AP Existentialism: Final Exam

1. How does one characterize “loneliness”?

a. Something like the pause between songs.

b. I cannot touch someone’s hand without thinking about it for days after.

c. Envy, slick and oily, down the back of the throat.

d. My father only ever says, “Love you,” not, “I love you.” This was an omission I did not realize

existed until I heard him greet his second wife.

2. Why are we fascinated with death?

a. Horror movies are not considered a high art form.

b. We learn to be kind; only now do I mourn the worms I killed at age five.

c. Ever been to a funeral? Me neither.

d. I did not believe in sleep when I was young because I could not recall my dreams.

3. What is your worst fear?

a. We fall in love, get married, two kids, I wake one morning, press a kiss to his temple, hear him

whisper someone else’s name, roll over, pretend I didn’t.

b. The inevitable darkness of shadows after light.

c. Your own brain.

d. None of the above.

4. Why do you want to go to college?

a. My grandmother never finished fourth grade. My mother works 65 hours a week. My brother

was expelled for pulling a knife on the principal.

b. An incomplete list of acronyms; SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College

Testing), AP (Advanced Placement), GPA (grade point average), ASD (Acute Stress Disorder).

c. They tell me it’s what I want. They’ve assured me; this right here, right now, is what I live for.

d. Prefer not to answer.