AP English 1-25

Question 1

Allusion

Answer 1

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

Question 2

Absolute

Answer 2

a word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect”)

Question 3

Adage

Answer 3

a familiar proverb or wise saying

Question 4

ad hominem argument

Answer 4

an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his or her position on an issue

Question 5

Allegory

Answer 5

A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions

Example: Animal Farm

Question 6

Alliteration

Answer 6

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in successive or neighboring words

Question 7

Ambiguity

Answer 7

deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in work. An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way- - is done on purpose by the author, when it is not done on purpose, it is vagueness, and detracts from the work

Question 8

Analogy

Answer 8

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Question 9

Anaphora

Answer 9

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Question 10

Anecdote

Answer 10

A brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event

Question 11

Antecedent

Answer 11

The word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers

Question 12

Antithesis

Answer 12

a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
Ex. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”-MLK

Question 13

Aphorism

Answer 13

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance

Way to remember: Aphorism/ Prism rhymes

Question 14

Apostrophe

Answer 14

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or some abstraction

Question 15

Archetype

Answer 15

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

Question 16

Asyndeton

Answer 16

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Question 17

Bathos

Answer 17

insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

Question 18

Chiasmus

Answer 18

A statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Question 19

Cliche

Answer 19

A statement that has been overused to the extent that its relevance has worn off

Question 20

Colloquialism

Answer 20

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in formal writing

Question 21

complex sentence

Answer 21

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

Question 22

compound sentence

Answer 22

A sentence with two or more independent clauses properly joined

Question 23

Conceit

Answer 23

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

Question 24

Connotation

Answer 24

the implied or associative meaning of a word

Question 25

Cumulative sentence

Answer 25

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases