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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. A pair of rhyming lines in a poem






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






3. 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






4. Language that conveys a speaker's attitude or opinion with regard to a particular subject






5. A character whose name appears in the title of the novel or play; also known as the eponymous character






6. A story containing unreal - imaginary features






7. An eight-line rhyming stanza of a poem






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






9. A four-line poem or a four-line unit of a longer poem






10. 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






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






12. The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. The spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence






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






14. A figure of speech that uses the name of one thing to represent something else with which it is associated. Ex: 'The White House says...'






15. The interpretation or analysis of a text.






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






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






18. 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






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






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






21. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry






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






23. 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'






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






25. 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






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






27. 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.






28. A brief and often simplistic lesson that a reader may infer from a work of literature






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






30. 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






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






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






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






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






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






36. A discrepancy between the true meaning of a situation and the literal meaning of the written or spoken words






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






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






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






40. Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality - objectivity - simplicity - and restraint






41. The emotional tone in a work of literature






42. A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a dramatic tragedy






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






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






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






46. The use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object






47. Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or nonhuman objects






48. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables found in poetry






49. Also called 'pen name' or 'nom de plume'; a false name or alias used by writers. Ex: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)






50. '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.