Test your basic knowledge |

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






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






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






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






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






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






7. The use of insincere or overdone sentimentality






8. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






9. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






10. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






11. 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






12. 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.






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






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






15. 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.






16. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






18. A reference to a person - place - or event meant to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea






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






20. 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






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






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






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






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






25. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






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






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






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






30. 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






31. 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'






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






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






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






35. An extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places






36. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






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






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






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






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






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






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






43. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






45. A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language






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






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






48. A sharp - caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt; different from irony - which is more subtle






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






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







Sorry!:) No result found.

Can you answer 50 questions in 15 minutes?


Let me suggest you:

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests



Major Subjects

Tests & Exams


AP
CLEP
DSST
GRE
SAT
GMAT

Browse all subjects

Browse all tests

Most popular tests