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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 German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal






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






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






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






5. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






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






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






9. 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






10. A series of comparisons between two unlike objects






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






12. The excessive pride that often leads tragic heroes to their death






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






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






15. Also called 'pen name' or 'nom de plume'; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)






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






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






18. 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






19. A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect






20. A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic - metaphorical - or possibly an ethical meaning






21. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






35. 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






36. 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.






37. Also called figure of speech. In contrast to literal language - it implies meanings. Includes metaphors - similes - and personification - among others.






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






39. Grating - inharmonious sounds






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






41. The main character in a work of literature






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






43. A form of verse or prose that tells a story






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






45. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






46. 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






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






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






49. 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'






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