Ap Rhetorical Devices

Question 1

Define Aphorism

Answer 1

A concise statement designed to make a point or illustrate a commonly held brief. The writing of Benjamin Franklin contain many Aphorism, such as “Early to bed and early to rise/Make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”

Question 2

Define Apostrophe

Answer 2

A figure of speech in which a person,thing, or abstract quality is addressed as if present; for example, the invocation to the muses usually found in epic poetry.

Question 3

Define Oxymoron

Answer 3

A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements, as in “Jumbo Shrimp” or “deafening silence”

Question 4

Define Allusion

Answer 4

A figure of speech which makes brief, even casual references to a historical or literary figure, event, or object to create a resonance in the reader or to apply a symbolic meaning to the character or object of which the allusion consists.

Question 5

Define Satire

Answer 5

A literary style used to make fun of or ridicule an idea or human vice or weakness

Question 6

Define Foil

Answer 6

A person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast

Question 7

Define Parody

Answer 7

A satirical imitation of a work of art for purpose of ridiculing its style or subject

Question 8

Define Sarcasm

Answer 8

A sharp caustic remark. A form of verbal irony in which apparent praise is actually bitterly or harshly critical. For example, a coach saying to player who misses the ball, “Nice Catch”

Question 9

Define Irony

Answer 9

A situation or statement characterized by significant difference between what is expected or understood and what actually happens or is meant. Irony is frequently humorous, and can be sarcastic when using words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean.

Question 10

Define Paradox

Answer 10

A statement that seem contradictory, but is actually true.

Question 11

Define Onomatopoeia

Answer 11

A word capturing or approximating the sound of what it describes, such as buzz or hiss.

Question 12

Define Diction

Answer 12

An author’s choice of word to convey a tone or effect

Question 13

Define Hyperbole

Answer 13

An overstatement characterized by exaggerated language

Question 14

Define Analogy

Answer 14

Comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both types of Analogy

Question 15

Define Anecdote

Answer 15

A brief Story or tale told by a character in a piece of literature

Question 16

Define Litote

Answer 16

Form of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis and intensity. For example, “She is not a bad cook” Or “No man ever followed his genius until it misled him”. Thoreau

Question 17

Define Allegory

Answer 17

Narrative form in which characters and actions have meanings outside themselves; characters are usually personifications of abstract qualities

Question 18

Define Colloquial

Answer 18

Ordinary language; the vernacular. For example, depending on where in the United States you live, a sandwich is called a sub, a grinder, or a hero.

Question 19

Define Juxtaposition

Answer 19

Placing of two items side by side to create a certain effect, reveal an attitude, or accomplish some other purpose

Question 20

Define Parallelism

Answer 20

Recurrent syntactical similarity where several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed alike to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences equal in importance. It also adds balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence. For example, “I have always searched for, but never found the perfect painting for that wall.”

Question 21

Define Anaphora

Answer 21

Regular repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases or clauses. For example, “ we shall fight in the trenches. We shall fight on the oceans. We shall fight in the sky.”

Question 22

Appeals to; Authority, Emotion, Logic

Answer 22

Rhetorical arguments in which the speaker; either claims to be an expert or relies on information provided by experts (appeal to Authority), Attempts to affect the listener’s personal feelings ( appeal to Emotion), or Attempts to persuade the listener through use of deductive reasoning (appeal to logic).

Question 23

Define Imagery

Answer 23

Sensory details in a work; the use of figurative language to evoke a feeling, call to mind an idea, or describe an object. Imagery involves any or all the five Senses.

Question 24

Define Euphemism

Answer 24

Substitution of a milder or less direct expression for one that is harsh or blunt. For example, using “passed away” for “dead.”

Question 25

Voice

Answer 25

The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words of the story; the speaker, a “person” telling the story or poem.

Question 26

Define Tone

Answer 26

The attitude a literary work take towards it subject and theme. It reflects the narrator’s attitude.

Question 27

Define Denotation

Answer 27

The dictionary definition of a word; the direct and specific meaning

Question 28

Define Mood

Answer 28

The feeling or ambience resulting from the tone of a piece as well as the writer/narrator’s attitude and point of view. The effect is created through descriptions of feelings or objects that establish a particular feeling such as gloom, fear, or hope.

Question 29

Define Asyndeton

Answer 29

The practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list, it gives a more extemporaneous effect and suggests the list may be incomplete. For example, “He was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing.”

Question 30

Define Alliteration

Answer 30

The repetition of initial consonant sounds or any vowel sounds within a formal grouping, such as a poetic line or stanza, or in close proximity in prose.

Question 31

Define Persona

Answer 31

The voice or figure of the author who tells and structures the story and who may or may not share of the values of the actual author.

Question 32

Define Syntax

Answer 32

The way words are put together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. It is sentence structure and how it influences the way a reader perceives a piece of writing.
•Canon (canonical) - the works of an author that have been accepted as authentic.
•foreshadow- to hint at or present things to come in a story or play
•begging the question- to sidestep or evade the real problem

Question 33

Define personification

Answer 33

Treating an abstraction or nonhuman object as if it were a person by giving it human qualities.

Question 34

Define Connotation

Answer 34

What is implied by a word. For example, the words sweet, gay, and awesome have connotations that are quite different from their actual definitions.