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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. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






13. Literally - 'seize the day'; enjoy life while you can - a common theme in literature






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






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






16. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






17. A word or phrase representing that which can be seen - touched - tasted - smelled - or felt






18. A piece of writing that reveals weaknesses - faults - frailties - or other shortcomings






19. A short tale often featuring nonhuman characters that act as people whose actions enable the author to make observations or draw useful lessons about human behavior






20. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement






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






22. 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






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






24. A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before






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






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






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






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






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






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






31. A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative






32. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






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






34. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry






35. A term often used as a synonym for realism - also a view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic.






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






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






38. An abstract or ideal conception of a type; a perfectly typical example; an original model or form






39. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






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






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






43. 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






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






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






46. A witty or ingenious thought; a diverting or highly fanciful idea - often stated in figurative language






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






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






49. A German word referring to a novel structured as a series of events that take place as the hero travels in quest of a goal






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