SUBJECTS
|
BROWSE
|
CAREER CENTER
|
POPULAR
|
JOIN
|
LOGIN
Business Skills
|
Soft Skills
|
Basic Literacy
|
Certifications
About
|
Help
|
Privacy
|
Terms
|
Email
Search
Test your basic knowledge |
AP Literary Terms
Start Test
Study First
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 character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character
burlesque
in medias res
epigram
title character
2. Overstatement; gross exaggeration for rhetorical effect
idyll
lyric poetry
hyperbole
Bildungsroman
3. The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature
diction
pseudonym
empathy
exposition
4. A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language
fantasy
extended metaphor
adage
narrative
5. Grating - inharmonious sounds
cacophony
euphemism
adage
parable
6. A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character - ex. Oedipus Rex
dramatic irony
verbal irony
consonance
verisimilitude
7. '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.
pathos
simile
trope
in medias res
8. The main character in a work of literature
romance
protagonist
verse
subplot
9. 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
coming-of-age story
trope
in medias res
light verse
10. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement
subtext
epigram
pathos
pentameter
11. A French verse form calculated to appear simple and spontaneous but consisting of nineteen lines and a prescribed pattern of rhymes
melodrama
villanelle
sentimental
verse
12. French term for the world of books - criticism - and literature in general
belle-lettres
synecdoche
loose sentence
flashback
13. Poetry written in iambic pentameter - the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton
sonnet
blank verse
diction
prosody
14. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem
title character
ottava rima
elegy
subtext
15. A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
figurative language
mood
Dionysian
humanism
16. A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited
omniscient narrator
lampoon
Middle English
ballad
17. A list of works cited or otherwise relevant to a subject or other work.
omniscient narrator
euphony
bibliography
exposition
18. A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse - but sometimes with a satirical thrust
hyperbole
verbal irony
light verse
plot
19. A word or phrase representing that which can be seen - touched - tasted - smelled - or felt
couplet
mock epic
tone
image
20. 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
free verse
fable
ambiguity
onomatopoeia
21. A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy
analogy
moral
sarcasm
catharsis
22. The language spoken in England roughly between 1150 and 1500 A.D.
ottava rima
antagonist
subtext
Middle English
23. 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
sentimental
idyll
loose sentence
litotes
24. A term used to describe literary forms - such as novel - play - and essay
aphorism
verisimilitude
genre
mock epic
25. A literary style used to poke fun at - attack - or ridicule an idea - vice - or foible - often for the purpose of inducing change
eponymous
archetype
satire
syntax
26. The choice of words in oral and written discourse
diction
voice
rhyme scheme
loose sentence
27. The emotional tone in a work of literature
mood
synecdoche
couplet
protagonist
28. The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that suprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene
rhetorical stance
lyric poetry
anachronism
wit
29. A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words - clauses - or sentences: 'They promised freedom but provided slavery'
bibliography
realism
antithesis
Gothic novel
30. A feeling of association or identification with an object or person
satire
bombast
ballad
empathy
31. Novels written for mass consumption - often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots
conceit
falling action
analogy
pulp fiction
32. A sharp - caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt; different from irony - which is more subtle
sarcasm
exposition
aphorism
mode
33. A short - pithy statement of a generally accepted truth or sentiment
denotation
free verse
sentiment
aphorism
34. A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation
foot
ambiguity
simile
foreshadowing
35. The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence
frame
heroic couplet
tone
style
36. A style of writing in which the author tries to reproduce the random flow of thoughts in the human mind
stream of consciousness
euphony
rhetorical stance
genre
37. The act of determining the meter of a poetic line.
conceit
ambiguity
paradox
scan
38. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry
meter
narrative
harangue
foot
39. A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose.
farce
humanism
myth
wit
40. The language of a work and its style; words - often highly emotional - used to convince or sway an audience
rhetoric
antithesis
genre
pun
41. An adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person or thing - ex. sun-bright topaz - sun-lit lake - sun-bright lake
versification
epithet
pentameter
eponymous
42. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow
pathos
allusion
adage
lampoon
43. The pattern of rhymes within a given poem
rhyme scheme
classic
allegory
mood
44. Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject
climax
aphorism
Gothic novel
rhetorical stance
45. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true
caesura
paradox
climax
indirect quotation
46. A statement or idea that fails to follow logically from the one before
assonance
metonymy
non sequitur
classicism
47. A return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present action or circumstances.
anachronism
caricature
persona
flashback
48. 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
Gothic novel
consonance
omniscient narrator
Bildungsroman
49. A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature
Old English
moral
rhyme scheme
prosody
50. A person - scene - event - or other element in literature that fails to correspond with the time or era in which the work is set
rhythm
extended metaphor
anachronism
falling action