Basic AP Lit vocabulary

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

Question 2

Alliteration

Answer 2

The repetition of sounds, the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Question 3

Allusion

Answer 3

a direct or indirect reference to something which is commonly known such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Question 4

Ambiguity

Answer 4

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage

Question 5

Analogy

Answer 5

Similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them

Question 6

Antecedent

Answer 6

the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Question 7

Antithesis

Answer 7

the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite

Question 8

Aphorism

Answer 8

terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle

Question 9

apostrophe

Answer 9

a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.

Question 10

Atmosphere

Answer 10

the emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described

Question 11

Caricature

Answer 11

verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics

Question 12

clause

Answer 12

a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb.

Question 13

conceit

Answer 13

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects

Question 14

Connotation

Answer 14

The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes

Question 15

denotation

Answer 15

the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color.

Question 16

Diction

Answer 16

related to style and refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

Question 17

Didactic

Answer 17

From the Greek word that means “teaching”. Words that have the primary aim of teaching or instructing especially the teaching of moral or ethical principle

Question 18

Euphemism

Answer 18

From the Greek for “good speech”, and are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept.

Question 19

Extended metaphor

Answer 19

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work

Question 20

figurative language

Answer 20

writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid

Question 21

figure of speech

Answer 21

a device used to produce figurative language. Includes hyperbole, irony metaphor, personification, understatement, etc.

Question 22

generic conventions

Answer 22

this term describes traditions for each genre. these ______ help to define each genre.

Question 23

Genre

Answer 23

The major category into which a literary work fits. the basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama.

Question 24

homily

Answer 24

this term literally means “sermon”, but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice

Question 25

Hyperbole

Answer 25

a figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Has a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible.

Question 26

Imagery

Answer 26

the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. Five senses : visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory