ANALYSIS OF OPEN-ENDED PROMPTS
The information that follows comes from an analysis of open-ended prompts from released exams. The
themes are paraphrased to give you a summary view.
Nearly all of the prompts warn you to avoid plot summary. They also expect you to choose an
appropriate work of literary merit. “Appropriate” means that you can defend your thesis by references to
that work.
Main Thematic Focus
Main
Literary
Focus
Show how a character’s alienation reveals the surrounding society’s
assumptions and moral values.
character’s
conflict
Show how a character is caught between colliding cultures—national, regional,
ethnic, religious, institutional.
character’s
conflict
Analyze how tension between outward conformity and inward questioning
contributes to the meaning of a work.
analysis of
elements of
literature: theme
Show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of a work.
analysis of
elements of
literature: theme
Choose a character whose private passion conflicts with his or her
responsibilities. In your essay show the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the
character, and its significance to the work.
character’s
conflict
Show the author’s purpose for including a struggle for dominance. author’s
style/technique
Choose an important character who is a villain. Then analyze the nature of the
character’s villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work.
analysis of
elements of
literature
character
Explain how a scene or scenes of violence contribute to the meaning of the
complete work.
analysis of
elements of
literature: theme
Analyze the sources of a conflict between a parent and a son or daughter and character’s