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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.
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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. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






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






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






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






6. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






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






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






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






11. A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.






12. Grating - inharmonious sounds






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






14. A term used to describe literary forms - such as novel - play - and essay






15. 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






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






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






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






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






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






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






22. 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






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






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






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






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






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






28. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






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. 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






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






33. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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






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






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






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






38. A narrative told by a character involved in the story - using first-person pronouns such as I and we.






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






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






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






42. Also called 'pen name' or 'nom de plume'; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)






43. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






45. A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words - clauses - or sentences: 'They promised freedom but provided slavery'






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






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






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






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






50. 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