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






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






3. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






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






5. French term for the world of books - criticism - and literature in general






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






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






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






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






10. A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words






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






12. Three periods (. . .) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation






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






14. The depiction of people - things - and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect.






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






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






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






18. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






19. 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.






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






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






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






23. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






24. A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse - often (but not always) marked by punctuation






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






26. 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






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






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






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






30. 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






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






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






33. A character or force in a work of literature that - by opposing the protagonist produces tension or conflict






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






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






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






37. As distinguished from Apollonian - the word refers to sensual - pleasure-seeking impulses






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






39. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






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






41. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






42. A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea - often stated in figurative language






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






44. 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.






45. A series of comparisons between two unlike objects






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






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






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






49. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






50. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem







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