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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 popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme.






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






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






4. The repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines of poetry or prose






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






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






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






8. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






9. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






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






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






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






14. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






15. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research






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






18. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






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






20. A mocking - satirical assault on a person or situation






21. A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Ex: He's not a bad dancer






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






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






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






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






26. 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






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






28. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






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






30. The depiction of people - things - and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect.






31. As distinguished from Apollonian - the word refers to sensual - pleasure-seeking impulses






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






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






35. 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.






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






37. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






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






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






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






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






44. The main character in a work of literature






45. 'In the middle of things'--a Latin term for a narrative that starts not at the beginning of events - but at some other critical point.






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






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






48. 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






49. 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.






50. 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