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AP Literary Terms

Subjects : english, ap, literature
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • 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. A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of something or someone of value






2. An extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places






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






4. The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words






5. Personal - reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject






6. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry






7. The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry






8. A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.






9. A style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind






10. A person - scene - event - or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set






11. A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy






12. The dictionary definition of a word






13. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






14. A form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that cause the hero considerable anguish






15. The action in a play or story that occurs after the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolution of the conflict






16. 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






17. The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction






18. The role or facade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader - a viewer - or the world at large






19. 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'






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






21. The repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals - used mostly in poetry.






22. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






23. A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time






24. Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects






25. A poet; in olden times - a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment






26. 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






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






28. A tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. The character may develop understanding via disillusionment - education - doses of reality - or any other experiences that alter his or her emotional or intellectual maturi






29. The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object






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






31. A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words - clauses - or sentences: 'They promised freedom but provided slavery'






32. A narrative told by a character involved in the story - using first-person pronouns such as I and we.






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






34. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






35. 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...'






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






37. The excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death






38. A rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased






39. In literature - the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem






40. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement






41. The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.






42. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research






43. A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior






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






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






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






47. The general form - pattern - and manner of expression of a work of literature






48. A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation






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






50. A subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play - usually connected to the main plot