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






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






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






4. A popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme.






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






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






7. 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'






8. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






10. Poetry written in iambic pentameter - the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton






11. A tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. The character may develop understanding via disillusionment - education - doses of reality - or any other experiences that alter his or her emotional or intellectual maturi






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






13. A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term; i.e. 'pass away' instead of 'die'






14. 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






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






16. The emotional tone in a work of literature






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






18. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






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






20. A kind of poetry without rhymed lines - rhythm - or fixed metrical feet






21. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






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






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






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






25. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






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






27. The main character in a work of literature






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






29. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






30. 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.






31. The role or facade that a character assumes or depicts to a reader - a viewer - or the world at large






32. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true






33. An imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society






34. A phrase - idea - or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature






35. A novel focusing on and describing the social customs and habits of a particular social group






36. A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things






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






38. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






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






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






41. 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...'






42. 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






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






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






45. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






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






48. 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






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






50. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry