Test your basic knowledge |

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






2. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






3. 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






4. A work of fiction of roughly 20 -000 to 50 -000 words--longer than a short story - but shorter than a novel






5. An imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society






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






7. The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker






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






9. A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited






10. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






11. A parody of traditional epic form. It usually treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness - using conventions such as invocations to the Muse - action-packed battle scenes - and accounts of heroic exploits.






12. An extended narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero that is generally larger than life and is often considered a legendary figure - i.e. Odysseus - Beowulf - Homer's Iliad - Vergil's Aeneid.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






21. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






22. Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject






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






24. The generic name for a figure of speech such as image - symbol - simile - and metaphor






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






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






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






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






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






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






31. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true






32. Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality - objectivity - simplicity - and restraint






33. 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






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






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






36. A device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities - as in 'ring-giver' for king and 'whale-road' for ocean






37. 'In the middle of things'--a Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events - but at some other critical point.






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






39. 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.






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






41. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






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






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






45. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






46. The main character in a work of literature






47. A synonym for poetry. Also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry






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 term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic and mawkish






50. Two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in eighteenth-century verse.