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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.
  • 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 discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words






2. The main character in a work of literature






3. A work of literature dealing with rural life






4. 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'






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






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






7. Grating - inharmonious sounds






8. 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






9. A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived






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






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






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






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






14. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






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






16. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






17. A synonym for poetry. Also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry






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






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






20. A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence 'May was hot and June the same -' the verb 'was' is omitted from the second clause






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






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






23. A brief explanation - summary - or evaluation of a text or work of literature






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






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






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






27. A poet; in olden times - a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment






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






29. 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.






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






31. A term that describes characters' excessive emotional response to experience; also nauseatingly nostalgic and mawkish






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






33. The language of a work and its style; words - often highly emotional - used to convince or sway an audience






34. 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






35. The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events - including exposition - rising action - climax - falling action - and resolution.






36. Also called figure of speech. In contrast to literal language - it implies meanings. Includes metaphors - similes - and personification - among others.






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






38. 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






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






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






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






42. A poem or prose selection that laments or mediates on the passing or death of something or someone of value






43. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






49. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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