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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. 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






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






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






4. Personal - reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject






5. Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject






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






7. A subordinate or minor collection of events in a novel or play - usually connected to the main plot






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






9. A narrative told by a character involved in the story - using first-person pronouns such as I and we.






10. A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action






11. A work of literature dealing with rural life






12. A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea - often stated in figurative language






13. 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...'






14. 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






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






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






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






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






19. The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker






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






21. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






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






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






24. The relation in which a narrator or speaker stands to the story or subject matter of a poem.






25. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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






27. The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose






28. 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'






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






37. The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature






38. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






39. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






40. An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form






41. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






43. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that make up a line of poetry






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






45. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement






46. A series of comparisons between two unlike objects






47. A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation.






48. 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






49. A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.






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






Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?



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