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CLEP American Literature

Subjects : clep, 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 literary argument that aims to change public opinion rather than entertain.






2. Father of American Literature - First American writer to achieve an international reputation. Rip Van Winkle (antihero). Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Devil and Tom Walker. Was 50 years old before his real name appeared on any of his books. Used alias






3. A line or group of lines repeated at the end of a poem or song. Refrains reinforce the main point and create musical effects.






4. Wrote 'Richard Cory' - Created poems dealing with historic myths and characters. Known primarily for short - ironic characteristics of ordinary individuals. Won 3 Pulitzers : 'Collected Poems -' 'The Man Who Died Twice -' and 'Tristram'






5. That America's unique identity transcends ethnic - cultural - or religious backgrounds. Idea given by St. Jean de Crevecoeur






6. A literary mask a writer assumes for the purpose of creating a character in a poem.






7. Produced a number of sketches - poems - and a one-act pay titled 'Cane.'






8. First great writer of psychological fiction; obsessed with sin and guilt. 'The Scarlet Letter' - 'Young Goodman Brown' - Claimed his work was romance and therefore not required to be realistic.






9. Wrote 'Howl -' ' Empty Mirror -' and 'Kaddish and Other Poems' - Poet






10. The belief that 'true' Americans were those of earlier Anglo-Saxon descent - and that this 'race' was under threat from the growing influx of Central European and Asian immigrants.






11. Confessional Poet - Won a Pulitzer for 'Live or Die'






12. The process of reading a poem to figure out it's meter.






13. A single sheet of paper printed on one or both sides. 'The Dying Redcoat'






14. (Colonial Period) Best-known Southern colonial writer. Famous for 'The History of the Dividing Line' and 'The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover'






15. Naturalist - Wrote 'McTeague - a Story of San Francisco'






16. America's most popular humorist in the 30s and 40s. Frequently explored the battle of the sexes. Wrote 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.'






17. A social and artistic movement of the 1950's stressing unrestrained literary self expression and nonconformity with the mainstream culture






18. Story in which the characters - setting and action represent abstract concepts apart from their literal meaning.






19. Local Colorist Great Niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper'






20. Stylistic Elements Parallel Structure: repeated used of phrases - clauses - or sentences that are similar in structure. Rhythm - Forceful and Direct Language






21. Chicago School - Work bridges folk poetry and modernist poems. Used music and strong rhythm - Wrote 'The Congo'






22. A false science that argued tat different human races possessed distinguishing traits that determined their particular behavior and achievement in society.






23. All written work that is not poetry - drama or song. Articles - autobiographies - biographies - essays - novels and editorials are prose.






24. The repeated use of identical sounds.






25. Wrote Catcher in the Rye






26. The Bard of Harlem; most successful black writer in America during the Harlem Renaissance. Wanted to capture the dominant oral traditions of black culture in written form. Best known for his poetry: 'The Weary Blues -' 'Fields of Wonder -' and 'The D






27. Created new poetic forms and subjects to fashion a distinctly American type of poetic expression. Rejected conventional themes - traditional literary references - allusions - and rhymes. Used long lines to capture rhythms of natural speech - free ver






28. Wrote 'The Red Badge of Courage' and 'Maggie: A Girl of the Streets -' and 'The Open Boat.' Red Badge of Courage is considered the first modern war novel. Work is celebrated for its images and symbolism. Work is often described as impressionist due t






29. First vice president and second president. Member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. Helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Husband of Abigail Adams.






30. Genius; called the 'Black Keats' - Worked within traditional poetic forms rather than jazz rhythms. Wrote ' Copper Sun -' and 'The Ballad of the Brown Girl.'






31. Written by Cottonn Mather - to justify the execution of 19 women during the Salem Witch Trials.






32. Wrote 'The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.' Escaped slave that became one o f the most effective orators of his day - an influential newspaper writer - a militant abolitionist - and a famous diplomat.






33. Won 4 Pulitzers - Top 20th Century Poet - Wrote 'The Road Not Taken -' ' Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening -' and 'Mending Wall'






34. A story told in song form. Ballads often tell stories of adventure and love.






35. Unrhymed poetry Captures natural rhythm of speech.






36. A 14-line poem with a set rhythm and rhyme scheme.






37. Credited with creating: the modern short story and the detective novel - and the entire genre of mystery. Wrote 'The Philosophy of Composition' - 'The Raven' - 'Tell-Tale Heart -' 'The Cask of Amontillado -' and 'The Gold Bug.' (The first detective






38. Written by Michael Wigglesworth - the most famous poem of 17th Century - proceeds from judgement day to hell and then to paradise. First American Best Seller.






39. Well-known humorists.






40. Wrote 'Daddy' and 'The Bell Jar' - Confessional Poet






41. Considered the greatest humorist of 19th century American Literature. Wrote 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' Master of 'Local Color' writing. Used vernacular - exaggeration and deadpan narrator to create humor.






42. Wrote 'The Souls of Black Folk' - Founder of the NAACP






43. Involves a speaker who addresses an unseen audience. Usually takes place at a crucial moment in the speaker's life.






44. Most prominent black leader of his day. Wrote 'Up From Slavery'






45. Literary movement of the 19th century Presented the details of ordinary life in art. Realists rejected the heroic and adventurous and concentrated on pessimistic views of poverty - prostitution and pain. Reaction to Romanticism.






46. The beat or rhythm of a poem - created by a pattern of stressed an unstressed syllables.






47. Writings portray the lives of poor - oppressed black women in the early 1900s.






48. Local Colorist Wrote 'The Awakening' Writing is memorable for its : Vivid and economical style - Rich Local Dialect - and Penetrating view of the culture of South Louisiana.






49. Chicago School : Verses often concern ordinary - everyday people; realistic poems and dramatic emphasis attract a large audience. Wrote 'Chicago -' and a biography of Abraham Lincoln. Poems describe everyday Americans - have a positive tone - use sim






50. Leader of naturalism in American writing. Wrote 'An American Tragedy'






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