Advanced Placement (AP) Latin, formerly Advanced Placement (AP) Latin: Vergil, is an examination in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

literature offered to American high school students by the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

Advanced Placement Program Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewh ...

. Prior to the 2012–2013 academic year, the course focused on poetry selections from the ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

'', written by Augustan author

Publius Vergilius Maro Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the ''Eclogues'' ...

, also known as Vergil or Virgil. However, in the 2012–2013 year, the College Board changed the content of the course to include not only poetry, but also prose. The modified course consists of both selections from Vergil and selections from ''

Commentaries on the Gallic War ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' (; ), also ''Bellum Gallicum'' (), is Julius Caesar's first-hand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it, Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine year ...

'', written by prose author

Gaius Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

. Also included in the new curriculum is an increased focus on sight reading. The student taking the exam will not necessarily have been exposed to the specific reading passage that appears on this portion of the exam. The College Board suggests that a curriculum include practice with sight reading. The exam is administered in May and is three hours long, consisting of a one-hour multiple-choice section and a two-hour free-response section.

Material previously tested (before 2012)

Students were expected to be familiar with these following lines of the ''Aeneid'': * Book 1: Lines 1–519 * Book 2: Lines 1–56, 199–297, 469–566, 735-804 * Book 4: Lines 1–449, 642–705 * Book 6: Lines 1–211, 450–476, 847–901 * Book 10: Lines 420-509 * Book 12: Lines 791–842, 887-952 Students were also expected to be familiar with the total content of Books 1 through 12.

Abilities tested

The exam tests students' abilities to: * Translate a Latin passage from the

syllabus A syllabus (; : syllabuses or syllabi) or specification is a document that communicates information about an Academy, academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curriculum. ...

into English literally * Explicate specific words and phrases in context * Identify the context and significance of short excerpts from the works specified in the syllabus * Identify and analyze characteristic or noteworthy features of the authors' modes of expression, including their use of imagery, figures of speech, sound effects, and metrical effects (in

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

only), as seen in specific passages * Discuss particular motifs or general themes not only suggested by passages but also relevant to other selections * Analyze and discuss structure and to demonstrate an awareness of the features used in the construction of a poem,

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

, or an argument * Scan the meters specified in the syllabus

Reading and translation

Critical appreciation of the ''Aeneid'' as poetry implies the ability to translate literally, to analyze, to interpret, to read aloud with attention to pauses and phrasing, and to scan the

dactylic hexameter Dactylic hexameter is a form of meter used in Ancient Greek epic and didactic poetry as well as in epic, didactic, satirical, and pastoral Latin poetry. Its name is derived from Greek (, "finger") and (, "six"). Dactylic hexameter consists o ...

verse. Students should be given extensive practice in reading at sight and in translating literally so that their translations not only are accurate and precise, but also make sense in English. The instructions for the

translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...

questions, "translate as literally as possible," call for a translation that is accurate and precise. In some cases an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

may be translated in a way that makes sense in English but is rather loose compared to the Latin. In general, however, students are reminded that: * The tense, voice, number, and mood of verbs need to be translated literally *

Subject–verb agreement A verb is a word that generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual description of English, the basic fo ...

must be correct *

Participle In linguistics, a participle (; abbr. ) is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived from a verb and used as an adject ...

s should be rendered precisely with regard to tense and voice *

Ablative absolute Latin syntax is the part of Latin grammar that covers such matters as word order, the use of cases, tenses and moods, and the construction of simple and compound sentences, also known as ''periods''. The study of Latin syntax in a systematic way ...

s may be rendered literally or as

subordinate clause A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, subclause or embedded clause, is a certain type of clause that juxtaposes an independent clause within a complex sentence. For instance, in the sentence "I know Bette is a dolphin", the claus ...

s; however, the tense and number of the participle must be rendered accurately *

Historical present In linguistics and rhetoric, the historical present or historic present, also called dramatic present or narrative present, is the employment of the present tense instead of past tenses when narrating past events. It is typically thought to heig ...

is acceptable as long as it is used consistently throughout the passage.

Exam

The three-hour exam consists of a one-hour multiple-choice section and a two-hour free-response section that includes fifteen minutes of reading time and one hour forty-five minutes of writing time.College Board AP Latin: Vergil Course Description
/ref> The multiple choice section includes approximately fifty questions that relate to four passages: three read at sight and one from the syllabus. The multiple choice questions test the many skills learned and practiced throughout the year, including: * 20–30% grammar and lexical questions (10–15 questions) * 35–45% translation or interpretation of a phrase or sentence (17–23 questions) * 2–5% metrics: that is, scansion of the dactylic hexameter line (1–3 questions) * 2–5% figures of speech (1–3 questions) * 20–30% identification of allusions or references, recognition of words understood but unexpressed, explication of inferences to be drawn (10–15 questions) * 2–5% background questions on the ''Aeneid'' passage only (1–3 questions) The free-response section includes translation, analysis, and interpretation of the Latin text from the syllabus. The format is as follows: * Question 1: a 10-minute translation * Question 2: a 10-minute translation * Question 3: a 45-minute long essay * Question 4: a 20-minute short essay * Question 5: a 20-minute short essay based on the entire ''Aeneid'' (Latin selections and parts read in English)

Current AP Latin curriculum (2012–present)

For the 2012–2013 academic year, the College Board announced that it had made revisions to its AP Latin curriculum. In general, the College Board announced new goals in the curriculum. These include: * Required readings in both prose and poetry * Development of student capacity to read Latin at sight * Greater focus on grammatical, syntactical, and literary terminology Instead of solely focusing on Vergil's ''Aeneid'', the curriculum will now include both prose and poetry, including selections from Julius Caesar's ''Commentaries on the Gallic War''. The new required reading list, including revisions to the number of lines required from the ''Aeneid'', is: Vergil's ''Aeneid'' * Book 1: Lines 1–209, 418–440, 494–578 * Book 2: Lines 40–56, 201–249, 268–297, 559–620 * Book 4: Lines 160–218, 259–361, 659–705 * Book 6: Lines 295–332, 384–425, 450–476, 847–899 Caesar's ''Gallic War'' * Book 1: Chapters 1–7 * Book 4: Chapters 24–35 and the first sentence of Chapter 36 (Eodem die legati ..venerunt.) * Book 5: Chapters 24–48 * Book 6: Chapters 13–20 Also, there is a change to the required readings in English. The new list from the ''Aeneid'' is books 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12, instead of all twelve books, as was previously required. The new required reading list in English from the ''Gallic War'' is books 1, 6, and 7. Also in the revised curriculum there is also a newly placed emphasis on sight reading. The College Board announced that the exam will include Latin passages not on the required readings lists in an effort to enhance students' ability to read at sight. Recommended authors for prose include (inexhaustibly):

Nepos Nepos is a Latin word originally meaning "grandson" or "descendant", that evolved with time to signify " nephew". The word gives rise to the term nepotism. It may also refer to: * Cornelius Nepos, a Roman biographer * Julius Nepos, sometimes consi ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

(though not his letters),

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo; 61 – ), better known in English as Pliny the Younger ( ), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and e ...

, and

Seneca the Younger Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger ( ; AD 65), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, a dramatist, and in one work, a satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. Seneca ...

, rather than authors such as

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (, ; –35 BC), was a historian and politician of the Roman Republic from a plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became a partisan of Julius ...

. For poetry, recommended authors (inexhaustibly) include:

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman and Celtiberian poet born in Bilbilis, Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of '' Epigrams'', pu ...

Tibullus Albius Tibullus ( BC BC) was a Latin poet and writer of elegies. His first and second books of poetry are extant; many other texts attributed to him are of questionable origins. Little is known about the life of Tibullus. There are only a few r ...

, and

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; ), known as Catullus (), was a Latin neoteric poet of the late Roman Republic. His surviving works remain widely read due to their popularity as teaching tools and because of their personal or sexual themes. Life ...

, rather than poets such as

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ; 55–128), was a Roman poet. He is the author of the '' Satires'', a collection of satirical poems. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, but references in his works to people f ...

, or

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imper ...

. For practice with sight reading in both poetry and prose, the College Board recommends additional Latin passages in the ''Aeneid'' and ''Gallic War'' that are not included in the required reading list. The free-response section includes translation, analysis, and interpretation of the Latin text from the syllabus. The format is as follows: * Question 1: 15-minute translation: Vergil * Question 2: 15-minute translation: Caesar * Question 3: 45-minute analytical essay * Question 4: 15-minute short answers: Vergil * Question 5: 15-minute short answers: Caesar

Grade distribution

In the 2010 administration, 6,523 students took the exam, and 4,114 passed (3 or higher), or about 63.1%. In the 2011 administration, 6,044 students took the exam, and 3,861 passed (3 or higher), or about 63.9%. In the 2012 administration, 18,161 students took the exam, and 11,244 passed (3 or higher), or about 61.9%. In the 2013 administration of the redesigned exam, 6,667 students took the exam, and 4,442 passed (3 or higher), or about 66.6%. In the 2014 administration of the exam, 6,542 students took the exam, a slight decrease from last year, and 4,307 passed (3 or higher), or about 65.8%, a slight decrease from last year's pass rate. The grade distributions were: AP Latin Scores 2010-2018

References

{{reflist

External links

AP Latin: Vergil at CollegeBoard.com

AP Latin: Course Revisions for the 2012-2013 Year

Commentary on selections from the Latin text of the Aeneid
at

Dickinson College Commentaries Dickinson College Commentaries is a digital project of Dickinson College, which is located in Carlisle, near Harrisburg, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The project assembles digital commentaries on texts in Latin and ancient Greek and publishe ...

(including the AP selections) Latin language tests Advanced Placement