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AP Literary Terms

Subjects : english, ap, literature
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research






2. A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things






3. The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose






4. Novels written for mass consumption - often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots






5. A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated - often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected






6. French for a novel in which hisotrical events and actual people appear under the guise of fiction






7. The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that suprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene






8. A lyric poem usually marked by serious - respectful - and exalted feeling towards the subject






9. A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Ex: 'The White House says...'






10. A brief explanation - summary - or evaluation of a text or work of literature






11. A narrator with unlimited awareness - understanding - and insight of characters - setting - background - and all other elements of the story






12. A German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal






13. The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose






14. A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present






15. A kind of poetry without rhymed lines - rhythm - or fixed metrical feet






16. A term used to describe literary forms - such as novel - play - and essay






17. An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing - ex. sun-bright topaz - sun-lit lake - sun-bright lake






18. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry






19. A term for the title character of a work of literature






20. A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative






21. A term often used as a synonym for realism - also a view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic.






22. A mocking - satirical assault on a person or situation






23. The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase






24. In poetry - the use of successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them






25. A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose.






26. A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity






27. The dictionary definition of a word






28. A literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response






29. A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of something or someone of value






30. Literally - 'seize the day'; enjoy life while you can - a common theme in literature






31. A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place






32. A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances.






33. The language of a work and its style; words - often highly emotional - used to convince or sway an audience






34. The structural form of a line of verse as revealed by the number of feet it contains. For example: monometer = 1foot; tetrameter = 4 feet; pentameter = 5 feet - and so forth






35. The work of poets - particularly those of the seventeenth century - that uses elaborate conceits - is highly intellectual - and expresses the complexities of love and life






36. The emotional tone in a work of literature






37. A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character - ex. Oedipus Rex






38. The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence






39. A character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character






40. Poetry written in iambic pentameter - the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton






41. A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature






42. Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.






43. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






44. The total environment for the action in a novel or play. It includes time - place - historical milieu - and social - political - and even spiritual circumstances






45. A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action






46. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






47. The Anglo-Saxon language spoken in what is now England from approximately 450 to 1150 A.D.






48. A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole ('fifty masts' for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part ('days' for life - as in 'He lived his days in Canada'). Also when the name of the material stands for the thing itself ('pigskin'






49. A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term; i.e. 'pass away' instead of 'die'






50. A verse with five poetic feet per line