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






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






3. 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






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






5. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






6. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






7. 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






8. A literary style used to poke fun at - attack - or ridicule an idea - vice - or foible - often for the purpose of inducing change






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






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






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






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






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






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






15. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






21. 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






22. In poetry - the use of successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them






23. The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry






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






25. A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time






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






27. A series of comparisons between two unlike objects






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






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






30. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






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






32. A word or phrase representing that which can be seen - touched - tasted - smelled - or felt






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






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






35. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






37. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






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






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






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






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






42. The main character in a work of literature






43. 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'






44. The dictionary definition of a word






45. Grating - inharmonious sounds






46. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






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






48. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






49. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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