"True Love"

AP Lit Skill Test- Words & Their Function

“True Love” by Robert Penn Warren Read the poem here and answer the question below and questions on the following slides.

1. Which repeated sound, word, or phrase in a text emphasizes an idea or association, and what is the emphasized idea or association?

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AP Lit Skill Test- Words & Their Function

2. How do you trace a referent to its antecedent, and how might ambiguous referents affect an interpretation of a text?

a. Stanza 1: referent – It; Antecedent – the heart

b. Stanza 3: referent – It; Antecedent – beauty

c. Stanzas 7-8: referent – He; Antecedent – Their father

d. Stanza 12: referent – It; Antecedent – my name

©2020, AP Lit & More

“ True Love” by Robert Penn Warren

AP Lit Skill Test- Words & Their Function

3. How do the relationships between adjectives and adverbs and the words they modify affect a reader’s interaction with the text?

a. “big” (stanzas 2 & 7)

b. “good” (stanza 8)

c. “beautiful” (stanza 12)

©2020, AP Lit & More

“ True Love” by Robert Penn Warren

AP Lit Skill Test- Words & Their Function

4. How does the use of hyperbole and understatement convey a particular perspective of their subjects?

©2020, AP Lit & More

“ True Love” by Robert Penn Warren

AP Lit Skill Test- Words & Their Function

5. How do words and phrases create ambiguous meanings and invite multiple interpretations of a text?

a. “In silence the heart raves.” (line 1)

b. “How could I exist in the same world with that brightness?” (line13)

c. “She named my name” (lines14-15) vs. “She called my name once” (line 36)

©2020, AP Lit & More

“ True Love” by Robert Penn Warren