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






2. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






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






4. In contrast to Dionysian - it refers to the most noble - godlike qualities of human nature and behavior






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






6. A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances.






7. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






8. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






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






11. A term for the title character of a work of literature






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






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






14. Novels written for mass consumption - often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






23. A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things






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






25. 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






26. The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence






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






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






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






30. 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






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






32. 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.






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






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






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






36. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. The dictionary definition of a word






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






49. Three periods (. . .) indicating the omission of words in a thought or quotation






50. 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'