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






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






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






4. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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






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






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






8. A humorous play on words - using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings






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






10. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






11. A version of a text put into simpler - everyday words






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. The Anglo-Saxon language spoken in what is now England from approximately 450 to 1150 A.D.






14. A sentence that follows the customary word order of English sentences - i.e. subject-verb-object. The main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses






15. A phrase - idea - or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature






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






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






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






19. A highly regarded work of literature or other art form that has withstood the test of time






20. The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that suprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene






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






22. 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






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






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






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






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






27. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






28. 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






29. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






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






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






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






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






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






35. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






36. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






37. Similar to the truth; the quality of realism in a work that persuades readers that they are getting a vision of life as it is.






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






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






40. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






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






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






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






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






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






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






47. A person - scene - event - or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set






48. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






49. Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject






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