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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 locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present






2. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






10. A verse with five poetic feet per line






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






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






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






14. The repetition of two or more consonant sounds in a group of words or a line of poetry






15. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






23. 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'






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






25. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






26. 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






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






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






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






30. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






31. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning






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






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






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






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






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






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






38. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






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






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






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






42. 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






43. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






44. 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.






45. A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature






46. 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






47. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






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






49. 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






50. Poetry written in iambic pentameter - the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton