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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 comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose.
farce
canon
Dionysian
realism
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'
foot
narrative
annotation
antithesis
3. The manner in which an author uses and arranges words -
invective
conceit
style
pathos
4. Poetry written in iambic pentameter - the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton
metonymy
synecdoche
Apollonian
blank verse
5. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem
exegesis
paradox
heroic couplet
ottava rima
6. A rendering of a quotation in which actual words are not stated but only approximated or paraphrased
indirect quotation
euphemism
periodic sentence
villanelle
7. The background and events that lead to the presentation of the main idea or purpose of a work of literature
rhyme
prosody
Gothic novel
exposition
8. A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretation
expose
ambiguity
farce
flashback
9. A term for the title character of a work of literature
Middle English
eponymous
analogy
sentimental
10. A narrator with unlimited awareness - understanding - and insight of characters - setting - background - and all other elements of the story
elegy
personification
omniscient narrator
ambiguity
11. A four-line poem or a four-line unit of a longer poem
hubris
quatrain
coming-of-age story
allegory
12. A pause somewhere in the middle of a verse - often (but not always) marked by punctuation
non sequitur
caesura
archetype
personification
13. A structure that provides premise or setting for a narrative
frame
in medias res
ellipsis
image
14. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true
paradox
enjambment
caricature
coming-of-age story
15. A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying symbolic - metaphorical - or possibly an ethical meaning
wit
deus ex machina
rhythm
allegory
16. Personal - reflective poetry that reveals the speaker's thoughts and feelings about the subject
apostrophe
title character
caesura
lyric poetry
17. The main character in a work of literature
aphorism
humanism
protagonist
exegesis
18. An extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places
romance
hubris
mock epic
Dionysian
19. The organization of language into meaningful structure; every sentence has a particular pattern of words
pastoral
abstract
syntax
belle-lettres
20. A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation.
foreshadowing
exposition
end-stopped
quatrain
21. The emotional tone in a work of literature
wit
mood
frame
pentameter
22. A character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character
non sequitur
sonnet
title character
verbal irony
23. A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character - ex. Oedipus Rex
dramatic irony
allusion
frame
mock epic
24. A popular form of verse consisting of fourteen lines and a prescribed rhyme scheme.
sonnet
ballad
wit
verse
25. A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
anachronism
periodic sentence
flashback
humanism
26. 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
fable
picaresque novel
exposition
elliptical construction
27. 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
tragedy
denouement
consonance
frame
28. The action in a play or story that occurs after the climax and that leads to the conclusion and often to the resolution of the conflict
quatrain
explication
falling action
frame
29. A novel in which supernatural horrors and an atmosphere of unknown terrors pervades the action
verisimilitude
Gothic novel
rhetorical stance
epigram
30. The repetition of similar sounds at regular intervals - used mostly in poetry.
fantasy
rhyme
fable
pentameter
31. A work of literature dealing with rural life
personification
allegory
pastoral
apostrophe
32. A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things
analogy
style
denouement
figurative language
33. A group of two or more lines in poetry combined according to subject matter - rhyme - or some other plan
sarcasm
sentimental
pathos
stanza
34. The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object
symbolism
annotation
verisimilitude
figurative language
35. Two rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter and used widely in eighteenth-century verse.
classicism
pathos
invective
heroic couplet
36. A brief explanation - summary - or evaluation of a text or work of literature
annotation
antagonist
romance
sarcasm
37. A saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language
pseudonym
bombast
rhyme scheme
adage
38. A term consisting of contradictory elements juxtaposed to create a paradoxical effect
ellipsis
diction
oxymoron
climax
39. Also called figure of speech. In contrast to literal language - it implies meanings. Includes metaphors - similes - and personification - among others.
apostrophe
pentameter
figurative language
conceit
40. Literally - 'seize the day'; enjoy life while you can - a common theme in literature
belle-lettres
exposition
carpe diem
consonance
41. An imaginary story that has become an accepted part of the cultural or religious tradition of a group or society
myth
metonymy
foreshadowing
sentiment
42. 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
elliptical construction
alliteration
consonance
realism
43. In literature - the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem
litotes
ottava rima
sonnet
deus ex machina
44. 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
antagonist
persona
mood
wit
45. The high point - or turning point - of a story or play
moral
mock epic
paraphrase
climax
46. A story containing unreal - imaginary features
antagonist
epigram
canon
fantasy
47. A work of literature meant to ridicule a subject; a grotesque imitation
connotation
farce
burlesque
ballad
48. 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
theme
metaphor
coming-of-age story
voice
49. A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words
irony
ambiguity
hubris
verbal irony
50. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research
analogy
syntax
pseudonym
abstract