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






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






3. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






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






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






7. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






8. A saying or proverb expressing common wisdom or truth






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






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






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






12. The relation in which a narrator or speaker stands to the story or subject matter of a poem.






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






14. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






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






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






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






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






19. 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.






20. 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






21. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






23. A brief explanation - summary - or evaluation of a text or work of literature






24. A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse - but sometimes with a satirical thrust






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






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






27. A tale in which a young protagonist experiences an introduction to adulthood. The character may develop understanding via disillusionment - education - doses of reality - or any other experiences that alter his or her emotional or intellectual maturi






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






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






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






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






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






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






34. French for a novel in which hisotrical events and actual people appear under the guise of fiction






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






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






37. A forceful sermon - lecture - or tirade






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






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






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






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






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






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






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






45. 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






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






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






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






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






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