AP Lit Terms- Set 1

Question 1

allegory

Answer 1

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. EX: a surface story might be about two neighbors throwing rocks at each other’s home, but the hidden story would be about war between countries.

Question 2

action

Answer 2

the plot of the story. EX: rising action is the plot and falling action is when the plot wraps up

Question 3

alliteration

Answer 3

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. EX: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickeled peppers.

Question 4

allusion

Answer 4

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

Question 5

ambiguity

Answer 5

the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness

Question 6

analogy

Answer 6

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way. EX: being in a place that feels like being in a market.

Question 7

analytical essay

Answer 7

concentrate on how the piece was written- for example how certain themes present themselves in a story.

Question 8

antagonist

Answer 8

one that contends with or opposes another: adversary, opponent.

Question 9

anthropomorphism

Answer 9

the attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects. EX: Puss in Boots.

Question 10

aphorism

Answer 10

a short statement or catch phrase containing a well-known or general truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. EX: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Question 11

apostrophe

Answer 11

a speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object. EX: “O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Juliet believes she is alone and addresses Romeo, thinking he is absent.

Question 12

assonance

Answer 12

the repetition of similar vowel sounds. Most often refers to the repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that do not end the same. EX: “he fell asleep under the cherry tree” is a phrase that features assonance with the repetition of the long “e” vowel, despite the fact that the words containing this vowel do not end in perfect rhymes. This allows writers the means of emphasizing important words in a phrase or line, as well as creating a sense of rhythm, enhancing mood, and offering a lyrical effect of words and sounds.

Question 13

blank verse

Answer 13

unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones, five of which are stressed but do not rhyme, also called unrhymed iambic pentameter. often used in dramatic monologues. EX: The Dreams are clues that tell us take chances.

Question 14

catastrophe

Answer 14

final resolution that appears in a narrative plot or a long poem, wraps us the messy beginning.

Question 15

character

Answer 15

any person, a figure, an inanimate object, or animal.

Question 16

characterization

Answer 16

highlight and explain the details of a character in a story.

Question 17

chiasmus

Answer 17

a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. EX: “Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.”

Question 18

climax

Answer 18

particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point. EX: in Romeo and Juliet, the climax is when Romeo challenges Tybalt to a duel after Tybalt killed Mercutio.

Question 19

conceit

Answer 19

a comparison that is convoluted, unconventional, and/or improbable. differentiated from other types of comparison by comparisons that are so unlikely that there must be an imagined connection. EX: “A broken heart is like a damaged clock.”

Question 20

conflict

Answer 20

literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

Question 21

connotation

Answer 21

the implied or associative meaning of a word. EX: “He’s such a dog.”

Question 22

context

Answer 22

the implied or associative meaning of a word. EX: “He’s such a dog.”

Question 23

deconstruction

Answer 23

the process of unmasking contradictions within a text; debunking

Question 24

denotation

Answer 24

The dictionary definition of a word

Question 25

denouement

Answer 25

an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot

Question 26

deus ex machina

Answer 26

In literature, the use of an artificial device or gimmick to solve a problem.

Question 27

dialogue

Answer 27

Conversation between characters

Question 28

diction

Answer 28

A writer’s or speaker’s choice of words

Question 29

digression

Answer 29

a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing

Question 30

double entendre

Answer 30

a statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar

Question 31

elegy

Answer 31

a sad or mournful poem