence Structure
Adapted from Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)
Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil, in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence that in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. WHEREFORE, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever FORM thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others.
In order to gain a clear and just idea of the design and end of government, let us suppose a small number of persons settled in some sequestered part of the Earth, unconnected with the rest; they will then represent the first peopling of any country, or of the world. In this state of natural liberty, society will be their first thought. A thousand motives will excite them thereto, the strength of one man is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief of another, who in his turn requires the same. Four or five united would be able to raise a tolerable dwelling in the midst of a wilderness, but ONE man might labor out the common period of life without accomplishing any thing; when he had felled his timber he could not remove it, nor erect it after it was removed; hunger in the mean time would urge him from his work, and every different want call him a different way.
When he states that “Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise,” the author means __________.
palaces and fancy clothing are expensive luxuries
people judge each other about their opinions on governmental issues just like they judge each others’ clothing
government is necessary because people are imperfect
governments change as quickly as fashionable styles of clothing
government should treat everyone in the same way
All AP English Language Resources
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As you work your way through the AP English Language and Composition course, you may find that you want to enhance your study efforts with different tools, and that’s where Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools, including AP English Language and Composition flashcards, come in handy These subject-specific flashcards are available online, free of charge, and offer opportunities to explore topics like author, tone, and intent; tonal literary devices; words and phrases in context; and phrase usage. There are hundreds of individual free flashcards online in the AP English Language and Composition Flashcard set. In fact, the set includes cards on author, tone, and intent, flashcards on literary devices, and flashcards on passage meaning and construction. There are also flashcards focused on thesis or argument, and more just for diction and vocabulary. Varsity Tutors offers resources like free AP English Language Practice Tests to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider an AP English Language tutor.
You can use these AP English Language and Composition flashcards for to study various topics that you’re exploring in your classes, use them to improve your own writing, or to prepare for the AP English Language and Composition exam. The exam itself includes multiple-choice questions and free response questions, with three written passages that students must respond to.
These online flashcards feature passages that you’ll be asked to read and interpret, along with five possible answers, much like the multiple-choice questions you’ll find on the AP English Language and Composition exam. You’ll be asked to examine passages and determine what is being compared and contrasted; you’ll also be asked to identify why an author uses writing conventions to convey certain meanings. Almost immediately, you’ll know whether you’ve correctly answered the question, because the flashcard offers an explanation of the correct answer. In addition to the AP English Language Flashcards and AP English Language tutoring, you may also want to consider taking some of our AP English Language Diagnostic Tests.
If you’re looking for study aids that give you flexibility in how you use them and how much you use them, these Learning Tools are an option. You don’t have to examine every flashcard in every subsection available; you can also skip around in the flashcard set, whether you choose an answer for the specific question or not. You can even return to flashcards you have already examined. This will allow you to personalize your study experience and utilize your time in the most productive way that you can.
There are other study resources available for AP English Language and Composition as well. Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools offers Full-Length Practice Tests, shorter, topic-focused Practice Tests, Flashcards, a series of questions called the Question of the Day, and an interactive syllabus for the topic called Learn by Concept. These tools are all designed to help you better understand the content that you learn in the AP English Language and Composition course.
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