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






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






3. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






4. 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






5. The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events - including exposition - rising action - climax - falling action - and resolution.






6. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






7. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






14. The main character in a work of literature






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






16. A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language






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






18. 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...'






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






20. 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






21. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






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






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






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






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






27. The emotional tone in a work of literature






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






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






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






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






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






33. A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence 'May was hot and June the same -' the verb 'was' is omitted from the second clause






34. 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'






35. 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






36. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






37. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






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






39. A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature






40. '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.






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






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






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






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






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






46. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






47. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






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






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