AP literary terms

Question 1

asyndeton

Answer 1

writing style that omits conjunction between phrases but is still grammatically correct
“I came, I saw, I conquered.” –Julius Caesar

Question 2

anastrophe

Answer 2

inversion of the usual word order or clauses

“Strong in the force, you are.” – Yoda

Question 3

chiasmus

Answer 3

two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structure in order to produce an artistic effect
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty” – Keats

Question 4

conceit

Answer 4

elaborate metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way (i.e. Marriage is like a root canal.)

Question 5

metonymy

Answer 5

a word or phrase that is used to stand in for another word

The WHITE HOUSE will be announcing its decision later today.

Question 6

synecdoche

Answer 6

a part is made to represent the whole

I just bought some new WHEELS. (meaning a new car)

Question 7

assonance

Answer 7

used to refer to the repetition of a vowel sound in a line of text
“In the sky a bird was heard to cry misty morning whisperings and stirring sounds” – Pink Floyd

Question 8

polysyndeton

Answer 8

several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession after every word or term
“Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly–mostly–let them have their whiteness.” – Maya Angelou

Question 9

juxtaposition

Answer 9

unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to each other creating an effect of surprise or wit
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

Question 10

epistrophe

Answer 10

same expression is repeated at the end of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Question 11

apostrophe

Answer 11

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or a personified or abstract idea.
“O Ford!” – Brave New World
“O happy dagger” – Juliet, Romeo and Juliet

Question 12

lyric poem

Answer 12

a poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of the speaker.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate.” – Shakespeare

Question 13

quatrain

Answer 13

4 lines of a poem, usually considered a unit

a sonnet usually has 3 quatrains followed by a couplet

Question 14

couplet

Answer 14

2 lines of a poem, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme; sonnets usually end in a couplet

“The time is out of joint, o cursed spite
That ever I was born to set it right!”

Question 15

diction

Answer 15

writer’s specific choice of words; can be formal vs. informal

Question 16

colloquialism

Answer 16

word or phrase in everyday use and conversation but is inappropriate in formal situations
“ain’t” “gonna” “wanna” “howbowdah”

Question 17

epithet

Answer 17

descriptive phrase which becomes a “nickname”

Elvis Presley was given the epithet “The King of Rock and Roll” and eventually “The King.”

Question 18

euphemism

Answer 18

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
for death: “passed on,” “kicked the bucket,” “moved to the other side,” “met fate,” etc.

Question 19

foil

Answer 19

a character who contrasts with another character —usually the protagonist— in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character
Juliet vs. the nurse
Romeo vs. Mercutio
Benvolio vs. Tybalt

Question 20

syllogism

Answer 20

a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion
“every virtue is laudable; kindness is a virtue; therefore kindness is laudable”

Question 21

pastoral imagery

Answer 21

deals with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner. Typically draws a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life

Question 22

allegory

Answer 22

a story or poem in which the characters, events, and/or objects act as symbols.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm

Question 23

allusion

Answer 23

reference to a famous literary work, place, or person

Question 24

ethos

Answer 24

credibility of the author

Question 25

pathos

Answer 25

emotional appeal to the audience

Question 26

logos

Answer 26

logical appeal to the audience