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






2. A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Ex: He's not a bad dancer






3. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






4. Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.






5. A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature






6. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






7. Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality - objectivity - simplicity - and restraint






8. A work of literature dealing with rural life






9. A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature






10. The general form - pattern - and manner of expression of a work of literature






11. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






12. A lyric poem usually marked by serious - respectful - and exalted feeling towards the subject






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






14. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






15. A lyric poem or passage that describes a kind of ideal life or place






16. 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.






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






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






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






20. A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect






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






22. A literary form in which events are exaggerated in order to create an extreme emotional response






23. A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative






24. 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






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






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






27. The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object






28. A German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal






29. An episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. Ex: Don Quixote - Moll Flanders






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






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






32. A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated - often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected






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






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






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






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






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






38. The main idea or meaning - often an abstract idea upon which a work of literature is built






39. 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






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






41. A version of a text put into simpler - everyday words






42. A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse - but sometimes with a satirical thrust






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






44. A rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased






45. A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature






46. 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.






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






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






49. 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






50. 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'