AP Latin Exam Instructions

The 200-word examination instruction list

AP Latin asks you to read, translate, analyse and explain. Locate the governing verb and the grammatical relationships before translating. For analysis, identify the requested Latin detail and explain how it supports your interpretation.

Start with the list or jump to exam requirements, worked examples, the Fencing Method or practice. The vocabulary entries are study aids for recognising what a question requires.

Latin translation, grammar and metre

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
1	Sight passage	An unfamiliar Latin text to read using syntax, context and the available information.
2	Syllabus passage	A text from the prescribed course readings.
3	Project passage	One of the nonsyllabus Latin passages studied for the course project.
4	Project checkpoint	A teacher-scored task that records part of the course project.
5	Identify the form	Name the grammatical features requested, such as tense, mood or case.
6	Explain the construction	State how the words work together in the sentence.
7	Translate in context	Preserve the relationships, force and meaning of the Latin in natural English.
8	Translation segment	A defined portion to translate, with attention to its relationship to the surrounding passage.
9	Supply the antecedent	Name the word or idea a pronoun refers to.
10	Cite the Latin	Select the requested Latin evidence and explain its relevance where directed.
11	Scan the line	Mark syllable quantities and feet according to the metre.
12	Syllable long by nature	A syllable with an inherently long vowel or diphthong.
13	Syllable long by position	A syllable made metrically heavy by its consonant environment under the applicable rules.
14	Elision	The usual omission in scansion of a final vowel or vowel plus m before a following vowel or h plus vowel.
15	Dactyl	A metrical foot consisting of one long followed by two short syllables.
16	Spondee	A metrical foot consisting of two long syllables.
17	Dactylic hexameter	A line of six feet with the usual substitutions and constraints of Latin epic verse.
18	Caesura	A word break within a metrical foot, often significant in the line’s rhythm.
19	Anceps	A position that can admit either quantity under the metrical scheme.
20	Declension	A system of noun, adjective or pronoun inflections.
21	Conjugation	A system of verb inflections.
22	Nominative	The case typically used for the subject or a predicate noun agreeing with it.
23	Genitive	A case often expressing possession, relationship or a partitive construction.
24	Dative	A case often used for the indirect object or reference.
25	Accusative	A case often marking a direct object or an infinitive’s subject in indirect statement.
26	Ablative	A case with functions including means, separation, accompaniment and circumstance.
27	Vocative	The case used for direct address.
28	Agreement	Match features such as case, gender and number where grammar requires them.
29	Finite verb	A verb form marked for person and number in the relevant construction.
30	Principal parts	Forms used to identify a verb’s stems and build its inflections.
31	Indicative	The mood commonly used for factual assertion and direct questions.
32	Subjunctive	A mood used in specified clause types and expressions of possibility, purpose or volition.
33	Imperative	A form used to give a command.
34	Infinitive	A nonfinite verb form that can act as a complement or enter indirect statement.
35	Participle	A verbal adjective whose form carries verbal and adjectival information.
36	Deponent verb	A verb with generally passive forms and active or intransitive meaning.
37	Ablative absolute	An ablative phrase, often with noun and participle, that supplies a circumstance for the main clause.
38	Indirect statement	Report a statement, commonly through an accusative subject and infinitive.
39	Indirect question	A reported question that typically takes a subjunctive in Latin.
40	Indirect command	A reported request or command often expressed through ut or ne with a subjunctive.
41	Purpose clause	A clause expressing an intended aim.
42	Result clause	A clause expressing a consequence rather than an intention.
43	Temporal clause	A clause locating an event in time relative to another.
44	Cum clause	Determine whether cum introduces time, cause or concession from the construction and context.
45	Relative clause	A clause introduced by a relative expression and connected to an antecedent.
46	Relative clause of characteristic	A subjunctive relative clause that characterises a type of person or thing.
47	Gerund	A verbal noun used in certain oblique cases.
48	Gerundive	A verbal adjective often used to express obligation or in constructions with verbal force.
49	Passive periphrastic	A gerundive with a form of sum, often expressing necessity or obligation.
50	Dative of agent	Identify the doer in a passive periphrastic construction where the dative performs this role.
51	Ablative of means	Identify the instrument or means by which an action occurs.
52	Ablative of comparison	Identify what something is compared with in a comparative construction.
53	Historical present	A present-tense verb used to narrate an event in a past sequence.
54	Word order	Use inflection for syntax and consider placement as possible emphasis.
55	Hyperbaton	Separation of words that belong together syntactically.
56	Chiasmus	A crossed ABBA ordering of corresponding elements.
57	Asyndeton	Omission of conjunctions between linked elements.
58	Polysyndeton	Repeated use of conjunctions between linked elements.
59	Alliteration	Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
60	Anaphora	Repetition at the start of successive clauses, phrases or lines.
61	Enjambment	Continuation of a syntactic unit beyond a verse line.
62	Ecphrasis	A vivid description, often of an artwork, within a literary text.
63	Roman cultural context	Use a relevant practice, institution or belief to interpret a feature of a passage.
64	Mythological allusion	Identify a reference to a myth and connect it to the passage’s meaning.
65	Lexical ambiguity	Choose among plausible meanings by checking syntax and context.
66	Relative tense of an infinitive	Compare the infinitive’s time with that of the governing verb.
67	Supine	A verbal noun with limited forms and uses, including purpose with certain motion verbs.
68	Identify the subject	Use agreement, case and context to find the agent or grammatical subject.
69	Identify the main verb	Find the finite verb that anchors the clause before translating subordinate material.

Passage analysis and textual evidence

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
70	Defensible interpretation	Make an interpretive claim supported by the details of the text.
71	Speaker versus poet	Attribute the voice in the poem to its speaker unless the text supports another attribution.
72	Narrator versus author	Separate the voice telling the story from the person who wrote the work.
73	Unreliable narrator	Explain which details invite doubt about the narrator’s account.
74	Character complexity	Explain how apparently conflicting traits, choices or pressures coexist.
75	Character foil	Use the contrast between characters to explain what becomes clearer about them.
76	Narrative distance	Explain how close the telling brings the reader to a character or event.
77	Point of view	Explain how the narrator’s or speaker’s perspective affects what readers understand.
78	Shift in the poem	Identify what changes and how the shift develops the poem’s meaning.
79	Effect on the reader	Explain a plausible impression or response created by a specific choice in context.
80	Narrative perspective	Identify who tells or filters the story and what their perspective lets readers know.
81	Structural contrast	Explain what changes between parts of the text and what that change makes noticeable.
82	Story opening	Establish a narrative direction within the part of the story the task requests.
83	Narrative pace	Explain how quickly the text moves through events and why that matters.
84	Contrast in tone	Compare the attitudes conveyed by the wording in two parts or sources.
85	Inclusive language	Explain how words such as we invite readers or listeners to share a position.
86	Give a reason	Connect the answer to a relevant principle or piece of evidence.
87	Reason for the shift	Explain why the change in focus or tone matters to the text’s effect.
88	Effect	State the resulting change or consequence.
89	Writer’s effect	Explain how a particular choice of language shapes the reader’s impression.
90	Purpose	Identify what the communication is intended to achieve.
91	Contrast	Show how the items differ on a shared point of comparison.
92	Evidence	A fact, detail or observation that supports a claim.
93	Reason	The basis for a statement, choice or result.
94	Narrative gap	Explain what the reader is made to wonder because information is withheld.
95	Single-word evidence	Use one well-chosen word when it can support a precise interpretation.
96	Same meaning	Preserve the original relationship, tense and other relevant meaning.
97	Language	Use clear and suitable vocabulary and grammar with appropriate range and control.
98	Present a reasoned case	Develop the position and show how the evidence supports it.
99	Evidence from the text	Use a detail from the source or lines named by the question.
100	Writer attitude	Infer how the writer feels from the language and evidence used.
101	Academic tone	Use clear, respectful language appropriate to an academic exchange.
102	Develop with a specific example	Show how an example makes your point about the text or viewpoint clearer.
103	Main purpose	Identify what the text as a whole is trying to accomplish.
104	Words in context	Choose the sense or expression that fits the local wording and purpose.
105	Reference within the text	Resolve a reference by locating the word or idea it points back to.
106	Illustrative example	Choose a particular case that demonstrates a broader point.
107	Sentence structure	Use word order and grammatical roles to make a complete sentence.
108	Rhetorical purpose	Identify the job a detail does in the author’s argument.
109	Writer’s view	Identify the opinion the writer expresses.
110	In context	Use the meaning that fits this passage or situation.
111	Example	A particular case used to make a general idea clear.
112	Context	The surrounding information that helps determine meaning.
113	Relevant example	Use an example that genuinely supports the paragraph’s point.
114	Cross-text connections	Compare how two texts address the same point.
115	Communicative purpose	Identify what the writer or speaker is trying to achieve.
116	Cause and effect	Choose a link that shows one event producing or explaining the other.
117	Support the claim	Give evidence that bears on the exact claim in the question.
118	Line of reasoning	Make the connection between the thesis, evidence and supporting ideas visible.
119	Interpret	Say what a statement, result or display means in context.
120	Literary form	Identify the form and explain its relevance to the interpretation.
121	Preserve the source meaning	Restate or select the information without changing what it says.
122	Identify the task purpose	Decide what the communication needs to achieve before drafting.
123	Identify a source’s purpose	Find why the writer or speaker supplied the particular information.
124	Compare the writers’ views	Use each source to identify its position on the same issue.
125	Reference in context	Identify the person, object or idea a pronoun or phrase points to.
126	Link the evidence to the claim	Explain how the cited detail supports your point.
127	Compare moments within a work	Pair scenes or details to support an interpretation of the work as a whole.

Further examination vocabulary

No.	Instruction or term	Meaning or action
128	Identify	Name or pick out the item the question specifies.
129	State	Express the required point directly and clearly.
130	Describe	Report the relevant characteristics, events or pattern.
131	Explain	Connect the result to its cause, mechanism or reasoning.
132	Compare	Set the items side by side on the same relevant feature.
133	Justify	Give evidence for the claim and explain how that evidence supports, qualifies or defends it.
134	Evaluate	Weigh relevant evidence or criteria before reaching a judgment.
135	Determine	Work from the given information to establish an answer.
136	Select	Choose only the number of options requested.
137	Check	Test the answer against the original instruction or condition.
138	Distinguish	Give the feature that lets the reader tell two things apart.
139	Infer	Use clues to reach a conclusion the material implies.
140	Support	Supply evidence that helps establish the claim.
141	Claim	An assertion that can be tested against evidence or reasoning.
142	Summarise	Select the central points and leave out minor details.
143	Define	Give the precise meaning used in the subject or question.
144	Outline	Give the main steps or points in brief.
145	Give	Supply the requested fact, example or result.
146	Name	Supply the correct term, person or item.
147	List	Set out the requested items separately.
148	Indicate	Make the chosen feature or answer clear.
149	Complete	Fill in what is missing while keeping the supplied structure.
150	Locate	Find the specified detail, point or region.
151	Refer to	Use the specified passage, figure or notes when responding.
152	Based on	Ground the answer in the material named in the question.
153	According to	Use what the specified source says.
154	Most likely	Choose the conclusion with the strongest support among the options.
155	Best supported	Prefer the conclusion backed most directly by the evidence.
156	Explicit	Stated directly in the source.
157	Implicit	Suggested by the source and recoverable from clues.
158	Conclusion	The result reached after considering the reasoning or evidence.
159	Assumption	A premise taken as given for the purpose of the question.
160	Condition	A requirement that must be satisfied.
161	Constraint	A restriction that shapes the possible answers.
162	Criterion	A standard used to choose or judge an answer.
163	Source	The particular text, figure, notes or data supplied for use.
164	Passage	A stretch of text provided for reading and answering questions.
165	Statement	A complete assertion to examine or respond to.
166	Option	One of the choices the question offers.
167	Section	A group of questions or tasks within a test.
168	Illustrate	Make an idea clear with a relevant example or diagram.
169	Demonstrate	Show how a fact, process or result can be established.
170	Arrange	Put items into the order or grouping requested.
171	Sequence	Put stages into a meaningful order.
172	Classify	Assign each item to a category using the stated rule.
173	Order	Sort items by the criterion given in the prompt.
174	Omit	Leave out the indicated item or detail.
175	Include	Make sure the requested part appears in the response.
176	Exclude	Keep the named item or category outside your answer.
177	With reference to	Tie each important point to the specified material.
178	With examples	Support the answer with concrete cases from the appropriate material.
179	Two reasons	Give two distinct explanations for the relevant result.
180	Subpart	Treat each separately lettered or numbered question as its own instruction.
181	Scoring guidelines	Review what the released rubric accepts for each point.
182	Course and Exam Description	Check College Board’s guide for the named AP course and exam year.
183	Explain one way	Give one specific example and show how it meets the stated condition.
184	Limitations	Identify specific boundaries on the conclusions that the method can support.
185	Strengths	Explain features that make the evidence or method fit the purpose.
186	Counterexample	Give one valid case that disproves a general claim.
187	Perspective	Explain the viewpoint from which a claim or event is presented.
188	Bias	Identify a systematic leaning and explain how it may shape the evidence.
189	Implication	Explain what would follow if the claim or finding holds.
190	Compare both	Keep each named text, case or object visible across the same comparison points.
191	Author’s claim	Find what the named author argues or asserts.
192	Evaluate a claim	Use relevant criteria and explain the strengths or limits of the reasoning.
193	Scope	Check the population, time frame or range covered by the claim.
194	Logical relationship	Identify whether adjacent ideas add, contrast, explain or exemplify.
195	Synthesis	Combine related evidence into one coherent understanding.
196	Contextual meaning	Use the surrounding text to decide which interpretation fits.
197	Reason and evidence	Distinguish the basis for a claim from the material that supports that basis.
198	Evidence and commentary	Pair the supporting material with an explanation of how it advances the argument.
199	Scope of comparison	Use the same group, period or criterion for the alternatives.
200	Intended audience	Identify whom a document addresses and why that audience matters to the argument.

What AP Latin requires

College Board lists the regular exam for May 14, 2027. Responses are completed in Bluebook. The course also includes in-class project checkpoints.

Exam component	Format and weighting
I · Multiple choice	52 questions in 65 minutes. Questions cover unfamiliar and prescribed prose and poetry, with tasks involving vocabulary, grammar, metre, style and context.
II · Free response	5 questions in 115 minutes. Complete a short answer, a translation divided into 15 segments, a short essay and two short essays based on project passages.
Course project checkpoints	Study four Latin passages outside the prescribed syllabus readings. The two teacher-scored in-class checkpoints count for 2% of the final AP score.

One checkpoint is a draft summary of a project passage. The other presents an interpretation supported by Latin evidence and knowledge of the passage. Your teacher submits the checkpoint scores. The two project-passage short essays are part of the Bluebook exam.

AP is a U.S.-based programme offered domestically and internationally. Confirm local registration, reporting and submission arrangements with your school or testing centre.

Read the task before planning your answer

For sight reading, parse endings before relying on English word order. In a project passage, retain the exact words that support your interpretation and practise explaining why their form, arrangement or context matters.

Worked examples for common instructions

Identify an ablative absolute

Prompt. Identify the construction in urbe capta, milites discesserunt.

Answer. Urbe capta is an ablative absolute. Urbe and capta agree in the ablative. It supplies the circumstance of the main action. One translation is “After the city had been captured, the soldiers departed.”

Translate an indirect statement

Prompt. Translate dicit pueros venire.

Answer. “He or she says that the boys are coming.” Pueros is the accusative subject of venire, and the present infinitive indicates action simultaneous with the saying.

Explain an obligation

Prompt. Translate liber mihi legendus est and identify the function of mihi.

Answer. “I must read the book.” Legendus est is a passive periphrastic, and mihi identifies the person on whom the obligation falls.

Support an interpretation

Prompt. An invented passage repeats timor at the beginning of successive clauses. Explain a plausible effect.

Answer. The initial repetition is anaphora. Repeatedly placing fear first makes it the organising idea of the passage. Confirm the effect against what each clause says.

Use the Fencing Method to build an answer

Start with one accurate answer. Add a specific detail, then explain why it supports the point. Practise applying the same structure to a different case.

Start. The soldiers departed.

Add context. The soldiers departed after the city had been captured.

Add reasoning. Urbe capta is an ablative absolute that supplies a prior circumstance for discesserunt. Both words agree in the ablative.

Transfer. Try hostibus victis and explain how the new phrase changes the circumstance of the same main action.

Practise with the 200 terms

Choose three lines of prose or verse. Mark the governing verb and clause boundaries, then translate. Revisit one phrase and explain how a grammatical or stylistic feature affects its meaning.

Distinguish time and tense

Try it. In dicit pueros venisse, when did the boys come relative to the saying?

Check. The perfect infinitive venisse expresses earlier action. Translate “He or she says that the boys came” or “have come,” as the context warrants.

Frequently asked questions

Should I identify the construction before translating?

Mark the construction when it determines who acts, when an action occurs or how clauses relate. Then translate the complete idea and follow the prompt for any labels it requests.

Official sources and next reading

College Board AP Latin exam information · 2027 AP dates and deadlines

AP Latin Course and Exam Description

Top 200 Vocabulary Word List for AP Latin | Must Know Words for Common Examination Instructions