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






2. 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






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






4. 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






5. In literature - the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem






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






7. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research






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






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






10. 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






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






12. The manner in which an author uses and arranges words -






13. '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.






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






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






16. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true






17. A form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis or intensity. Ex: He's not a bad dancer






18. The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker






19. That element in literature that stimulates pity or sorrow






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






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






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 version of a text put into simpler - everyday words






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






25. 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






26. A humorous play on words - using similar-sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings






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






28. The emotional tone in a work of literature






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






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






31. A character or force in a work of literature that - by opposing the protagonist produces tension or conflict






32. A unit of stressed and unstressed syllables used to determine the meter of a poetic line.






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






34. One of the ancient Greek goddesses presiding over the arts. The imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer






35. The language of a work and its style; words - often highly emotional - used to convince or sway an audience






36. The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events - including exposition - rising action - climax - falling action - and resolution.






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






38. 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.






39. Grating - inharmonious sounds






40. A synonym for view or feeling; also a refined and tender emotion in literature






41. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






43. The dictionary definition of a word






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






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






46. 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'






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






48. The generic name for a figure of speech such as image - symbol - simile - and metaphor






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






50. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning