AP Terms 81-120

Question 1

DIALECT

Answer 1

The language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or any other group of people. The term dialect involves the spelling, sounds, grammar and pronunciation used by a particular group of people and it distinguishes them from other people around them.

Question 2

HUBRIS

Answer 2

Hubris is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings
about his downfall. In literature, portrayal of hubristic characters serves to achieve a moralistic end. Such characters are eventually punished thus giving a moral lesson to the audience and the readers so that they are motivated to improve their characters by removing the flaws that can cause a tragedy in their lives. Witnessing a tragic hero suffering due to his hubristic actions, the audience or the readers may fear that the same fate may befall them if they indulge in similar kinds of actions.

Question 3

Anti-Hero

Answer 3

Anti-hero is a literary device used by writers for a prominent character in a play or book that has characteristics opposite to that oh a conventional hero. The protagonist is usually admired for his bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity, etc. while an anti-hero is usually clumsy, unsolicited, and unskilled and has both good and bad qualities.

Question 4

Band-wagon

Answer 4

Band- wagon is a persuasive technique and a type of propaganda through which a writer persuades his readers, so that majority could agree with the argument of the writer, suggesting that since majority agrees, the readers should too, such as “Everyone is voting for David, so definitely he is the best presidential candidate.” The phrase bandwagon means “jump on the bandwagon” or to follow what others are conforming to or doing.

Question 5

Bandwagon- Function

Answer 5

The purpose of this technique is to make the audience think and act in a way that majority follows. This tendency of following the beliefs and actions occurs when audience sees others are also conforming. We see it’s usage in literature, politics, and advertisements, etc. Bandwagon is in fact a good approach for persuasive writing that successfully works on human minds and psychology. Conversely, writers often use it as a pressure tactic by creating a since of fear among the readers if they do not agree with their beliefs

Question 6

Propaganda

Answer 6

We can easily find the use of propaganda technique in mass media advertising, politics, and literature. It is a very popular technique in academic commentary and is taken as an interchangeable form of communication. The primary function of propaganda is to persuade the readers and mold their perceptions about a particular cause. In addition, it aims at getting response of respondents and let them adopt a certain action, because merely securing a commitment or assent would not be enough for making this technique successful, and securing its purpose

Question 7

Propaganda Transfer

Answer 7

Appeals to a persons imagination of something we like or trust. Trump: “ Make America Great Again”

Question 8

Propaganda-Glittering Generalities

Answer 8

These words are used to dupe us into accepting and approving of things without examining the evidence carefully.
Examples: “Natural” “Organic” “Scientific”

Question 9

Propaganda-Testimonial

Answer 9

This represents another type of propaganda that fits into a particular category of its own. When some respected celebrity claims that an idea of product is good. This technique is used to try to convince us without examining the facts more carefully.

Question 10

Propaganda- Plain-Folks

Answer 10

This type of propaganda is used by a speaker to convince an audience that an idea is good because they are the same ideas of the vast majority of people like themselves. Very similar to “bandwagon” with the exception that the speaker or writer is convincing the audience that they are just “plain folks” like them.

Question 11

Propaganda: Distortion of Data; Out of Context; Card Stacking; Cherry Picking

Answer 11

This technique is used to convince the audience by using selected information and not presenting the complete story.

Question 12

Propaganda-Testimonial

Answer 12

When some respected celebrity (or alternatively someone generally hated) claims that an idea or product is good (or bad). This technique is used to convince us without examining the facts more carefully.

Question 13

Propaganda: Scapegoat

Answer 13

This is often used with guilty-by-association to deflect scrutiny away from the issues. It transfers blame to one person or group of people without investigating the complexities of the issue.
Example: “President Reagan caused the national debt.”

Question 14

Propaganda: Artificial Dichotomy

Answer 14

This is when someone tries to claim there are only two sides to an issue and that both sides must have equal presentation in order to be evaluated. This technique is used to dupe us into believing there is only one way to look at an issue, when in fact there may be many alternative viewpoints or “sides”. Like most propaganda techniques it simplifies reality and therefore distorts it, often to the advantage of the speaker. A classic example is the “intelligent design” versus “evolution” controversy.

Question 15

Propaganda Deification

Answer 15

This is when an idea is made to appear holy, sacred, or very special and therefore above all law. Any alternative or opposite points of view are thereby given to the appearance of treason or blasphemy.
Example: “God-given right to…”

Question 16

Conceit

Answer 16

Develops a comparison which is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative. A comparison turns into a conceit when the writer tries to make us admit a similarity between two things of whose unlikeliness we are strongly conscious and for this reason, conceits are often surprising.

Question 17

Claim

Answer 17

If somebody gives an argument to support his position, it is called making a claim. Different reasons are usually presented to prove why a certain point should be accepted as logical.

Question 18

Catharsis

Answer 18

Is an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress. Catharsis is a Greek word and it means cleansing, In literature, it is used for the cleansing of emotions of the characters. It can also be any other radical change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person.

Question 19

Cliche

Answer 19

Refers to an expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty. A cliche may also refer to actions and events which are predictable because of some previous events.

Question 20

Concession

Answer 20

Concession is a literary device used in argumentative writing where one acknowledges a point made by one’s opponent. It allows for different opinions and approaches toward an issue, indicating an understanding of what causes the actual debate or controversy. It demonstrates that the writer is a mature thinker and has considered the issue from all angles.

Question 21

Concession Part 2

Answer 21

Concession writing style also shows that the writer is a logical and fair-minded person, able to realize that every argument has several sides to consider before it is presented. This type of writing can be considered strong as it finds common ground between you and your opponent.

Question 22

Portmanteau

Answer 22

Portmanteau is a literary device in which two or more words are joined together to coin a new word. A portmanteau word is formed by blending parts of two or more words but it always refers to a single concept.

Question 23

The Coinage of Portmaneau

Answer 23

Involves the linking and blending of two or more words and the new word formed in the process shares the same meanings as the original words. It is different from a compound word in that it could have a completely different meaning from the words that it was coined from. 
Examples:
Education+Entertainment= Edutainment
Fan+Magazine= Fanzine
Oxford+Cambridge= Oxbridge

Question 24

Aside

Answer 24

An actor’s speech, directed to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character is about to do or what he or she is thinking.

Question 25

Assonance

Answer 25

Repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry

Question 26

Audience

Answer 26

The particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing. A writer considers his or her audience when deciding a subject, a purpose for writing, and the tone and style in which to write.

Question 27

Author’s Purpose

Answer 27

An author’s purpose is his or her reason for creating a particular work. The purpose can be to entertain, explain or inform, express an opinion, or to persuade.

Question 28

Ballad

Answer 28

Is a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

Question 29

Blank Verse

Answer 29

Unrhmed iambic pentameter

Question 30

Caesura

Answer 30

A pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry

Question 31

Characterization

Answer 31

The techniques that use to create viable characters

Question 32

Chronological Order

Answer 32

The order in which events happen in time

Question 33

Clarifying

Answer 33

The reader’s process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he or she understands. By clarifying as they read, good readers are able to draw conclusions about what is suggested but not stated directly.

Question 34

Cliche

Answer 34

A type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original

Question 35

Comedy

Answer 35

A dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict.

Question 36

Comparison

Answer 36

The process of identifying similarities

Question 37

Concrete Poetry

Answer 37

A type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message

Question 38

Conflict

Answer 38

The tension or problem in the story; a struggle between opposing forces.
Central Conflict- the dominant or most important conflict in the story
External Conflict- the problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force
Internal Conflict- the problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind

Question 39

Couplet

Answer 39

A rhymed pair of lines in a poem. One of William Shakespeare’s trademarks was to end a sonnet with a couplet, as in the poem “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long as lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Question 40

Dialect

Answer 40

A form of language that is spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people.