AP LANG FINAL EXAM 5/14

Question 1

alliteration

Answer 1

alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (“she sells sea shells”).

Question 2

allusion

Answer 2

allusion—a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event,
book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.

Question 3

ambiguity

Answer 3

the multiple meanings of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Question 4

anadiplosis

Answer 4

the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the following clause. “Fear leads to
anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”

Question 5

analogy

Answer 5

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them.

Question 6

anaphora

Answer 6

one of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the
beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

Question 7

anecdote

Answer 7

a short narrative detailing particulars of an interesting episode or event.

Question 8

antecedent

Answer 8

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun.

Question 9

aphorism

Answer 9

a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle.

Question 10

apostrophe

Answer 10

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified
abstraction, such as liberty or love.

Question 11

atmosphere

Answer 11

the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and
partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described.

Question 12

classical appeals

Answer 12

the three primary means by which a speaker sways their audience: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Question 13

clause

Answer 13

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a
complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a
sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

Question 14

colloquialism

Answer 14

the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing.

Question 15

coherence

Answer 15

a principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the
whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. Words, phrases, clauses within the sentence; and sentences,
paragraphs, and chapters in larger pieces of writing are the units that, by their progressive and logical
arrangement, make for coherence.

Question 16

connotation

Answer 16

the associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning.

Question 17

denotation

Answer 17

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

Question 18

diction

Answer 18

the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

Question 19

epistrophe

Answer 19

repetition at the end of successive clauses. “They saw no evil, they spoke no evil, and they heard no
evil.”

Question 20

euphemism

Answer 20

a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. “earthly
remains” rather than “corpse”.

Question 21

extended metaphor

Answer 21

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work.

Question 22

figurative language

Answer 22

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be
imaginative and vivid. Examples: apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox,
personification, simile.

Question 23

genre

Answer 23

the major category into which a literary work fits. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the
passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic,
political, scientific, and nature writing.

Question 24

hyperbole

Answer 24

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.

Question 25

imagery

Answer 25

words related to the five senses

Question 26

inference

Answer 26

a reasonable conclusion drawn from the information presented. When a multiple-choice question asks
for an inference to be drawn from a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice.

Question 27

irony

Answer 27

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what
appears to be and what actually is true. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language

Question 28

juxtaposition

Answer 28

the placement of two texts or ideas in close proximity for the purpose of comparison or contrast

Question 29

loose sentence

Answer 29

a type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by
dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses.

Question 30

metaphor

Answer 30

a figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things

Question 31

metonymy

Answer 31

a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated
with it. “the White House declared” rather that “the President declared”

Question 32

narrative

Answer 32

the telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events.

Question 33

onomatopoeia

Answer 33

a figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Examples: buzz,
hiss, hum.

Question 34

oxymoron

Answer 34

a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox.
Examples: “jumbo shrimp” and “cruel kindness.”

Question 35

paradox

Answer 35

a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer
inspection contains some degree of truth or validity.

Question 36

parallelism

Answer 36

also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure. The grammatical or rhetorical framing
of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity.

Question 37

parody

Answer 37

a work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. periodic

Question 38

periodic sentence

Answer 38

a sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This
independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone.

Question 39

personification

Answer 39

a figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate
objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions.

Question 40

prose

Answer 40

one of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and nonfiction, including all its forms.

Question 41

rhetoric

Answer 41

the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

Question 42

rhetorical modes

Answer 42

the four most common rhetorical modes are: (1) exposition (or expository writing)—to
explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant evidence, and appropriate discussion. (2)
argumentation—to prove the validity of an idea, or point of view, by presenting sound reasoning, discussion, and
argument that thoroughly convince the reader. Persuasive writing is a type of argumentation having an additional
aim of urging some form of action.
(3) description—to re-create, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can
picture that being described. (4) narration—to tell a story or narrate an event or series of events.

Question 43

shift

Answer 43

any major change which occurs within a text—especially regarding tone or style

Question 44

speaker

Answer 44

the individual or “persona” that is delivering the text

Question 45

syllogism

Answer 45

a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises (the first one called “major” and the
second, “minor”) that inevitably lead to a sound conclusion. A frequently cited example proceeds as follows:
major Premise: All men are mortal. minor premise: Socrates is a man. conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is
mortal.
A Syllogism’s conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid.

Question 46

syntax

Answer 46

the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Question 47

theme

Answer 47

the central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life.

Question 48

thesis

Answer 48

in expository writing, the thesis is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s
opinion, purpose, meaning, or position.

Question 49

transition

Answer 49

a word or phrase that links different ideas. Commonly used transitional words or phrases are
furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, for example, in addition, likewise, similarly and on the contrary

Question 50

trope

Answer 50

an artful variation from expected modes of expression; a use of the word in a sense other than its proper
or literal one. Examples: metaphor, synecdoche, oxymoron, irony, personification, hyperbole.

Question 51

understatement

Answer 51

the ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is.

Question 52

undertone

Answer 52

an attitude that may underlie the ostensible tone of the piece. Under a cheery surface, for example, a
work may have threatening undertones.

Question 53

wit

Answer 53

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights.

Question 54

tone

Answer 54

the author’s attitude toward their material, the audience, or both. Some words describing tone are playful,
serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, ornate, sardonic, and somber.

Question 55

zeugma

Answer 55

a word that governs two other words not related in meaning. “He maintained a business and his
innocence.”