Test your basic knowledge |

AP Literary Terms

Subjects : english, ap, literature
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • 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 piece of writing that reveals weaknesses - faults - frailties - or other shortcomings






2. The dictionary definition of a word






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






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






5. 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...'






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






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






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






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






10. Providing hints of things to come in a story or play






11. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






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






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






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






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






16. A work of fiction of roughly 20 -000 to 50 -000 words--longer than a short story - but shorter than a novel






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






18. The high point - or turning point - of a story or play






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






20. A list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work.






21. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






22. The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality






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






24. A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances.






25. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






26. The generic name for a figure of speech such as image - symbol - simile - and metaphor






27. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






28. A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited






29. The total environment for the action in a novel or play. It includes time - place - historical milieu - and social - political - and even spiritual circumstances






30. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






31. A direct verbal assault; a denunciation






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






33. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






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






35. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






37. The work of poets - particularly those of the seventeenth century - that uses elaborate conceits - is highly intellectual - and expresses the complexities of love and life






38. A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words - clauses - or sentences: 'They promised freedom but provided slavery'






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






40. 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.






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






42. A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy






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






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






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






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






47. A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea






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






49. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






50. A mocking - satirical assault on a person or situation