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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 simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited






2. 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






3. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






4. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






5. A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Ex: He's not a bad dancer






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






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






8. 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.






9. A sharp - caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt; different from irony - which is more subtle






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






11. The dictionary definition of a word






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






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






14. A four-line poem or a four-line unit of a longer poem






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






16. The manner in which an author uses and arranges words -






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






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






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






20. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






21. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






22. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






23. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






24. A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived






25. The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied






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






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






28. 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






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






30. 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






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






32. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






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






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






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






36. 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






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






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






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






40. A humorous play on words - using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings






41. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






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






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






45. 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...'






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






47. 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






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






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






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