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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. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






10. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






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






12. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






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






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






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






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






18. Also called figure of speech. In contrast to literal language - it implies meanings. Includes metaphors - similes - and personification - among others.






19. 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






20. 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.






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






22. 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.






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






30. 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.






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






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






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






34. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






35. A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited






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






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






38. A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation






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






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






41. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






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






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






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






46. A short - pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment






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






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






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






50. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem