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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 device employed in Anglo-Saxon poetry in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities - as in 'ring-giver' for king and 'whale-road' for ocean






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






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






4. A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences - i.e. subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses






5. A French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of nineteen lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes






6. A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose.






7. A parody of traditional epic form. It usually treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness - using conventions such as invocations to the Muse - action-packed battle scenes - and accounts of heroic exploits.






8. The emotional tone in a work of literature






9. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






10. A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior






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






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






13. The act of determining the meter of a poetic line.






14. The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied






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






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






17. 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






18. A mild or less negative usage for a harsh or blunt term; i.e. 'pass away' instead of 'die'






19. A word or phrase representing that which can be seen - touched - tasted - smelled - or felt






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






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






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






23. The dictionary definition of a word






24. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






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






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






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






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






29. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






30. A humorous play on words - using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings






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






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






33. The depiction of people - things - and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect.






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






35. 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






36. A form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that cause the hero considerable anguish






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






38. 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






39. A form of verse or prose that tells a story






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






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






42. A verse with five poetic feet per line






43. The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction






44. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry






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






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






47. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






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






50. A group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter - rhyme - or some other plan