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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 main character in a work of literature






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






3. 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'






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






5. A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea






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






7. The emotional tone in a work of literature






8. A feeling of association or identification with an object or person






9. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






10. Literally - 'seize the day'; enjoy life while you can - a common theme in literature






11. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






12. 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...'






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






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






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






16. A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse - often (but not always) marked by punctuation






17. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






18. An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing - ex. sun-bright topaz - sun-lit lake - sun-bright lake






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






20. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






21. In literature - the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem






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






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






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






25. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






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






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






28. A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation






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






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






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






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






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






34. 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.






35. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






43. A character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character






44. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






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






47. A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation






48. 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






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






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