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






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






3. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem






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






5. The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of words or lines in poetry and prose






6. The act of determining the meter of a poetic line.






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






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






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






10. A phrase - idea - or event that through repetition serves to unify or convey a theme in a work of literature






11. The dictionary definition of a word






12. The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






21. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






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






24. A series of comparisons between two unlike objects






25. '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.






26. 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.






27. The main character in a work of literature






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






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






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






31. A parody of traditional epic form. It usually treats a frivolous topic with extreme seriousness - using conventions such as invocations to the Muse - action-packed battle scenes - and accounts of heroic exploits.






32. An extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places






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






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






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






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






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






38. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






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






40. The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words






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






42. 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






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






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






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






46. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect






47. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






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






50. A poet; in olden times - a performer who told heroic stories to musical accompaniment