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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. An episodic novel about a roguelike wanderer who lives off his wits. Ex: Don Quixote - Moll Flanders






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






3. The emotional tone in a work of literature






4. A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose.






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






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






7. 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






8. 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






9. A concise but ingenious - witty - and thoughtful statement






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






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






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






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






14. 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






15. A story consisting of events from which a moral or spiritual truth may be derived






16. The choice of words in oral and written discourse






17. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects






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






19. The main character in a work of literature






20. 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.






21. A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea






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






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






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






25. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






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






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






28. The works considered most important in a national literature or period; works widely read and studied






29. A word or phrase representing that which can be seen - touched - tasted - smelled - or felt






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






31. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects






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






33. A figure of speech in which a part signifies the whole ('fifty masts' for fifty ships) or the whole signifies the part ('days' for life - as in 'He lived his days in Canada'). Also when the name of the material stands for the thing itself ('pigskin'






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






35. A work of literature dealing with rural life






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






37. 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






38. 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






39. The work of poets - particularly those of the seventeenth century - that uses elaborate conceits - is highly intellectual - and expresses the complexities of love and life






40. A synonym for poetry. Also a group of lines in a song or poem; also a single line of poetry






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






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






43. A sharp - caustic expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt; different from irony - which is more subtle






44. Pleasing - harmonious sounds






45. A sentence containing a deliberate omission of words. In the sentence 'May was hot and June the same -' the verb 'was' is omitted from the second clause






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






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






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






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






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