This year's AP English exam asked about 'artifice' in politics. A lot of students wrote about Trump.


There is nothing sweeter than reading an essay prompt and instantly feeling inspired. For many of the more than 500,000 students who took the AP English Language and Composition exam this year, that 'a-ha' moment made them think of President Trump.
The third exam prompt came from the essay "America the Illiterate" by Chris Hedges, BuzzFeed News reports, and it asked the students to reflect on the statement: "The most essential skill in political theater and the consumer culture is artifice. Those who are best at artifice succeed. Those who have not mastered the art of artifice fail."
The hashtag #APLang quickly became a forum for teens skewering Trump:
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Of course, not everyone wrote exactly the same essay:
The test administrators should not be surprised by the response — the name "Trump" has been proven to not especially inspire people to think of nice words.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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