ap lang 21-50

Question 1

bias:

Answer 1

Prejudice or predisposition toward one side of a subject or issue

Question 2

cacophony

Answer 2

: Harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in

poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.

Question 3

canon:

Answer 3

One of the traditional elements of rhetorical composition:

INVENTION, ARRANGEMENT, STYLE, MEMORY, or DELIVERY.

Question 4

close reading

Answer 4

A careful reading that is attentive to organization,
figurative language, sentence structure, vocabulary, and other
literary and structural elements of a text.

Question 5

coherence:

Answer 5

: The quality of a piece of writing in which all the parts
contribute to the development of the central idea, theme, or
organizing principle

Question 6

colloquial/ism

Answer 6

An informal or conversational use of language

Question 7

concrete language:

Answer 7

Language that describes specific, observable

things, people, or places, rather than ideas or qualities.

Question 8

connotation

Answer 8

The implied meaning of a word, in contrast to its

directly expressed “dictionary definition.”

Question 9

context

Answer 9

The convergence of time, place, AUDIENCE, and
motivating factors in which a piece of writing or a speech
is situated.

Question 10

deduction

Answer 10

The process of moving from a general claim to a specific

example. (Thesis first, then supporting examples.)

Question 11

denotation:

Answer 11

The literal meaning of a word; its dictionary definition

Question 12

description:

Answer 12

Writing that relies on sensory IMAGES to characterize a

person or place.

Question 13

diction:

Answer 13

Word choice, which is viewed on scales of
formality/informality, concreteness/abstraction, and denotative
value/connotative value

Question 14

didactic:

Answer 14

Writing whose purpose is to instruct or to teach. The work is usually formal and focuses on moral or ethical concerns.
This type of writing may be fiction or nonfiction that teaches a
specific lesson or moral or provides a model of correct behavior
or thinking.

Question 15

discourse

Answer 15

spoken or written language, including literary works; the
four traditionally classified modes of discourse are description,
exposition, narration, and persuasion

Question 16

elegiac

Answer 16

Mournful over what has passed or been lost; often used to describe tone.

Question 17

element:

Answer 17

In visual argument: elements in a text might include
specific words or phrases, colors, and individual images that
are used—all of which audiences can read individually—to
form an overall, cohesive meaning for the text.

Question 18

emphatic sentence

Answer 18

A sentence of 5-10 words, for emphasis

Question 19

ethos

Answer 19

The appeal of a text to the credibility and character of the
speaker, writer, or narrator.

Question 20

euphemism

Answer 20

An indirect expression of unpleasant information is such
a way as to lessen its impact—for example, saying a person’s
position was eliminated rather than saying the person was fired.

Question 21

euphony

Answer 21

A succession of harmonious sounds used in poetry or

prose; the opposite of cacophony.

Question 22

example

Answer 22

An illustration or incident offered in support of a

GENERALIZATION, CLAIM, or point.

Question 23

exigence

Answer 23

That which has compelled the writer to write.

Question 24

explication of text

Answer 24

Explanation of a text’s meaning through an
analysis of all of its constituent parts, including the literary
devices used; also called close reading.

Question 25

exposition:

Answer 25

Explanation, one of the four modes of discourse

Question 26

extended metaphor

Answer 26

A sustained comparison, often referred to

as a conceit, that is developed as far as the author wishes.

Question 27

figurative language

Answer 27

The use of tropes or figures of speech; going 3

beyond literal meaning to achieve literary effect

Question 28

foreshadowing

Answer 28

The use of a hint or clue to suggest a larger event

that occurs later in the work.

Question 29

generalization

Answer 29

A point that the speaker or writer generates on the

basis of considering a number of particular EXAMPLES.

Question 30

genre

Answer 30

A piece of writing classified by type—for example,

letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial.