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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. 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






2. Wrote 'since feeling is first -' 'somewhere i have never traveled - gladly beyond -' and 'The Enormous Room' - Experimented with : form - punctuation - spelling - typography - grammar - imagery - rhythm - and syntax.






3. Pilgrim's constitution. Shaped the politics - religion - and social behavior of the first settlers. Eventually influenced the shape - style and content of the U.S Constitution. William Bradford was famous for being one of the authors and signers.






4. Well-known humorists.






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






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






7. Typically referred to as the greatest American novelist (next to Mark Twain) of the second half of the 19th century. Main theme of his work was the innocence and exuberance of America compared to the corruption and wisdom of Europe. Wrote 'The Portra






8. Writings interweave sexual and racial concerns; what it means to be black and homosexual in America in the 2nd half of the 20th Century.






9. Major theme of 20th Century literature.






10. All events follow natural laws.






11. Words that carry a strong emotional overtones.






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






13. Autobiography is considered the one of the greatest ever written. Wrote Poor Richard's Alamanac






14. Wished to return to more primitive principles - to simplicity - sobriety - religious earnestness - and personal self-control. Aim was to purify church of England from 'Popery' - Persecuted harshly by Charles I and Archbishop of Canterbury William Lau






15. Characterized by: Ordinary Language - Free Verse - Concentrated Word Pictures - Very specific words and phrases - Advanced by Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell; also utilized by Robert Frost






16. People who sang lyrics as they played string-like instruments.






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






18. Pattern of five feet (groups of syllables) - each having one unstressed syllable and one stressed syllable.






19. Chicago School - Wrote 'Lucinda Matlock' - Created 'Spoon River Anthology' - Spoon River poems are characterized by: An unpoetic - colloquial style - frank descriptions of sex - a very critical view of small town life - and a description of he inner






20. Wrote 'Grapes of Wrath -' 'Of Mice and Men -' and 'East of Eden -' and 'Winter of Our Discontent.' Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature - Pulitzer and and the National Book Award.






21. Wrote 'My Antonia' and 'Death Comes for the Archbishop' Won a Pulitzer for her novel 'One of Ours'






22. The primacy of science over religious - mythical - or spiritual interpretations of life.






23. Unorthodox writers who hung around the bars and coffee houses of San Francisco's North Beach.






24. 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






25. A literary argument that aims to change public opinion rather than entertain.






26. 'The Old Man and the Sea -' 'The Sun Also Rises -' 'A Farewell to Arms -' and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' Writing style emphasizes: Short sentences - brief paragraphs - active verbs - authenticity - compression - clarity - and immediacy. Produced some






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






28. Considered the voice of the Twenties. Wrote 'The Great Gatsby' - Heavy drinking problem.






29. Wrote 'The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man' and 'Lift Every Voice and Sing -' (The Black National Anthem)






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






31. Best-known and most influential early Naturalist. Rougon-Marcquart






32. 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.






33. Wrote 'Songs of Jamaica' - Poetry and 'Harlem Shadows' (first great literary achievement of the Harlem Renaissance. Much of his poetry evokes the rich heritage of Jamaica.






34. Third US President Referred to as the 'Sage of Monticello'Drafted the Declaration of Independence.






35. Key intellectual and philosophical voice of 19th-century America. Key player in the transcendentalist movement. First to define what made American poetry American - it is verse that celebrates ordinary experience rather than the epic themes of the pa






36. 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






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






38. 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.






39. Friedrich Nitezche's belief in the 'will to power' as the primary force of society and the individual.






40. She holds a unique place in American history as both the wife of one president and the mother of another. In her own right - she was an ardent American patriot. Her perseverance during the American Revolution kept her family together and enabled her






41. Southern Gothic writer. Creates stories that simultaneously shock readers and reflect her strong Catholic faith.


42. Confessional Poet - Wrote 'Lord Weary's Castle' and 'In Life Studies'






43. Won the Nobel Prize - Novels concentrate on the turmoil of modern Jewish life.






44. Wrote 'Portnoy's Complaint.' Work reflects the changing attitude of Jews living in post-World War II America.






45. Literary movement of the 19th century that traced the effects of heredity and environment on people who ere helpless to change their situations. Also called Determinism for its belief in the effects of environment - heredity - and chance on human fat






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






47. A pattern of stressed unstressed syllables that create a beat - as in music.






48. Famous for writing - marriages - divorces and media hype. Wrote 'The Executioner's Song.'






49. Famous Poet and Novelist - 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'






50. End : occurs when words at the ends of lines of poetry rhyme. Internal: occurs when words within a sentences share the same sound - such as 'Each narrow cell in which we dwell.'