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






2. The emotional tone in a work of literature






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






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






5. The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality






6. The relation in which a narrator or speaker stands to the story or subject matter of a poem.






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






8. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






10. A short - pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment






11. A figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics






12. A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea






13. A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences - i.e. subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses






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






15. A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation






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






17. A sentence that departs from the usual word order of English sentences by expressing its main though only at the end. In other words - the particulars in the sentence are presented before the idea they support.






18. In contrast to Dionysian - it refers to the most noble - godlike qualities of human nature and behavior






19. An episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. Ex: Don Quixote - Moll Flanders






20. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






21. Providing hints of things to come in a story or play






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






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






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






25. 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






26. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






27. The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature






28. 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'






29. A version of a text put into simpler - everyday words






30. A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature






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






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






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






34. A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before






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






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






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






38. A French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of nineteen lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes






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






40. The high point - or turning point - of a story or play






41. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






42. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






43. 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






44. The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature






45. A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature






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






47. Also called 'pen name' or 'nom de plume'; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)






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






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






50. A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence 'May was hot and June the same -' the verb 'was' is omitted from the second clause