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






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






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






4. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






5. A feeling of association or identification with an object or person






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






7. A mocking - satirical assault on a person or situation






8. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






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






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






12. 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






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






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






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






16. 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.






17. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






18. One of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. The imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer






19. A group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter - rhyme - or some other plan






20. The dictionary definition of a word






21. '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.






22. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






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






25. 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.






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






27. A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present






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






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






31. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






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






33. A work of literature dealing with rural life






34. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






36. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






37. 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'






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






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






40. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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






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






43. The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality






44. The emotional tone in a work of literature






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






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






47. A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation.






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






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






50. A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things