American Lit Vocab Practice for 2nd quarter

Question 1

epistrophe

Answer 1

(rhetoric) The repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences

Question 2

ad hominem

Answer 2

attaching a person instead of answering their argument

Question 3

inference

Answer 3

arriving at a conclusion based on assuming something is true

Question 4

catharsis

Answer 4

emotional release or purge

Question 5

epigram

Answer 5

a brief witty statement from the Greek for “to inscribe”

Question 6

pathos

Answer 6

(rhetoric) a writer’s attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions not strictly limited to pity

Question 7

red herring

Answer 7

an irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue

Question 8

verisimilitude

Answer 8

having the apperance of truth

Question 9

Straw man

Answer 9

an opponent’s argument is overstated or misrepresented in order to be more easily argued against

Question 10

juxtapose

Answer 10

put together to compare or contrast

Question 11

determinism

Answer 11

doctrine says everything follows natural laws

Question 12

reductio ad absurdum

Answer 12

a manner of arguing something is which one argues for his position by showing the absurdity of the position of his opponent

Question 13

character foils

Answer 13

a character with qualities in contrast to another

Question 14

parody

Answer 14

an imitation of a particular writer, artist, or genre, exaggerating it for humor

Question 15

stream of consciousness

Answer 15

narration that is a flow of thoughts