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






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






3. A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature






4. '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.






5. A piece of writing that reveals weaknesses - faults - frailties - or other shortcomings






6. 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






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






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






9. 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






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






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






12. 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






13. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






14. Grating - inharmonious sounds






15. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






16. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






26. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






27. 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'






28. A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative






29. 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






30. The act of determining the meter of a poetic line.






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






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






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






34. A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior






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






36. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






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






38. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






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






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






42. 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.






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






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






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






46. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






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






48. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






49. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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