AP Notes #1-20

Question 1

What is an Anecdote?

Answer 1

A short, simple narrative of an incident, often used for humorous effect or to make a point.

Question 2

What is Argumentation?

Answer 2

Writing that attempts to prove the validity of a point of view or an idea by presenting “reasoned” arguments; persuasive writing is a form of argumentation and is the focus of the AP Language and Composition Program.

Question 3

What is Allegory?

Answer 3

An extended narrative of an incident in prose or verse in which characters, events, and setting represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a second meaning to be read beneath the surface of the story; the underlying meaning may be a moral, religious, political, social, or satiric.

Question 4

What is Annotation?

Answer 4

Explanatory notes added to a text to explain, cite sources, or bibliographic data. In the AP Language, you will need to demonstrate DETAILED annotation on most of your readings.

Question 5

What is Antithesis?

Answer 5

The presentation of two contrasting images, The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. “To be or not to be”. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Question 6

What is Rhetoric?

Answer 6

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figure speech and other compositional techniques. This is the CORE of the AP Language Program.

Question 7

What is Colloquialism?

Answer 7

A word or phrase used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing.

Question 8

What is Connotation?

Answer 8

Word suggesting implied meaning because of its association in a reader’s mind. Opposite of denotation.

Question 9

What is Consonance?

Answer 9

Repetition of identical consonant sounds within two or more words in close proximity: boat/beat/best/brag or even compound worlds, fulfill, ping-pong.

Question 10

What is Caricature?

Answer 10

Descriptive writing that greatly exaggerates a specific feature of a person’s appearance on a facet of personality.

Question 11

What is Coherence?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What is Aphorism?

Answer 12

A short, often witty, statement of a principle of truth about life. Benjamin Franklin was a somewhat famous for these in Poor Richard’s Almanac, e.g. “The Early Bird Gets the Worm”.

Question 13

What is Apostrophe?

Answer 13

Usually in poetry, but sometimes in prose: the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction.

Question 14

What is Cacophony?

Answer 14

Also referred to as dissonance….hard, awkward, or dissonant sounds used deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony.

Question 15

What is Connotation-Denotation?

Answer 15

Connotation is the implied meaning of a word, while denotation is the direct, dictionary definition of the word.

Question 16

What is Enumeration?

Answer 16

Enumeration is a rhetorical device used for listing the details or process of mentioning words or phrases step by step. In fact, it is a type of amplification or division in which a subject is further distributed into components or parts. Writers use this to clarify and detail understanding.

Question 17

What is Analogy?

Answer 17

An analogy is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that the idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Only read the information below to help you understand. “Structure of an atom is like a solar system. The Nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun.”

Question 18

What is Parallelism?

Answer 18

The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter. Parallelism is found in literacy works and ordinary conversations.

Question 19

What is Allusion?

Answer 19

Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

Question 20

What is Metonymy?

Answer 20

It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy both from literature and in everyday life. Do not confuse this with a metaphor as a metonymy.