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






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






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






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






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






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






7. A figurative comparison using the words like or as






8. 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.






9. A form of verse or prose that tells a story






10. The main character in a work of literature






11. 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.






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






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






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






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






16. 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...'






17. One of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. The imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer






18. A narrator with unlimited awareness - understanding - and insight of characters - setting - background - and all other elements of the story






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






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






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






22. A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse - but sometimes with a satirical thrust






23. The repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals - used mostly in poetry.






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






25. The high point - or turning point - of a story or play






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






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






28. 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






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






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






31. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






32. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






33. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






44. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






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






46. 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






47. A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present






48. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






49. Grating - inharmonious sounds






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