2025 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESPONSE

QUESTIONS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

SECTION II
Total Time--2 hours, 15 minutes

Question 1

Suggested reading and writing time--55 minutes.

It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the
sources, and 40 minutes writing your response.
Note: You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.

(This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)

Sustainable development is an idea that meets the needs of the present without jeopardizing the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. It focuses on balancing economic growth, environmental
protection, and social well-being. As the population continues to rise, and resources become more limited,
discovering ways to develop without causing long term harm has become a major concern. Major issues,
especially those related to climate change and pollution have highlighted the need for more sustainable
practices within industries, governments, and everyday life. While many argue that strict environmental
regulations are required to protect natural resources, others believe that economic growth should take
priority, with sustainability as a secondary goal. With ideas surrounding technological advancements such
as eco-friendly materials or renewable energy, high costs and limited accessibility raises the question of
how people will create a future that supports both people and the planet.

Carefully read the following seven sources, including any introductory information for each source. Then
synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-
developed essay that evaluates your stance on whether or not sustainability should be a primary or
secondary goal.

Your argument should be the focus of your essay. Use the sources to develop your argument and explain
the reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are
drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as
Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the descriptions in the parentheses.

Source A (USDOD)
Source B (Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G.)
Source C (Kautonen, T., Schillebeeckx, S. J. D., Gartner, J., Hakala, H., Salmela-Aro, K., & Snellman,
K.)
Source D (Langmann, S., Bezemer, P., & Sharafizad, F.)
Source E (National Geographic Society)
Source F (Schuetze, C. F.)
Source G (Enel Green Power)

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 Source A

Administrator. (2025, February 28). What is sustainable

development? [+ key principles]. University of San
Diego Online Degrees.
https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/what-is-
sustainable-development/

The following is excerpted from What Is Sustainable Development?

This document highlights both the industrial revolution and events that coincide with industrialization, as
well as the emerging drive for both economic growth and development and how they have resulted in
global issues like climate change. Despite the efforts of organizations and activist groups, as well as
governments, more work has been done in order to develop both sustainable technology and better living
conditions. The importance of sustainable development is described as the preservation of natural
resources, especially those that humanity depends on, giving examples such as clean air and drinkable
water. The text mentions the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, as they address major issues
through three key points: social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic prosperity. The
2015 sustainable development goals emphasize justice, regeneration, and global collaboration. High
criticization is present as the controversial belief that assumes human-made solutions can replace natural
resources. Systemic change is the turning point within industries like the energy, agriculture, and
infrastructure industries, which can be achieved through informed policies and widespread investment.

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 Source B

Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G. (2014). The

impact of corporate sustainability on organizational
processes and performance. Management Science,
60(11), 2835–2857.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1984

The following is excerpted from The Impact of Corporate Sustainability On Organizational Processes and
Performance:

Eccles et al. provides empirical evidence and evidence that show sustainability as a core business
objective that can enhance a firm’s performance in the long run. The Authors are professors at Harvard
Business School and London Business School. In their research they conducted a matched sample of 180
U.S. companies, comparing firms that adopted sustainability policies in the early 1990s with those that
did not do the same, they labeled the first “high sustainability companies” and the latter “Low sustainable
companies”. The authors found that by 2009 the sustainability focused firms had significantly different
practices and that these firms outperformed those who did not follow the same sustainable practices. This
academic journal is published in a top-tier peer reviewed journal being highly credible and reliable. One
of the best parts of this journal is that it conducts a longitudinal study which supports its argument
alongside its statistics, that sustainability is a primary goal that correlates with higher financial success. A
limitation that this journal has is that it does not directly generalize to smaller firms or any businesses
outside the U.S. so more research can be beneficial. This article supports the stance that sustainability
should be a primary goal and supports this by showing that using sustainable practices in corporate
strategies can have competitive advantages and better financial performance.

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 Source C

Kautonen, T., Schillebeeckx, S. J. D., Gartner, J., Hakala,

H., Salmela-Aro, K., & Snellman, K. (2020). The
dark side of sustainability orientation for SME
performance. Journal of Business Venturing Insights,
14, e00198.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2020.e00198

The following is excerpted from The Dark Side of Sustainability Orientation for SME Performance

Kautonen et al. discuss how prioritizing sustainability affects the performance of small and medium sized
enterprises of which they refer to as SMEs. Their findings suggest that focus on sustainability can
backfire for these specific firms, their peer reviewed study surveyed Finnish manufacturing SMEs to
quantify the relationship between a firm’s sustainability and its financial performance. The authors
discovered a nuanced relationship with a moderate commitment to sustainability correlating to better
performance but only if a company is willing to make “trade-offs” that favour sustainability over
commerciality, the performance suffers. The credibility of the source is solid and appears in outlets such
as the Journal of Business Venturing, the research team (Authors) consists of experts in the fields of
entrepreneurship and sustainability. This study’s strength is it's focus on the impact sustainability has on
smaller businesses, they show their evidence by providing empirical evidence that shows that
sustainability initiatives can depend on a firm’s context and how all in they go in these initiatives. This
study highlights a potential limitation or cost of treating sustainability as a primary goal as smaller firms
with limited sources may not be able to play on the same level as firms with more resources. This source
supports the stance that sustainability should be a secondary goal and suggests that whilst pursuing
sustainability is usually positive it can backfire and do more harm than good.

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 Source D

Langmann, S., Bezemer, P., & Sharafizad, F. (2025).

Visualising Community Capacity in Sustainable
Development. Journal of Development Studies, 1–25.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/002203
88.2024.2445529

The following is excerpted from Visualizing Community Capacity in Sustainable Development

Community capacity building is essential for sustainable development, yet its effectiveness is often
unclear due to vague definitions. This ethnographic study in Chennai, India, uses photography to identify
community capacities that promote resilience and adaptability. Our analysis revealed three key capacities:
(1) synergistic collaboration, (2) responsible use of animals, and (3) a bricolage mentality. These
capacities enable communities to address their needs sustainably. By challenging abstract
conceptualizations in existing literature, this research highlights the role of community cohesion in
sustainable development and demonstrates photography’s potential to uncover hidden community
strengths.

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 Source E

National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Sustainable

development goals. National Geographic.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sust
ainable-development-goals/

The following is excerpted from Sustainable Development Goals

This article from National Geographic overviews the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals
adopted in 2015 to address global challenges of poverty, inequality, climate change, and education by
2030. The article highlights progress made since the earlier Millennium Development Goals, and it
discusses the obstacles to reaching these goals. This article is useful for the understanding and vision of
numerous nations regarding the sustainable development of the world. It also provides key information
regarding current efforts to address sustainable development. This source offers insight into specific
details that can help in the development of an argument about the importance of sustainable development.

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 Source F

Schuetze, C. F. (2013, February 25). “there is no

sustainable business.” The New York Times.
https://archive.nytimes.com/rendezvous.blogs.nytimes
.com/2013/02/25/there-is-no-sustainable-
business/?searchResultPosition=21

The following is excerpted from There Is No Sustainable Business

This article, written by Schuetze, Christopher F., in The New York Times, discusses Douglas Tompkins,
co-founder of The North Face and Esprit, and what he did after leaving the business world to dedicate his
life to land conservation in South America. In the article, Tompkins challenges "sustainable business,"
claiming that no economic activity can be long-term sustainable. He feels that the solution lies outside of
the business sector and "techno-industrial culture," and he even calls his own firms, Esprit and The North
Face, "monsters," stating that the phrase "sustainable business" is misleading. It also provides insight into
alternative approaches to sustainable development that differ from traditional thinking about the topic.
This source can help support arguments about the limitations of current sustainability efforts and the need
for deeper environmental change.

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 Source G

Sustainable Development. (n.d.).

Www.enelgreenpower.com.
https://www.enelgreenpower.com/learning-
hub/sustainable-development

The following is excerpted from Sustainable Development

This source describes sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present while ensuring a
sustainable environment for future generations. It explains how the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) address world-wide issues such as poverty, inequality, and climate change.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development works through five core programs: energy
transition, climate resilience, progress tracking, freshwater conservation, and economic law and policy.
The IISD and their work allow for advancements in sustainability, influencing policies and conducting
research.

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