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






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






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






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






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






6. The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.






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






8. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






10. A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity






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






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






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






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






15. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






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






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






18. 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






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






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






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






22. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






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






24. The manner in which an author uses and arranges words -






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






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






27. 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...'






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






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






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






31. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






32. 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






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






34. 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






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






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






37. A literary style used to poke fun at - attack - or ridicule an idea - vice - or foible - often for the purpose of inducing change






38. As distinguished from Apollonian - the word refers to sensual - pleasure-seeking impulses






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






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






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






42. The main character in a work of literature






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






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






45. A piece of writing that reveals weaknesses - faults - frailties - or other shortcomings






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






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






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






49. 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.






50. 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