Literary/AP Terms

Question 1

DIDALS

Answer 1

Diction
Imagery
Details
Attitude
Language
Syntax

Question 2

Four Layers

Answer 2

1. Paraphrasable Content - Literal Surface Meaning
2. Mood = Emotional Content
3. Tone = Author’s Attitudes
4. Interpretation of Author’s Intent

Question 3

Antecedent

Answer 3

A word, phrase, clause, or sentence to which another word (especially a following relative pronoun) refers.

Ex: Bob went to grab his mail
Antecedent: Bob

Question 4

Apastrophe

Answer 4

Speaker is directly speaking to someone who is either not physically present, to someone who is dead, or to an inanimate object.

Ex: “Why do you have to be such a pain, math?”

Question 5

Diction

Answer 5

Specific word choices conveying meaning

Question 6

Connotation

Answer 6

The emotional impact of a word

Question 7

Syntax

Answer 7

Sentence structure (arrangement of words)

Question 8

Parallelism

Answer 8

Using matching sentence structures/phrases

Ex: We wanted to cook and to swim.

Question 10

Synecdoche

Answer 10

Using a word/phrase to refer to a group
Ex: The flutes are smart

Question 11

Anaphora

Answer 11

Repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses or phrases.

Ex: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Question 12

Asyndeton

Answer 12

Underuse of conjunctions with items in a series (opposite of polysyndeton)

Ex: He studied math, history, Spanish, science, English.

Question 13

Bildungsroman

Answer 13

Novel of education, depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and psychologically

Ex: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Question 14

Picaresque

Answer 14

Relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Ex: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Question 15

Trope

Answer 15

Figures of speech that move the meaning of the text from literal to figurative

Ex: “stop and smell the roses”
- Doesn’t mean to literally do that, it just means to stop, be calm, etc.

Question 16

Scheme

Answer 16

Figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds, rather than the meaning of words, which involves tropes

Ex: “Mankind must put an end to war– or war will put an end to mankind”

Question 17

Cumulative Sentence

Answer 17

Information accumulates in the sentence until it reaches a period

Ex: “The radiators put out lots of heat, too much, in fact, and old-fashioned sounds and smells came with it, exhalations of the matter that composes our own mortality, and reminiscent of the intimate gases we all diffuse.”

Question 18

Periodic Sentence

Answer 18

Sentence with predicate at the end of the sentence for emphasis

Question 19

Polysyndeton

Answer 19

Repetition of conjunctions in close succession

Ex: He had to study math and chemistry and history and biology and english and spanish.

Question 20

Aphorism

Answer 20

A short statement or catchphrase containing a well-known or general truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner

Ex: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Question 21

Didactic

Answer 21

Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive

Question 22

Paradox

Answer 22

A statement that seems to go against logic/common sense but may still have truth

Ex: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others

Question 23

Denotation

Answer 23

The literal or primary meaning of a word

Question 24

Juxtaposition

Answer 24

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect (Contrast)

Ex: Day & Night, Good & Evil, War & Peace, Humanity & Technology

Question 25

Antithesis

Answer 25

A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

Ex: Money is the root of all evil: poverty is the fruit of all goodness

Question 26

Allegory

Answer 26

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

Question 27

Tone

Answer 27

Author’s attitude toward a certain topic

Question 28

Irony

Answer 28

Whenever a person says something or does something that departs from what they (or we) expect them to say or do

Ex: If it were a cold, rainy gray day, you might say, “What a beautiful day!”

Question 29

Inverted Syntax

Answer 29

A style of writing that places unexpected emphasis on objects or verbs in sentences

Ex: A group of rich donors is the most important thing for a would-be politician.