AP LIT. Midterm review

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

the repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants ar the beginning of words

Question 2

Analogy

Answer 2

a comparison made to show a relationship or similarity between two unlike things. Similes and metaphors are two ways to make an analogy

Question 3

Asyndeton

Answer 3

the intentional omission of conjunctions between phrases that still maintain grammatical accuracy
ex: He crossed the road without looking, without listening, without caution.

Question 4

Atmosphere/Mood

Answer 4

the feeling or emotion that an author creates in a narrative through descriptive language

Question 5

Conceit

Answer 5

an elaborate extended metaphor in which the parallel between two seemingly dis-similar objects or ideas is extreme

Question 6

Diction

Answer 6

word choice, types of words, and level of language. the choice of diction conveys a certain tone.

Question 7

Epithet

Answer 7

an adjective or phrase that describes a prominent feature of a person or thing. “Richard the lionhearted”. “Gretta the good”

Question 8

Foil

Answer 8

a character who illuminates the qualities of another (usually main) character by means of contrast. draco malfoy is a foil to harry potter

Question 9

Hyperbole

Answer 9

an intentionally exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally; used for effect “Ive told you 1000 times”

Question 10

Figurative language

Answer 10

a type of communication that does not use a word’s strict or realistic meaning.
ex: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole

Question 11

Theme

Answer 11

the central idea or unifying generalization of a literary work

Question 12

Imagery

Answer 12

the visual, auditory, or tactile images revoked by the words of a literary work or the imagery that figurative language evokes.

Question 13

juxtaposition

Answer 13

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effects.
ex: alls fair in love and war

Question 14

paradox

Answer 14

a statement that seems to be self-contradicting but in fact is true
ex: Save money by spending it.

Question 15

personification

Answer 15

figurative language used to create imagery that gives human characteristics to non-human things

Question 16

perspective

Answer 16

how the characters view and process what’s happening within the story

Question 17

point of view

Answer 17

the position from which a narrator or speaker relates the events of a story or the position of a narrative (story) takes toward the event it describes

Question 18

polysyndeton

Answer 18

the use of coordinating conjunctions like “and’ “or” “but” and “nor” which are used for effect where they might have been committed (in birthday party)
ex: he ran and jumped and laughed…

Question 19

rhetorical question

Answer 19

a question asked to make an impact or call attention to something not to elicit a response

Question 20

simile

Answer 20

a comparison using like or as

Question 21

irony

Answer 21

a contrast between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen

Question 22

narrator

Answer 22

the voice telling the story. may or may not be a character in the story

Question 23

symbol

Answer 23

an object, image, character, figure, action, event, or color which is used to represent an abstract idea or concept

Question 24

syntax

Answer 24

the structure of a sentence, the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences

Question 25

tone/attitude

Answer 25

in writing, the manner in which a narrator expresses his or her attitude; the intonation of the voice that expresses meaning (sympathetic, critical, ironic, etc)

Question 26

verisimilitude

Answer 26

the appearance of being true- believability as it applies to fictional literature

Question 27

dialogue

Answer 27

the conversation in a literary work, typically (but not always) enclosed in quotation marks

Question 28

foreshadowing

Answer 28

hints of what is to come in the action of a play or story

Question 29

assonance/consonance

Answer 29

the repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sequence of nearby words. often creates rhyme(rose, toes, go)/the repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds (last, past, most, best)

Question 30

cacophony

Answer 30

clashing, discordant, or harsh sounds

Question 31

couplet & heroic couplet

Answer 31

two successive rhymed lines that are equal in length

Question 32

stream of consciousness

Answer 32

a type of internal monologue in which prose follows the logic and flow of a character's (or multiple characters) thought processes

Question 33

pun

Answer 33

a play on words wherein a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time. ex: the duck said to the bartender "put it in my bill"

Question 34

free verse

Answer 34

non-metrical poetry, where patterns develop organically from the individual poem instead of from established poetic forms

Question 35

onomatopoeia

Answer 35

the use of words that mimic their meaning in their sound (meow, buzz)

Question 36

rhyme

Answer 36

correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry

Question 37

sonnet

Answer 37

a poem containing 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. 1st 8 lines octave= question, last 6 lines sestet= solution

Question 38

tone shift

Answer 38

a shift in a story's overall feeling from where it started.

Question 39

bildungsroman

Answer 39

a coming-of-age novel, that deals with the development of a young person, usually from adolescence to adulthood

Question 40

gothic

Answer 40

a genre in which magic, mystery, horrors and chivalry abound

Question 41

metaphor

Answer 41

a direct comparison between two seemingly alike things

Question 42

foreshadowing

Answer 42

hints of whats to come in the action of a play or story

Question 43

epistolary novel

Answer 43

form of fiction written in letters

Question 44

fable

Answer 44

a story written to make a moral point, using animals as characters

Question 45

fairy tale

Answer 45

a fictional tale, marked by fantasy and magic after appealing to the imagination

Question 46

frame narrative

Answer 46

a story within a story, sometimes within another story (Frankenstein)

Question 47

genre

Answer 47

a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. ( fantasy, horror, mystery...)

Question 48

romanticism

Answer 48

a literary and artistic movement of the 19th century, emotion, nature, imagination, etc.

Question 49

iambic pentameter

Answer 49

a rhythmic pattern that consists of ten syllables per line, with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.

Question 50

allusion

Answer 50

a reference to a work of literature to something outside the work, especially to a well-known historical or literary event, person, or work.

Question 51

grotesque

Answer 51

a type of writing that focuses on physically or mentally (warped, deluded, delayed) impaired characters