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 CONTENTS

Preface
About the Author
Introduction to the Five-Step Preparation Program

STEP 1 Set Up Your Study Program

1 What You Need to Know About the AP Computer
Science Principles Assessment
The Basics
What’s on the Exam?
Taking the AP Exam
2 Planning Your Time
Three Approaches to Preparing for the AP Computer
Science Principles Assessment
Planning for the Performance Task
Calendar: The Three Plans Compared

STEP 2 Determine Your Test Readiness

3 Take a Diagnostic Exam
How to Take the Diagnostic Test
Answers and Explanations
Analyzing Your Performance on the Diagnostic Test

STEP 3 Develop Strategies for Success

4 Strategies to Help You Do Your Best on the
Exam
Strategies and Tips for the Multiple-Choice Exam
Strategies for the Performance Task
STEP 4 Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High
5 The Create Performance Task
Create Performance Task: The Basics
The Create Performance Task
Submitting Your Performance Task to the College
Board
Rapid Review
6 The Explore Curricular Requirement
Explore Curricular Requirement: The Basics
Analyzing a Stimulus Question
Stimulus Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Big Idea 1
7 Creative Development
Creativity in Computer Science
Computing Innovations
Collaboration
Development Process
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
Rapid Review
Big Idea 2
8 Data
Number Systems
Binary Number Conversions
How Binary Numbers Can Be Interpreted
Data Compression: Lossless and Lossy
Processing Data to Get Information
Metadata
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
 Rapid Review
Big Idea 3
9 Algorithms and Programming
Algorithms: The Building Blocks of Programming
Foundations of Computer Programming
Data Types
Program Statements
Combining Algorithms
Lists
Searching
Procedures
Simulations
Analyzing Algorithms
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
Rapid Review
Big Idea 4
10 Computing Systems and Networks
Computing Systems
How the Internet Works
Types of Processing
Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
Rapid Review
Big Idea 5
11 Impact of Computing
New Ways to Communicate and Interact
Access to Information
Legal and Ethical Concerns
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Protecting Our Data
 Review Questions
Answers and Explanations
Rapid Review

STEP 5 Build Your Test-Taking Confidence

AP Computer Science Principles Practice Exam 1
AP Computer Science Principles: Practice Exam 1 (Multiple-
Choice Questions)
AP Computer Science Principles: Practice Exam 1 (Answers
and Explanations)
AP Computer Science Principles Practice Exam 2
AP Computer Science Principles: Practice Exam 2 (Multiple-
Choice Questions)
AP Computer Science Principles: Practice Exam 2 (Answers
and Explanations)

Appendix
AP Computer Science Principles Exam Reference Sheet
 PREFACE

Welcome to the future! Your future, that is. It will be filled with
technology as it is well integrated into many aspects of our lives.
The good news is computer science is not that hard! You’ve just had
little, if any, experience with it and this course exposes you to
several key aspects in the field. Even if you do not become a
programmer, data analyst, or network engineer, the more you
understand about how these work, the more valuable you will be to
a future employer or the more prepared you will be as a future
business owner.
This review book is designed to help you prepare for the AP
Computer Science Principles exam and performance task. Reviewing
the concepts helps you confirm those you are confident about and
identifies those you need to better understand before the exam. This
book also guides you through preparing your project and written
response for the performance task to earn as many points as
possible. Let’s get started!
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie Sway serves as the Technology Department Chair and

Education Technology and Innovation Director at Brookstone School
a 3K–12 independent school and serves as an AP reader for
Computer Science Principles. During her career, she has worked for
Coca-Cola USA, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola GesMBH in Vienna
Austria, and Southwest Airlines as a software developer, project
manager, auditor, and software quality assurance manager. While her
experience in the business world provides insight into the skills and
knowledge needed by introductory programmers, she is thankful she
discovered the joy of teaching Computer Science to students and
helping teachers integrate technology. Her experience in education
includes instructional technologist, technology director, and
classroom teacher. She is the founder of EdCamp Columbus, GA, and
the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Technology Competition. She has
presented at GISA and GaETC conferences on a variety of topics and
helps evaluate applications for the Innovation grants awarded by
GaETC. Julie earned her BS in Computer Science from UNC-Chapel
Hill and an MBA from Georgia State University. She has completed
coursework toward a master’s degree in Instructional Technology
from St. Joseph’s University.
Julie wants to thank her three children, Michael, Kathleen, and
Elyse, for always providing inspiration and husband, Richard, for his
support.
 INTRODUCTION: THE FIVE-
STEP PREPARATION PROGRAM

This book is organized as a five-step program to prepare you for

success on the AP Computer Science Principles Exam. These steps
are designed to provide you with the skills and strategies vital to the
exam and the practice that can lead you to that perfect 5. Here are
the five steps.

Step 1: Set Up Your Study Program

In this step you’ll get an overview of the AP Computer Science
Principles Exam and gain an understanding of the format of the
exam, the topics covered, and the approximate percentage of the
exam that will test knowledge of each topic. You will also find advice
to help you set up your test-preparation program. Three specific
options are discussed:
• Full school year: September through May
• One semester: January through May
• Six weeks: Basic training for the exam

Step 2: Determine Your Test Readiness

In this step you’ll take a diagnostic exam. This test should give you
an idea of how well prepared you are to take the real exam. It will
also identify the content and skills you most need to review and
practice. The multiple-choice questions on the diagnostic test are
similar to those on the real AP Computer Science Principles Exam, so
time yourself and discover what taking the test will be like.
Step 3: Develop Strategies for Success
In this step you will learn strategies that will help you do your best
on both the multiple- choice exam and the performance task. Learn
how to attack the multiple-choice test and the Create performance
task in the most effective and efficient way possible. Some of these
tips are based upon an understanding of how the questions are
designed, others have been gleaned through experience helping
students prepare for the exam, and still others are based on
experience grading the performance task.

Step 4: Review the Knowledge You Need to

Score High
In this step you will review the material you need to know for the
test. The chapters are organized around the “big ideas” that form
the backbone of the AP Computer Science Principles course and
exam. Here you’ll find:
• A comprehensive review of the concepts you’ll need to know for
the AP Computer Science Principles Exam
• Key terms, listed at the beginning of each chapter, that you need
to understand and be able to use
• Practice multiple-choice questions for each of the concepts tested
on the exam

Step 5: Build Your Test-Taking Confidence

In this final step you will complete your preparation by testing
yourself on practice exams. This book provides you with two
complete exams, answers, and explanations. Be aware that these
practice exams are not reproduced questions from actual AP
Computer Science Principles Exam, but they mirror both the material
tested by AP and the way in which it is tested. Use the exams to
practice pacing yourself and build your confidence. You’re now ready
for the test!

Introduction to the Graphics Used in This Book

To emphasize particular skills and strategies, we use several icons
throughout this book. An icon in the margin will alert you that you
should pay particular attention to the accompanying text. We use
three icons:

This icon points out a very important concept that you should not
pass over.

This icon calls your attention to a strategy that you may want to try.

This icon indicates a useful tip.

 STEP 1

Set Up Your Study Program

CHAPTER 1 What You Need to Know About the AP

Computer Science Principles Assessment
CHAPTER 2 Planning Your Time
 CHAPTER 1

What You Need to Know About the

AP Computer Science Principles
Assessment
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: This chapter provides basic information on the AP
Computer Science Principles assessment. You will learn about the
exam, the topics covered, and the types of questions asked. You will
also learn about the in-class performance task (30% of your final AP
score), which must be completed and submitted to the College
Board by April 30, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time before you take
the exam in May.

Key Ideas
The multiple-choice exam, administered Thursday, May 13, 2021,
contains 70 questions and is two hours long.
 In addition to the multiple-choice exam, you must submit a Create
performance task by the April 30, 2021, deadline.
Your score (on a scale of 1–5) is determined by your scores on
the component parts:
70% of your total score is based on the multiple-choice exam
30% of your total score is based on the Create performance task
Most colleges and universities award credit for earning a score of
4 or 5. Some award credit for a score of 3. A list of individual
college policies can be found on the College Board site, and you
should always check with the colleges and universities you are
applying to for their current AP policy.

The Basics
The AP Computer Science Principles exam was first offered in spring
2017. More than 45,000 students took the first multiple-choice exam
and submitted their performance task projects. The following year,
enrollment grew to 76,000—55% increase! In 2018–2019, over
100,000 students took the exam. In 2019–2020, 150,000 students
were registered and 110,000 still submitted their performance tasks,
even with the pandemic! One key goal of this course, according to
the College Board, is to make computer science more inclusive and
accessible to all students. This course is an introductory course,
equivalent to a one-semester course in college. It’s the computer
science for non–computer science majors course. For computer
science majors, it may fulfill another requirement, such as an ethics
in computer science requirement.

The Format
The AP Computer Science Principles assessment consists of a
multiple-choice exam (70% of your score) and a Create performance
task (30% of your score). You’ll want to focus more time preparing
for the exam since it counts more. However, you cannot ignore or do
minimal effort on the Create performance task and still expect to
earn a good score.

The Multiple-Choice Exam

There are 70 questions on the multiple-choice exam; you’ll have two
hours to complete them. Since there are 70 questions and the exam
counts for 70%, each question counts for 1% of your final score. For
the first 62 questions, select only the best answer. For the remaining
eight questions, you must select two answers. This is clearly noted
in each of the last eight questions. Starting this year, there will also
be a set of stimulus-response questions included in the 70 questions.
Students will review a provided computing innovation and respond
to five multiple-choice questions about it. This is in place of the
former “Explore performance task” required in prior years. Unlike
other AP exams, there are no free-response questions.

There is no penalty for wrong answers, so do NOT leave any

questions blank. As with any multiple-choice question, if you are
not sure, try to eliminate one or more of the answers. Then either
go ahead and mark your best guess (recommended) or skip a line
on the answer sheet. You can mark questions in your test booklet
that you want to come back to. Later questions may help trigger
your memory to determine the correct response for a question
you were not sure about.

The Performance Task

The AP in-class performance task assesses skills that cannot be
measured in the multiple-choice exam. Prior to the exam, you must
submit a Create performance task project. This project accounts for
30% of your overall AP score.
The Create performance task requires you to develop a computer
program, submit a video of the program running, and answer free-
response questions about the program you created. You will have 12
hours of in-class time to work on this project.
Your AP teacher will give you a handout that contains instructions
for the project. The handout is also available on the College Board’s
website in a PDF publication called the AP Computer Science
Principles Student Handouts. You can find this publication at
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-csp-student-task-
directions.pdf.
Download and print out this document for future reference. You
will need to refer to it often when working on the performance task.
It also contains a copy of the exam reference sheet that you’ll be
provided when you take the multiple-choice exam.

Your AP Score
The multiple-choice exam is graded automatically by a computer.
The Create performance task is graded by college professors and
high school AP teachers who are teaching the course. They are
trained and each project is evaluated and reviewed to ensure
projects are graded consistently and fairly.
In the end you will be given a score that ranges from 1–5. The
following table shows the meanings of the scores:
 Most colleges and universities award one-semester course credit
if you earn a score of 4 or 5. Some colleges award credit for a score
of 3. You should check with the colleges and universities you are
applying to for their current policy regarding this AP exam. The
College Board website has a list of the AP policies of individual
colleges and universities, but to be sure, check directly with the
school.
Being awarded college credit while you are still in high school has
its advantages. You may be able to skip an introductory course and
jump right into the elective courses you want to take. If you earn
enough AP credits, you may be able to graduate early. Even if you
don’t want to graduate early, earning AP credit will give you more
flexibility, making it easier to obtain a double major or study abroad.
Another benefit is that you’ll probably save money by not having to
pay college tuition for course credits you’ve earned in high school.
Perhaps most important, doing well on AP exams will help you stand
out in the college admissions process, showing colleges that you’re
serious about studying and that you’re able to handle college-level
courses.

What’s on the Exam?

The AP Computer Science Principles Exam and performance task are
designed to test your proficiency with six computational thinking
practices and the five “big ideas” covered in the course content. In
this AP course, you’ll not only learn about technology but also about
how it affects our lives.

The “Big Ideas”

Taking this course introduces you to a broad survey of technology-
related topics. These include the five “big ideas” the course covers:
1. Creative Development
2. Data
3. Algorithms and Programming
4. Computing Systems and Networks
5. Impact of Computing

Step 4 in this book, where you’ll review the content you need to
know, is organized around these “big ideas.”
The following table shows the percentage of multiple-choice
questions you can expect from each of the Big Ideas in the AP exam.

Computational Thinking Practices

Computational thinking is a driving concept in this course. There are
six computational thinking practices the course references. They are:

• Computational Solution Design

• Algorithms and Program Development
• Abstraction in Program Development
• Code Analysis
 • Computing Innovations
• Responsible Computing

These practices are interwoven throughout the course. All but the
last one are evaluated through questions on the multiple-choice
exam. More detailed information on what’s covered in the AP course
and exam is available on the College Board’s website in the PDF
publication Computer Science Principles Course and Exam
Description. You can find it by searching by the title or you can go to
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-computer-science-
principles-course-and-exam-description.pdf.

Who Writes the Questions?

AP exam questions are designed and tested by a committee of
college professors and high school AP teachers. The process of
introducing a new course takes years, and once available, the
questions continue to be evaluated. This committee is also
responsible for determining the criteria and rubric for the Create
performance task.

The AP Computer Science A Course–How Is It Different?

The AP Computer Science A Exam teaches programming concepts
using the JAVA programming language. It focuses more on
developing solid programming and problem-solving skills. Taking
one course does not preclude taking the other. They can even be
taken at the same time. See the College Board site for more
information about the AP Computer Science A Course and Exam.

Taking the AP Exam

How to Register
If you are taking AP Computer Science Principles at school, the
school’s AP coordinator will contact you and help you sign up. If you
are not taking the class, you should contact the AP coordinator at
your school or school district for assistance in registering. Home-
schooled students should either contact the AP coordinator for their
school district or their assigned school to register. Beginning with the
2019–2020 school year, students had to register for the AP exam by
November 15. Students in classes that only meet second semester
had to register by March 15. Do not miss this registration date or
you will be charged a $40 late fee.
The fee to take an AP exam in 2020 was $94 in the United States
and $124 if taken outside of the United States. Check the College
Board website for the most up-to-date information on fees. You can
get a refund of most of your fee if you end up not submitting your
performance task and not taking the exam. You may be entitled to a
reduced fee if you have significant financial need; check with the AP
coordinator at your school for more information about eligibility for
fee reductions.

The Dates
You should plan to complete the AP Computer Science Principles
performance task by mid-April. The project for the performance task
must be submitted via an online submission process by April 30,
2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Check with your AP teacher or the
College Board website for the instructions for submitting your
project.
The AP Computer Science Principles multiple-choice exam will be
administered on Thursday, May 13, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. this year. The
actual date varies each year. You may also view this information at
the College Board’s website:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/exam-dates-and-
fees/2021-exam-dates.

Test-Day Policies
On test day, you need to bring the following items:
• Several pencils and an eraser that doesn’t leave smudges
• A school-issued or government-issued photo identification
• A watch so you can easily keep track of test time in case there is
no clock in the testing room
Items you are NOT to bring into the test room include:

• Any electronic device that can access the Internet or

communicate with others
• Any food or drink, including bottled water
• A smartwatch or any watch that beeps or has an alarm
• Cameras or photographic equipment
• Any music device, including ear buds
 CHAPTER 2

Planning Your Time

IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Preparing for the exam is important. The right
preparation plan for you depends on your study habits, your own
strengths and weaknesses, and the amount of time you have to
prepare for the test. This chapter will help you get off to a good
start by developing a personalized plan to prepare for the multiple-
choice exam and the performance task of the AP Computer Science
Principles assessment.

Key Ideas
The multiple-choice exam, administered Thursday, May 13, 2021,
contains 70 questions and is two hours long.
Do not wait until the last minute to begin preparing. Develop a
study plan and stick with it.
Your study plan should be tailored to your needs, your study
habits, and the amount of time you have available.
 Prioritize your review based on your strengths and weaknesses.
Take the diagnostic exam in the next chapter to identify the areas
you most need to review and practice.

Three Approaches to Preparing for the AP

Computer Science Principles Assessment
It’s up to you to decide how you want to use this book to study for
the multiple-choice exam and prepare for the performance task. This
book is designed for flexibility; you can work through it in order or
skip around however you want. In fact, no two students who
purchase this book will probably use it in exactly the same way.
The first step in developing your plan is to take the diagnostic
test in the next chapter. This is a practice exam that closely mirrors
the actual multiple-choice exam. By taking the diagnostic test, you’ll
find out exactly what the exam is like as well as what you are
reasonably good at and what things you need to review. Identify
your weaknesses and focus on these first.

The School-Year Plan

If you are taking the AP Computer Science Principles course as a
one-year class, and if you find the course difficult, a full school-year
test preparation plan may be right for you. Following this plan will
allow you to practice your skills and develop your confidence
gradually. You can use the chapters in this book for extra practice
and another explanation of the concepts as you cover the same
material in your class. Starting your study plan for the exam at the
beginning of the school year will allow you to get to all the practice
exercises in the book and maximize your preparation for the exam.
 If you choose the option of beginning early, you can still start by
taking the diagnostic exam in the next chapter. This will show you
exactly what the multiple-choice exam is like so you know what
you are up against. You can also find out what you already know.
For this plan (and for the semester review plan), you have time to
take the diagnostic exam at the beginning and again later in the
year to check your progress and understanding.

The One-Semester Plan

Starting in the middle of the school year will give you plenty of time
to review and prepare for the test. This is a good option if you have
only limited time on a daily basis to devote to test preparation either
because you need to prepare for other AP exams as well, or you’re
super-busy with extracurricular activities.
With the one-semester plan, you should start by taking the
diagnostic test in the next chapter. This will give you an accurate
idea of what the multiple-choice test is like. You’ll get a sense of how
hard the test will be for you, how much time you need to devote to
practice, and which types of questions or tasks you most need to
work on. You can skip around in this book, focusing on the chapters
that deal with the things you most need to work on. Be sure to find
time to take both practice exams at the end of this book. Take the
final practice test a few days before you take the actual test.

The Six-Week Plan

OK, maybe you procrastinated a bit too long. But if you’re doing well
in your AP Computer Science Principles class, you don’t need to
worry too much. And whether you’re doing well or not, you still have
time to improve your score by reviewing weak areas and practicing
taking the test.
Start by taking the diagnostic test in the next chapter to find out
what the actual multiple- choice test will be like and to identify
content areas you most need to review. You don’t have time to do
everything in this book, so prioritize based on your weaknesses. If
you find the diagnostic test difficult, try to devote as much time as
possible to the review chapters. Save time to take at least one
practice test and preferably take both of them. Even if you do really
well on the diagnostic test and don’t need further content review,
you should take the practice exams at the back of this book to
practice pacing yourself within the time limits of the exam.

The Practice Exams Are Your Friends

The practice tests are probably the most important part of this
book. Taking them will help you do all of the following:

• Give you practice with the types of questions on the AP

Computer Science Principles multiple-choice exam.
• Allow you to measure progress and identify areas you need to
focus on in your test preparation.
• Allow you to practice pacing yourself within the time limits
imposed by the test.

Save the last practice test for a final check at the end of April or
beginning of May. But don’t wait until the night before the test to
take the practice tests. Staying up and trying to do some last-
minute cramming may be counterproductive.

Planning for the Performance Task

If you are in a traditional classroom setting, your teacher will
determine when you begin to work on the Create performance task
and time will be provided in class. The Create performance task
requires 12 hours of class time be provided. You may work more
than the 12 hours of class time allocated on your own. But don’t get
bogged down and spend too much time on it; stay cognizant of the
preparation time you will need for the multiple-choice section and
other AP exams you have. Remember, the multiple-choice exam
counts for 70% of your total score. While you cannot do poorly on
the Create performance task and still get a high score, you do need
to do well on the multiple-choice questions to achieve a 4 or 5.
If your class is a year long class, your teacher may do a full or
partial practice Create project first. This will help you better learn
how to prepare the written response, video, and program code. If
you are taking this course as a semester-long course, your teacher
may opt for a practice performance task on a smaller scale or one
performed in groups.
If you are working in an independent study environment or
home-school setting, you should not begin the Create performance
task until you have a good understanding of data abstraction and
procedural abstraction, algorithms, and programming selection and
iterative statements, along with lists and procedures. All of these
need to be incorporated into your program and the written response.
These are covered in the Big Ideas 1 and 3. If you are working on
your own, begin the Create performance task in mid-March at the
latest. If you are new to programming, you may need the additional
time to learn programming fundamentals, and it may take longer to
implement the concepts into your code.
Remember that once you begin the actual Create performance
task, you cannot get help on the content of your project. Your
teacher, or anyone else, is only allowed to answer questions related
to the project task, timeline, components, and scoring in general and
not about your specific project.
Once this is finished and submitted to the College Board, 30% of
your AP score is set. You then only need to spend time preparing for
the multiple-choice section on exam day.

Calendar: The Three Plans Compared

 STEP 2

Determine Your Test Readiness

CHAPTER 3 Take a Diagnostic Exam

 CHAPTER 3

Take a Diagnostic Exam

IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Taking the diagnostic exam will help you identify the
areas that you need to review as well as give you an idea of what
the questions on the actual multiple-choice exam will be like. After
you’ve completed the test, use the evaluation tool at the end of this
chapter to identify specifically what chapters you most need to
review and adjust your study plan accordingly. This diagnostic exam
includes questions from all of the “big ideas” covered in the AP
Computer Science Principles course.

Key Ideas
Taking the Diagnostic Exam will allow you to familiarize yourself
with the AP Computer Science Principles Exam.
Evaluate your performance on this test to identify your own
strengths and weaknesses and then modify your study plan to
prioritize the types of skills or areas of content you most need to
work on.
How to Take the Diagnostic Test
Take this diagnostic exam when you begin to review for the exam. It
will help you determine what you already know and what you need
to spend time reviewing. It will also give you an idea of the format
of questions on the AP exam.
Take the diagnostic exam in a simulated testing environment. Be
in a quiet location where you will not be disturbed. Use the answer
sheet in this manual and a pencil to answer the multiple-choice
questions. The AP Computer Science Principles Exam is still a pencil-
and-paper exam!
Set a timer for two hours and try to pace yourself so you finish
the exam. If you are not finished when the time is up, note how far
you got, and then complete the rest of the exam. Answering all the
questions will provide a better evaluation of what areas you need to
review.

As you take the test, mark all the questions you were not sure
about so you check the answer explanations for them as well as
those you miss. But do not check an answer until you have
finished all the questions and the two-hour testing period.
 Test yourself in an exam-like setting. Take this diagnostic test and
the practice exams at the end of this book in a place you won’t be
interrupted for two hours. Time yourself. If you use your cell
phone to time yourself, make sure it’s completely silenced in
airplane mode so you won’t be interrupted.

In the next section of this book, you’ll find helpful strategies for
attacking both the multiple-choice exam and the Create performance
task. The strategies were developed to help you prepare in the most
effective and efficient way. Then in Step 4, you’ll begin the review of
the concepts and skills tested. After taking this diagnostic exam, you
will know which of these chapters you need to review the most.

AP Computer Science Principles

Diagnostic Test
Multiple-Choice Questions

ANSWER SHEET
 AP Computer Science Principles
Diagnostic Test
Multiple-Choice Questions

Time: 2 hours
Number of questions: 70
The multiple-choice questions represent 70% of your total score.

Directions: Choose the one best answer for each question. The last
eight questions have two correct answers; for these, you will be
instructed to choose two answer choices.

Tear out the answer sheet on the previous page and grid in your
answers using a pencil.
AP Computer Science Principles Exam Reference Sheet

On the AP Computer Science Principles Exam, you will be given a

reference sheet to use while you’re taking the multiple-choice test.
A copy of this six-page reference sheet is included in the appendix
of this book (reprinted by permission from the College Board).

To make taking this practice test like taking the actual exam, tear
out the reference sheet so you can easily refer to it while taking
the test. Save these reference pages since you’ll need to use them
when you take AP Computer Science Principles Practice Exams 1
and 2 at the end of this book.

1. How are procedures abstract in computer science?

(A) They are blocks of code that do something specific.
(B) They represent the lowest level of code for the computer to
run.
(C) They use actual values to represent concepts.
(D) They can be used without understanding or seeing the
code used.
2. What do parameters used in a procedure provide?
(A) They allow software reuse for different values.
(B) They return calculated values from the procedure to the
calling program.
(C) They provide a way to call a procedure from within another
procedure.
(D) They provide the connection of an API to the procedure.
3. What happens when you “clean data”?
(A) Corrupt data records are corrected or removed.
(B) Incomplete data records are completed or removed.
(C) Duplicate records are removed.
(D) All of the above.
4. What causes an algorithm to be considered one that runs in an
unreasonable amount of time?
(A) The solution is too inefficient for large datasets.
(B) There is not an algorithm that can solve it.
(C) It is solved most efficiently with large datasets.
(D) Multiple algorithms exist with different levels of efficiency.
5. What are statements, procedures, and libraries examples of?
(A) Low-level machine code that the computer uses to run the
code
(B) Abstractions used in writing software because they can be
used without knowing the details of how they work
(C) Algorithms that provide suggestions on how to approach
writing the code to solve a problem
(D) Pseudocode that helps design a solution for coding
challenges
6. What is an issue that organizations must handle when dealing
with datasets?
(A) Ensuring enough staff are on hand to process the data
(B) Ensuring the bandwidth can handle the processing of the
data
(C) Ensuring that people’s private data is not exposed
(D) Ensuring the system can scale down after the data are sent
to the cloud
7. How does the Internet work with the different equipment in
use?
(A) The routers adjust for the different equipment
manufacturers by sending data on the same equipment
brands.
(B) Specific companies are approved to make equipment for the
Internet.
(C) Vendors follow the protocols established to enable data to
be sent and received across any equipment.
 (D) The server farms handle the data once the data reach the
Regional ISP (Internet Service Provider).
8. What is the binary equivalent of the decimal number 158?
(A) 10011111
(B) 10011110
(C) 10011101
(D) 10011000
9. How do selection statements determine which section of code
to execute?
(A) Through the use of the Turing algorithm for analysis
(B) Through random number generators
(C) Through conditions that evaluate to true or false
(D) Through variables initialized to execute these statements
10. You are writing a program to help the school assign lockers
each year. You have a list of student names and a separate list of
locker numbers. The locker numbers match the index position for
the list. Assume the lists are correctly initialized. What can
replace <missing code> to assign the student to the next
available locker?

(A) lockerNum ← name

(B) lockerNum[index] ← name
 (C) students ← lockerNum
(D) students[index] ← lockerNum
11. What do logical conditions always evaluate to?
(A) A Boolean value
(B) A value stored in a constant
(C) A “string” text field
(D) A real number
12. What is the process where algorithms are used with historical
data to attempt to predict human needs or requests for
information?
(A) Data excavation
(B) Trend prediction
(C) Social analysis
(D) Machine learning
13. What would be the starting and ending index positions for the
substring function to extract everything up to but not including
the “@” if you are given the following string: person@apcsp.org?
(A) 0, 5
(B) 0, 6
(C) 1, 5
(D) 1, 6
14. How is analog data converted to digital data?
(A) The analog curve is extrapolated and converted into x, y
coordinate values.
(B) The analog data values are converted precisely to digital
data.
(C) Samples of the analog data are taken and converted to bits.
(D) Samples of the analog data are approximated to mimic the
smooth curve.
15. How do APIs simplify writing programs?
(A) By providing step-by-step instructions on how to use the
programming language
 (B) By importing the newly written software to the API for
others to use
(C) By providing documentation on how to code the needed
functionality
(D) By connecting prewritten and tested software to a new
program
16. While algorithms can be analyzed mathematically, what
information does the testing process provide?
(A) How often program statements execute
(B) The maximum size dataset the algorithm can handle
(C) The validity of the algorithm
(D) The clarity of the algorithm
17. Why is there a need to find different algorithms for problems
that already have a solution?
(A) Different algorithms could use heuristics rather than precise
values.
(B) Different algorithms could be more efficient.
(C) Different algorithms could use frequency analysis.
(D) Different algorithms could provide intractability.
18. Algorithms can be written with a combination of what three
statements?
(A) Sequence / Selection / Iteration
(B) Series / Procedural / Functional
(C) Connection / Collection / Recursive
(D) Selection / Sorting / Searching
19. What is the most common way computer viruses are spread?
(A) By people clicking on an infected file
(B) From phishing attacks
(C) Through a rogue access point
(D) From random botnet attacks
20. Different levels of access to technological devices and the
Internet due to economic or geographic reasons is referred to
 as:
(A) Binary split
(B) Demographic division
(C) Digital divide
(D) Technology rift
21. How does creating program components help with program
development?
(A) Individual components can be added without additional
testing.
(B) Adding the components incrementally to working code
helps create program functionality that is correct.
(C) Multiple people can write the components and still ensure
compatibility.
(D) The components can be combined all at once to create the
needed program functionality.
22. What is the name of the search method that provides higher
or lower feedback with each iteration of the search?
(A) Bucket search
(B) Merge search
(C) Linear search
(D) Binary search
23. How does documentation help with maintaining programs?
(A) It journals the history of program changes showing how the
program first worked before changes.
(B) If code is modified, the documentation can guide the
programmer in testing to ensure the functionality is still
correct.
(C) It documents how to run the program in multiple languages
for a global audience.
(D) It is useful for training new employees on how to learn the
programming language.
24. Parallel computing consists of what two parts?
 (A) A sequential section and a parallel section
(B) A parallel section and a distributed section
(C) A sequential section and a distributed section
(D) A sequential section and an iterative section
25. What could a binary number represent?
(A) A number in decimal
(B) A color
(C) Text
(D) All of the above
26. How can programmers avoid duplicating code?
(A) Through the use of selection statements
(B) Through the use of iteration
(C) Through sequential statements to process all data once
(D) Through the use of efficient algorithms
27. What is a problem that no algorithm exists to solve all
instances called?
(A) Indeterminable problem
(B) Undecidable problem
(C) Infinite problem
(C) Exponential problem
28. Why should procedures be used?
(A) They ease the workload on the processors.
(B) They facilitate the storage of data.
(C) They make writing and maintaining programs easier
through reuse of code.
(D) They control the flow of input and output data.
29. What can help with identifying and correcting program errors?
(A) Revisiting requirements
(B) Collaboration among team members
(C) Clustering requirements and tests
(D) Consolidating testing
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 "But that is no reason why we should not be plain and
outspoken. I told you a minute ago that I would rather not
speak of my preconceptions of the Mr. Tincroft of whom I
had heard. Let me say now that those preconceptions, as
far as they may have been unfavourable, are to a great
extent removed. At any rate, I believe I may trust you."

"You do me great honour," said John, with a kind of

pleasurable emotion.

"And I ask you, Mr. Tincroft, to trust me. Do you think

you can?"

John had never been addressed in this way before by

any living woman. Have we not said that it was his
misfortune to have been, from childhood, almost bereft of
female society? To be sure, of late, he had known Sarah
Wilson, and had seen something—a very little—of Mrs. Mark
Wilson; he had been intimate also with good obese Mrs.
Barry, and had been waited on by Mrs. Barry the younger.
But here, setting aside the female domestics of the Manor
House, his experience almost ended.

It was a wonderful thing to John to be appealed to with

such confidence, and in such well-chosen language, as he
thought it, by a ladylike woman to whom, less than an hour
ago, he had been a complete stranger, and to be thought by
her as worthy of trust.

"Could he trust her?" Yes, to be sure he could; and he

answered her with a little more enthusiasm than was his
wont that he could and would. "If I only had a sister to have
advised with and consulted, mine would have been in many
respects a different and a happier life," he silently reflected.

I am not sure, and John was not sure, that this lurking
regret might not have been half-revealed to the
gentlewoman on the opposite side of the hearth, by the sigh
which accompanied it. At any rate, she said, with a half-
smile,—

"Think of me for the little while we are together as a

sister."

"I will indeed," said Tincroft.

"Allow me then to ask—you said a minute or two ago

that your intentions are honourable and friendly—allow me
to ask you to confide those intentions to me."

And John did. He told his whole story from beginning to

end. He stammered awkwardly at first, perhaps; but he
gained courage as he went on. He did not spare himself in
the least. He painted himself in darker colours, or, at least,
he placed himself in a more preposterous light than that in
which we have represented him. He declared himself so
heartily ashamed of his folly in that last month of his
sojourn at the Manor House, that his fair auditor had to
check his self-accusations. On the other hand, he warmly
vindicated poor Sarah from any intentional or unintentional
cause for real blame; while, with much good feeling, he
described the unhappy circumstances by which she had
been and was still surrounded—her wretched home, her
unkind relatives at Low Beech, the scandal-loving and
scandal-breathing social atmosphere of the place, and a
great deal more of the same sort.

"I am come," said John, "to say all this to Walter

Wilson. I have made up my mind, of course, to hear myself
harshly abused, because I really deserve to be abused by
him. I will submit to any mortifications and humiliations he
may see fit to demand from me. I will do anything in my
power—and I wish more were in my power-if only the
mischief I have so foolishly and wrongfully done may be
remedied. I hope you believe me in this, Miss Burgess," he
added.

"I believe you to be sincere and honest in all you have

said," the lady responded; "and now I will be open and
candid with you. It is an unusual course I am taking,
perhaps, and I suppose the polite world with which you are
acquainted—"

"Not a bit of it," thought John.

"Would say that I am very bold at the least; but then I

do not belong to the polite world."

"Nor do I," said John aloud; "and if you can only assure
me that I may hope to be the means of reconciling the two
cousins, I shall be satisfied. I shall not care—I shall not so
much care, at any rate—what is thought of me."

"We will not discuss that, Mr. Tincroft. But I must tell
you, having promised to be candid, that from what I know
of Walter Wilson, your appearance here will probably so
rouse his passion that you will not get even a hearing."

"I am sorry for that," said John.

"He will only think, and perhaps say, that being already
tired of your new toy, you are only anxious to resign it to
the old possessor."

"But you do not think so, Miss Burgess?" John asked,

anxiously.

"No, I do not; but our judgments of each other so much

depend on the points of view from which they are taken.
Now, my friend Walter has been wounded in his love for his
cousin, and also, I may say (having promised to be candid),
in his self-love. He looks upon you as the destroyer of his
peace, and he will naturally attribute to you the worst
motives for what others would, it may be, consider very
generous and self-denying."

"I see all this, Miss Burgess," said the penitent; "but
what better can I do?"

"Will you entrust your cause to an advocate?"

"Willingly; but you see it is not my cause so much as

that of others. It is Miss Wilson's cause, and not only hers,
it is Walter Wilson's cause also."

"You are right; and the greater the need of an advocate.

A man needs a strong, or at least an unexceptionable
advocate, when he is at odds with himself. Now, I am
almost sure Walter will not hear you. Will you place your
cause—his, I mean, and his cousin's—in my hands?"

"Gladly," said Tincroft, "if—"

"If—But let me explain myself more clearly. My brother

and Walter Wilson will be in very soon now," said Mary
Burgess, looking at the timepiece in the room, and speaking
hurriedly. "If they find you here, your name will greatly
excite them both, I am sure; and I doubt whether Walter
would hear a word from your lips. Go now, and leave me to
do your errand. I will tell them all that you have said—"

"Don't forget to say that it was all my fault, Miss

Burgess."

"No, I will not forget that; and I will try and smooth the
way for a meeting between you and Walter to-morrow. I
believe, and am sure, this is the best thing to be done. And
you shall have a note from me in the morning. Where are
you staying?"

John named the inn.

"Do you agree to this, Mr. Tincroft?"

John did agree to it. What else could he do? And then
he took his departure.

"If I had but had a sister—and such a sister!" quoth

John, sorrowfully, as he took his way to his inn.

A meeting did take place between John Tincroft and

Walter Wilson on the morrow; but the reader shall be
spared the particulars of this interview. It is enough to say
that John had, metaphorically speaking, put his hand into
the lion's mouth.

Some of our former chapters will have shown that

Walter Wilson, though sterling in principle, and true-hearted
as far as he knew himself, was egotistical, dogmatical, and
hard judging. These characteristics showed themselves
forcibly and unpleasantly on the preceding evening, when,
on his return home, Mary Burgess performed her promise to
John Tincroft. It was a disagreeable office she had
undertaken, and we may say, in passing, that any one
proposing to be a mediator or mediatrix between
contending parties should expect no selfish pleasure to
spring from the efforts thus made. Miss Burgess had no
such expectations, but she did not shrink from the self-
imposed task.

At the first mention of Tincroft's name, and of his near

vicinity, Walter started to his feet, and would have rushed
out then to "have it out," he said (whatever this might
mean), "with the miscreant." But he was restrained by the
interposition of Ralph, who also persuaded his friend to hear
all his sister had to tell.

As Mary went on, describing John's honest,

compunctious self-accusation, Walter uttered not a word,
but smiled bitterly and contemptuously. But when, with
kindling eloquence and womanly sympathy, she spoke of his
cousin's unhappy surroundings, and of her guilelessness,
notwithstanding the rancour with which she had been
slanderously assailed—a guilelessness in which the amiable
advocate believed—he rudely interrupted her, and bade her
cease dinning him with her pleadings.

"I made Sarah a fair offer the last time I saw her," he
said, fiercely. "I told her that if she would confess and
apologise—"

"Confess what?—apologise for what?" his friend asked,

mildly.

"To having deceived me; for having laid traps for that
Tincroft, meaning to turn me off when she had secured her
richer prize. That's what I meant, and what I said."

"But knowing that she was not guilty of such baseness,

how could she make such a confession and apology? Did
she not deny the charge?"

"Deny! What has that to do with it? Deny! Of course she

denied it. Oh yes—yes, she could talk fair enough, calling
me 'Dear Walter,' and all that sort of thing. But do you think
I was going to believe her?"

"But after she denied it, and explained—did she not

explain?"
 "Oh, to be sure: she was ready enough with her
explanations."

"And after that, if in her sorrow for having offended

you, she had confessed to an untruth, should you have
believed her then?"

"I might, or I might not," said the unhappy young man,

sullenly. "At any rate, it is all over with us now," he added;
"and as to that canting hypocrite who has come over you—"

Here he was interrupted by the strong, determined

voice of Ralph Burgess, saying gravely, but good-
temperedly notwithstanding—

"That will do. You must not abuse my sister, Walter. You
don't know what you are saying, or how you are saying it. If
you were not beside yourself, you would not do as you are
doing. For my party I think your cousin has had a happy
escape. There are two words which I have somewhere met
with in the Bible that describe your feelings towards her,
and these are 'implacable and unmerciful.' And if you don't
mind my saying it, or if you do it doesn't much matter,
there is another word that tells how you are conducting
yourself now, and that is 'arrogantly.'"

"Oh, that is it! Is it?" said Walter, as leaving the room,

he lighted his chamber-candle and was seen no more that
night.

A brief note from Miss Burgess informed John Tincroft of

the non-success of her attempted mediation. And while he
was pondering what next he should do, the door of the
room at the inn in which he had taken breakfast opened
and admitted Wilson. The interview was short and sharp.
Much abuse was heaped upon the head of poor John, who
bore it patiently. And then, with a declaration that he had
done with his cousin for ever, Walter said that the other
might take his leavings and welcome.

"You will some day be sorry for the injustice you are
now doing to your cousin," said John, sorrowfully; but the
latch of the door was in Walter's hand as he spoke, and in
the next instant he was gone.

There was nothing more for John after this but to

return, not to the Manor House, but to Oxford, which place
he disconsolately reached on the fifth day after his
departure from it.

CHAPTER XIII.
MR. RUBRIC'S LETTER.
 IT was no easy matter for John Tincroft to settle himself
down again in his dull college-room. His thoughts would
wander to the not very distant past, in spite of himself and
his resolutions. Especially, he thought with some indignation
and disgust of the treatment he had received from young
Wilson, but he checked himself in this direction.

"I should have been unreasonable, too, if I had been in

his place, and he or anybody else in mine," he said to
himself. "And I have brought all this mortification on myself
by my monstrous folly."

Then his reflections shifted to the unhappy damsel at

High Beech Farm.

"If it hadn't, been for me," he sadly argued, "she might

have had a husband, or been looking forward to one, who, if
not a very kind one—for I don't believe he would have been
kind to her—nor a very wealthy one, would at least have
rescued her from her miserable home, and been her bread-
winner and protector. And now—"

But what was the use of thinking all this? What more
could John do to undo the mischief he had wrought? He did
not know. As to the thinking of Sarah Wilson as his own
wife—the idea was too preposterous to be entertained. No
doubt, to a certain extent, and in a certain way, the young
person had pleased him. It had been agreeable to him to
gaze on her flaxen locks, her blue sparkling eyes, and all
the rest of those personal charms; and he had been foolish
enough to give himself up to the soft delirium. But Tincroft
knew, when he came to think of it, that, even supposing he
were in a condition to marry, and supposing also that Sarah
Wilson would take him as a husband, she was no more
suited to him than he was to her.

But he was not in a position to take a wife. His

patrimony had been almost swallowed up in that unhappy
Chancery suit, which, notwithstanding the new witness who
had come forward on his side, seemed to be as far-off as
ever from its termination; for whether her testimony would
be of the least use in the world began to be questioned.
Well then, what had he to look forward to but his
appointment in India? And should he marry in England,
under present circumstances at any rate, the appointment
would have to be abandoned. And then—

And so John went on meditating; and all the schooling

he had given himself was inoperative here; for was he not
right in considering his ways?

He had not ceased these considerations, which so sorely

disturbed his peace by day, and broke his rest by night,
when, about a month after his return from his unsuccessful
mission in the north, he received a letter from Mr. Rubric,
which put the coping-stone upon his massive fabric of self-
reproaches. We give the letter entire:

"MY DEAR TINCROFT," so the letter began.

"I am afraid that what I have to write will

distress you; and I would spare you the pain,
only that I believe it will be succeeded by the
satisfaction you will undoubtedly feel, if it
should be in your power to give some little
assistance in the case I am about to mention."

"The short of the matter is, your friends at

High Beech, in whom you have taken so much
kindly interest, are just now plunged in deeper
sorrow than even when you were last in this
neighbourhood. Poor Mark Wilson is dead: so
far as this world is concerned, his troubles, self-
wrought as they were, are over. His health,
already undermined by his many years'
excesses, broke down soon after his
relinquishment of the farm; and he never
rallied. It was hoped by some that he would
have been led to reflection by the blow which
had descended upon him, and that he would
have awoke to a sense of his former conduct, so
as to have become a wiser, if a sadder, man.
But his misfortunes did not have this effect
upon him."

"We are told on the highest authority that

though the spirit of a man may sustain his
infirmity, the burden of a wounded spirit is
insupportable. It was so with Mark Wilson.
There had been a time when it was said of him
that he was a good fellow, and nobody's enemy
but his own. A wretched fallacy, this when said
of any one; for we know that none of us liveth
to himself, and that no man can injure himself
without injury being inflicted or reflected upon
others. Mark's experience must have taught
him this; but instead of turning from the vices
which had ruined him and his, he clung to them
to the last, desperately abandoning himself to
intemperance; and so he died, and was buried
not many days ago."

"And now comes my story. Not only are the

widow and daughter in deep distress on account
of this bereavement—for they had not lost all
love, though they must long since have parted
with any real respect for the unhappy man—but
they are in positive destitution. I am afraid the
brother, Matthew Wilson, is not kindly disposed.
No doubt, he had much to try him in respect of
Mark; and he may feel that he is not bound to
keep his sister-in-law and niece in idleness. At
any rate, whatever may be his feelings, he has
announced to them that they must leave the
house, which, such as it is, he wants for his son
George, who is about to be married; and that
he has no intention of continuing the weekly
payments he made to his brother whilst living,
under pretence of being wages for his work on
the farm."

"I have laid the case before our friend, Mr.

Richard Grigson. But, I am sorry to say, his
prejudices are at present so strong on the
subject, that he declines to interfere in any way.
He says, truly enough, that he lost much money
by Mark Wilson as a tenant, and he gives this
as a reason for throwing of any kind of
solicitude for the wife and daughter of the
unhappy man. He says, also, that there are
better born and bred women than Mrs. Mark in
the parish poorhouse, and she must go there;
while the daughter must make up her mind to
go to service. And no doubt this is a utilitarian
way of looking at the subject; but it presses
very hardly upon the widow and the fatherless
girl, in both of whom I am bound to take an
interest as my own parishioners."

"My object in writing to you, dear Tincroft, is

 simply to ask if you are able, and feel disposed,
to assist me in helping these poor creatures. I
have an idea that, if a little time were given to
them, some plan might be devised for their
advantage—at any rate, to save one of them
from the degradation of pauperism. Perhaps,
indeed, domestic service might be the best
thing for Sarah Wilson, if she could be brought
to see it so; but then the mother must be left
untended, and it appears to me that the
daughter's proper place at present is home, if a
home can be procured—to say nothing of the
poor child's unfitness for hard work among
strangers, for servant girls in these parts have
very little kindness or sympathy shown to them
in general. I am doing what I can, but I am
quite, or almost, working alone in the matter;
and any small mite, if you can entrust it in my
hands, shall be used to the best of my ability on
their behalf. Only remember, dear friend, the
old saying, Bis dat qui cito dat.—I am, etc. etc."

"THEOPHILUS
RUBRIC."

There was a postscript to this letter, as follows:—

"I should not have written to you on this

matter but for the part you have recently taken
in Sarah Wilson's affairs, and for my entire trust
in your strict honour. I know that Sarah can be
nothing to you more than an object of
sympathy and kindness, and I deeply regret
that any former unfortunate contretemps,
 misunderstood at the time, should ever have
led me to do you a moment's injustice. Pray
pardon me."

"I may as well add that Walter Wilson has

written a letter home, which I have seen, and
which proves to a certainty that he will never be
reconciled to his unfortunate cousin."

John Tincroft read Mr. Rubric's letter, paced his room

silently, then re-read it. When he came to the postscript, he
not only read, but studied it.

"I don't precisely see what it means," he said to

himself; "but there's one thing to do, that's plain; I must
see Mr. Roundhand. I suppose he will let me have it."

In another five minutes the gownsman, equipped in his

academics, was making his way across the High Street, and
then through the Peckwater to St. Aldates.

"I want twenty pounds, Mr. Roundhand," said John to

his lawyer, who was also to some extent his banker,
inasmuch as he managed the young man's money affairs,
such as they were, as well as his Chancery suit.

"It is a curious thing," said the lawyer, laughing, "but I

rarely meet with a man who does not want twenty pounds."

"You are right, I daresay," said John; "but I not only

want it, but want you to supply the want."

Mr. Roundhand dropped his smile. "Really," he began,

but Tincroft stopped him.
 "I know what you are going to say,—that I have already
drawn the greater part of this present quarter's interest.
Never mind; it must be taken out of the next."

"I was going to say something more, friend Tincroft. Do

you know the extent, or non-extent, of your present entire
resources? I am afraid you have not studied the last
statement I handed to you."

John acknowledged that he trusted so completely to his

adviser, and placed himself so entirely in his hands, that he
had scarcely glanced at the important document.

"Just so; as I supposed. And perhaps you will be

surprised to learn that, what with your college expenses
and the costs of your Chancery suit, which I assure you are
managed as economically as possible—"

"I wish the Chancery suit were at the bottom of the

sea," interpolated John.

"Yes, yes; but that is out of court altogether; and you

would not want the Tincroft estate to bear the suit
company, I suppose?"

John did not know about that.

"But to go on with what I was saying," resumed the

lawyer. "Would you be surprised to learn that all you have in
the world amounts to—" and he whispered a few words in
his client's ear.

John turned slightly pale, but he soon rallied. "I daresay

you are right, Mr. Roundhand. But, what you tell me only
confirms me in what has been some time on my mind."

"And that is—"

 "To have done with the Chancery suit altogether."

"Impossible, my dear friend. It must go on—that is,"

added the lawyer, "until the whole estate itself is swallowed
up—"

"In the sea? Well, that is what I said, isn't it?" John
asked.

"Yes, in the sea, if you like; or the whirlpool of law, if

you like it better. However, so the case stands; and sooner
than give it up, I will carry it on at my own cost. What do
you think? Since I saw you last, I have been hunting up that
Saddlebrook doctor's will in Doctors' Commons; have
compared signatures, end submitted both to an expert; and
—and we shall carry the day after all."

"Well, then," said Tincroft, who seemed very little elated

with the promise which had been so often repeated and
disappointed, that it was like the "hope deferred" which
"maketh the heart sick." "Well, then, there will be less
difficulty in your making the advance I ask for. I really must
have that twenty pounds."

But Mr. Roundhead had something else to say. "Every

pound you spend now—pray consider, Mr. Tincroft, for I only
speak in your own interests—every pound you spend now,
unnecessarily I mean, will be so much deducted from what
you will positively require for your outfit to India."

"But if the Chancery suit is so sure of being soon

terminated in my favour, perhaps I shall not need to go to
India after all," said John.

Mr. Roundhand shook his head doubtfully, as implying

that the Tincroft estate might not, if obtained, hold out a
sufficient inducement to alter his client's plans.
 "At any rate, I question whether I shall not throw up the
appointment," John added.

"You don't mean that, surely?" said the lawyer, who was
himself surprised now.

"It will depend on circumstances," said John, quietly;

"and if my having the twenty pounds I want to-day, or not
having it, were to make all the difference between my going
to India or staying in England, I should take the money and
stay."

"There's nothing more to be said, then," remarked Mr.

Roundhand, "except that a wilful will, will have its way, and
that I don't understand you—"

"I doubt whether I understand myself," sighed John,

inwardly.

"But the money is yours to do what you like with, Mr.

Tincroft;" and saying this, the lawyer opened his
chequebook, and filled up a cheque. "You know where to
cash it," he added as he placed it in John's hand.

Yes, John knew where to cash it. Ten minutes

afterwards, he was at the counter of the Oxford Old Bank,
exchanging it for a crisp ten-pound Bank of England note,
and the rest in gold.

The bank-note did not remain long in John Tincroft's

possession. Hastening back to his room, it was securely
enclosed and sealed up with black wax, in a sheet of Bath
post, on which were scribbled these lines:

"MY DEAR SIR—Many thanks for your

confidence in me, and for having brought the
 distressing case to my knowledge. Please apply
the enclosed as you best think fit, immediately;
and do not be surprised should I follow in the
course of a few days."

Having post-paid and posted this packet, John returned

to his rooms, shut himself in, and was seen no more that
day. The next two days, he mechanically went the daily
round of his early chapel and subsequent studies; but he
was missed in the dining-hall. When Tom Grigson went on
the second evening to see what ailed his friend, he found,
to his surprise, that the outer door of John's room was fast
shut.

"Sported the oak, has he?" said Tom to himself. "Never

knew him to do that before. What is the matter now, I
wonder?"

CHAPTER XIV.
JOHN TINCROFT'S BOLD STROKE.
 HELPLESS widow Mark and poor Sarah were seated
together one chilly evening in spring, some ten days after
the funeral, by a poor fire in their brick-floored kitchen.
They had no attendant now, for the tender-hearted Meg had
been dismissed on the giving up of the farm, so that all the
work, rough and smooth, of the house had fallen almost
entirely on Sarah, who had no time now to sit at her ease,
the sultana of the shabby parlour, with its knobby-seated
chairs, even if she had wished to do so. And for all other
purposes, the kitchen did as well.

They were sadly disconsolate, the two poor women, and

they were very lonely. As was to be expected, little
sympathy had been shown to them by their relatives, even
in the first bouts of their bereavement; and that little had
entirely ceased. Had they been of the labouring class, they
would have fared better in this respect, for the poor, in a
country village at least, do feel for one another, and help
each other when in sorrow. But the Wilsons were above
them, while those on their own level, or higher in station,
"passed by on the other side."

The only one exception to this was found in our friend

Mr. Rubric. Probably his position as parish clergyman laid a
kind of obligation upon him to weep with those who wept.
But besides this, he really and unofficially would have done
the same thing if he had never worn a surplice nor had a
bishop's hands laid on his head. We have seen how he had
made friends of the mammon of unrighteousness on behalf
of his destitute parishioners in the case of John Tincroft;
and that, with a less satisfactory result, he had made the
same efforts in other quarters.

It was owing to the assistance afforded by Mr. Rubric,

backed up by John Tincroft's remittance, that the widow and
her daughter were not already separated—the first taking
her way to the parish "refuge for the destitute," the second
to the situation of "maid of all work," which had been
offered her in a neighbouring farmer's domicile. But the
time of parting, though postponed, was inevitable; and this
evening they were helplessly and sorrowfully bemoaning
their hard lot, not altogether waiving mutual reproaches of
each other, and joint censures against the dead and buried,
forgetful, if they had ever heard of the charitable maxim,
De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

A hesitating, timid knock at the door interrupted the

painful talk, and on opening it, Sarah Wilson saw herself
confronted by John Tincroft.

Her that impulse was to close the door in his face, and
to run upstairs and hide herself under the bed, or
elsewhere; and no wonder, perhaps, as she looked upon
John as the cause of her irreconcilable quarrel with her
cousin and lover. She thought better of this, however, on
remembering John's recent kindness—reflecting likewise
that, in the former case, it was not Mr. Tincroft so much as
her mischief-making cousin Elizabeth who was really in
fault. So when the awkward and unexpected visitor
stammered out an apology for his intrusion, she offered him
her hand in amity, and invited him to walk in and draw up
to the fire.