AP Spanish Literature and Culture Unit 1 Practice Test: Unit 1: Middle Ages and Origins

Question 1

[Skill: 1.A.i | Topic: 1.1]

Read the excerpt below (anonymous romance, medieval Spain):

> «Cartas le fueron venidas
> que Alhama era ganada;
> las cartas echó en el fuego,
> y al mensajero matara.
> “¡Ay de mi Alhama!” decía,
> con voz triste y desmayada.

Which of the following is the best paraphrase in English of the excerpt, preserving the meaning and tone?

Accepted Answer

When he receives letters announcing that Alhama has been taken, he burns the letters, nearly kills the messenger, and repeats mournfully that he has lost Alhama.

Answer

After reading letters about a celebration in Alhama, he throws them into the fireplace and rewards the messenger, shouting joyfully that Alhama is his.

Answer

He sends letters to Alhama warning that it will be attacked, and when the messenger returns, he calmly accepts the news without emotion.

Answer

He burns the city of Alhama himself and then blames the messenger for the destruction, speaking proudly of his victory.

Question 2

[Skill: 1.A.ii | Topic: 1.1]

Read the excerpt below (adapted-style lines modeled on medieval epic diction):

> «Dejó el Cid a doña Jimena en San Pedro orando;
> besó a sus niñas, lloraban, y partió desterrado.
> “A servir he de ganarme pan y honra con mi brazo”,
> dijo a sus hombres leales mientras tomaban el camino.

Which of the following best summarizes what happens in the excerpt?

Accepted Answer

The Cid says farewell to his wife and daughters at a monastery, leaves in exile with his loyal men, and declares he will earn sustenance and honor through his deeds.

Answer

The Cid refuses to leave his family, stays at the monastery, and decides to abandon warfare for a life of prayer.

Answer

The Cid returns triumphant from exile, reunites with his family at the monastery, and distributes wealth to celebrate his restored status.

Answer

The Cid secretly abandons his men, disguises himself, and blames his family for his exile while fleeing alone.

Question 3

**1. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.2]**

Read the excerpt below (modeled on medieval didactic prose in the style of *El Conde Lucanor*).

> —Señor conde —dijo Patronio—, un mancebo halló una bolsa de monedas en el camino. Pensó guardarla y con ella comprar pan y vino aquel día; pero al rato vino un hombre pobre llorando: «Esa bolsa era para pagar el rescate de mi hijo». El mancebo, con vergüenza, devolvió la bolsa. Y aunque quedó sin comer, ganó buena fama entre todos.

Which of the following best **paraphrases the moraleja** (lesson) that Patronio’s example is meant to teach?

Accepted Answer

Returning what is not yours may require personal sacrifice, but it protects honor and reputation in the community.

Answer

If you find money, you should keep it because immediate survival is more important than anyone else’s problems.

Answer

People should only give money to others when it will directly free prisoners or solve a public crisis.

Answer

Generosity is valuable only when it produces a material reward that compensates for what you gave up.

Question 4

**2. [Skill: 1B | Topic: 1.2]**

Read the excerpt below from *El Cantar de mio Cid*.

> De los sos ojos tan fuertemientre llorando,
> tornava la cabeça e estávalos catando;
> vio puertas abiertas e uços sin cañados,
> alcándaras vazías, sin pielles e sin mantos…

Which option best **summarizes what is happening** in the scene AND **explains what it suggests about power relations** in the Cid’s world?

Accepted Answer

The Cid confronts the material consequences of exile; the emptied home reflects how royal authority can strip a vassal of security and public honor.

Answer

The Cid returns home after being honored by the king; the open doors and emptiness show that his household is celebrating a royal victory.

Answer

The Cid prepares for his daughters’ wedding; the lack of household goods is a sign that he has generously donated his wealth to the church.

Answer

The Cid abandons his military role out of fear; the empty house symbolizes his personal cowardice rather than any social or political conflict.

Question 5

**1.** [Skill: 1B | Topic: 1.3]

**Stimulus (from *Lazarillo de Tormes*, Anónimo):**
> “Escapé del trueno y di en el relámpago. Porque era el ciego para con vos un Alejandro Magno, con ser la misma avaricia, comparado al clérigo. Aunque él me mataba a golpes, aquél me mataba de hambre; y, si no lo remediara, creo yo que no viviera.”

Which option best identifies the **point of view** and explains how it helps develop a central idea connected to **power relations** in the excerpt?

Accepted Answer

A first-person retrospective narrator highlights the abuse of authority by contrasting masters, using irony to criticize those who hold social and religious power.

Answer

A third-person omniscient narrator objectively reports events to suggest that suffering is inevitable and unrelated to social hierarchy.

Answer

A second-person narrator directly instructs the reader on moral behavior, presenting poverty as a personal choice rather than a social condition.

Answer

A detached dramatic narrator focuses on external action only, preventing any critique of institutions or social classes.

Question 6

**1.** [Skill: 2A | Topic: 1.4]

Read the following excerpt from the anonymous medieval romance **“Abenámar y el rey don Juan.”**

> “¡Abenámar, Abenámar, moro de la morería!
> 
> El día que tú naciste, grandes señales había.
> 
> Estaba la mar en calma, la luna estaba crecida;
> 
> Moro que en tal signo nace, no debe decir mentira.”

Which option identifies the literary feature most clearly present in the excerpt and best explains how it supports the romance as a cultural product shaped by oral tradition?

Accepted Answer

Rima asonante in the even-numbered lines, which creates musicality that supports memorization and oral recitation.

Answer

In medias res, which begins the narrative at a climactic moment to create suspense for a silent reading audience.

Answer

Polifonía, which presents several distinct, competing narrators to destabilize any single authoritative perspective.

Answer

Estribillo, which repeats an identical refrain at the end of each stanza to unify a long lyric poem.

Question 7

[Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.5]

Read the following excerpt from the anonymous romance “Romance del prisionero” and choose the option that best paraphrases the passage while also capturing the speaker’s situation.

> “Que por mayo era por mayo,
> cuando hace la calor,
> cuando los trigos encañan
> y están los campos en flor,
> cuando canta la calandria
> y responde el ruiseñor,
> cuando los enamorados
> van a servir al amor;
> sino yo, triste, cuitado,
> que vivo en esta prisión;
> que ni sé cuándo es de día
> ni cuándo las noches son,
> sino por una avecilla
> que me cantaba al albor.”

Accepted Answer

In May, when nature and lovers are at their happiest, the speaker remains imprisoned and can only tell that morning has arrived because a small bird sings at dawn.

Answer

In May, the speaker takes comfort in walking through flowering fields with other lovers and celebrates that the bird’s song has finally freed him from prison.

Answer

The speaker describes a harsh winter landscape to emphasize that his imprisonment is caused by hunger and poverty rather than by any external authority.

Answer

The speaker explains that he refuses romantic love because it distracts him from his religious duties, so he chooses to isolate himself from society.

AP Spanish Literature and Culture Unit 1: Middle Ages and Origins Practice Exam

Exam Details

A. Multiple-Choice Questions (10 Questions)

B. Short Answer Questions (2 Questions)

AP Spanish Literature and Culture Unit 1: Middle Ages and Origins Practice Exam

Exam Details

A. Multiple-Choice Questions (10 Questions)

B. Short Answer Questions (2 Questions)