Princeton Review Terms

Question 1

Diction

Answer 1

Refers to word choice

Question 2

Syntax

Answer 2

Refers to the arrangement of words

Question 3

Style

Answer 3

Umbrella term for the diction, syntax, voice, and sentence structure used to make a specific point

Question 4

Tone

Answer 4

The attitude, mood, or sentiment of a piece revealed by the style

Question 5

Euphemism

Answer 5

A mild word or phrase substituted for something much harsher

Question 6

Circumlocution

Answer 6

A phrase describing something indirectly that could be put more simply with a single word

Question 7

Irony

Answer 7

Refers to the contrast between expectation and reality, often for the purpose of humor

Question 8

Satire

Answer 8

The use of irony and sarcasm to ridicule or to scorn

Question 9

Logos

Answer 9

An appeal to reason and logic

Question 10

Ethos

Answer 10

An appeal to the speaker’s credibility

Question 11

Pathos

Answer 11

An appeal to the emotions, values, or desires of the audience

Question 12

Nihilism

Answer 12

A belief in nothing

Question 13

Pedantic

Answer 13

A word used to describe someone obsessed with correcting small errors or emphasizing their own expertise

Question 14

Ostentatious

Answer 14

Characterized by a pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice

Question 15

Pretentious

Answer 15

Attempting to impress by affecting greater talent, importance, or culture than possessed

Question 16

Ludic

Answer 16

Playful; pertaining to a game

Question 17

Terse

Answer 17

Concise; without superfluous detail

Question 18

Edifying

Answer 18

Enlightening and informative

Question 19

Comic Effect

Answer 19

The use of humor; something intended to make you laugh

Question 20

Hyperbole

Answer 20

An overstatement or exaggeration

Question 21

Juxtaposition

Answer 21

The positioning of two things to highlight their differences for rhetorical effect (“Let us not ask what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country”)

Question 22

Pun

Answer 22

A joke highlighting the different meanings of similar words

Question 23

Personification

Answer 23

The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human

Question 24

Extended Metaphor

Answer 24

A metaphor which lasts longer than one phrase or sentence

Question 25

Symbolism

Answer 25

A concrete object that represents an abstract idea

Question 26

Anthropomorphism

Answer 26

The use of human anatomy to describe non-human objects (“The legs of a table, the face of a clock, the arms of a tree”)

Question 27

Denotation

Answer 27

The literal meaning of a word

Question 28

Connotation

Answer 28

The feeling that a word invokes

Question 29

Metonymy

Answer 29

When one term is substituted for another term with which it’s associated (“The sailors drank a glass of hearty red”)

Question 30

Synecdoche

Answer 30

A form of metonymy in which a part is used to signify a whole (“All hands on deck!”)

Question 31

Malapropism

Answer 31

The use of a word in place of a similar sounding one, often for an amusing effect (“Let’s dance the Flamingo”)

Question 32

Oxymoron

Answer 32

Contradictory words paired together (“Jumbo shrimp”)

Question 33

Paradox

Answer 33

A sentence that contains two elements which cannot both be true at the same time (Epimenides, the Cretan philosopher said, “All Cretans are liars.”)

Question 34

Rhetorical Question

Answer 34

A question whose answer is obvious

Question 35

Bombast adj. Bombastic

Answer 35

Language that is overly rhetorical/pompous (“We are here in these hallowed halls, accompanied by genial kin and erudite mentors,…”) think graduation speeches

Question 36

Aphorism/Adage/Proverb/Maxim

Answer 36

A pithy statement of an opinion or general truth (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”)

Question 37

Pithy

Answer 37

Language that is concise and forcefully expressive

Question 38

Motto

Answer 38

A short sentence or phrase encapsulating the beliefs or ideals guiding an individual, family, or institution.

Question 39

Vituperative

Answer 39

Bitter and abusive

Question 40

Polemic

Answer 40

A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

Question 41

Inductive Reasoning

Answer 41

Specific examples are used to reach a general conclusion This conclusion may or may not be accurate (You learn that you don’t have school today and conclude that all schools are closed)

Question 42

Deductive Reasoning

Answer 42

Generalizations are used to draw conclusions about specific cases (If the newspaper says, “All schools are closed today,” you conclude that you don’t have school)

Question 43

False Dichotomy

Answer 43

Rhetoric that assumes a black and white world in which there is no middle ground, and no other alternative.

Question 44

Ad Hominem

Answer 44

An argument directed against the person rather than the position they are maintaining

Question 45

Dogmatism

Answer 45

The tendency to lay down principles as true without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others

Question 46

Equivocation

Answer 46

Ambiguous language used to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself

Question 47

Red Herring Fallacy

Answer 47

This fallacy consists in diverting attention from the real issue by focusing instead on an issue having only a surface relevance to the first. (“Sure, we haven’t given raises in over five years to our employees. You know, we work really hard to make a good product. We try to ensure the best customer service, too.”)

Question 48

Straw Man Fallacy

Answer 48

Someone takes another person’s argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in some kind of extreme way, and then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is making

Question 49

Ad Populum/”Bandwagon”

Answer 49

Concludes that a proposition must be true because many or most people believe it, often concisely encapsulated as: “If many believe so, it is so”.

Question 50

Non Sequitur

Answer 50

A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. (Someone asks what it’s like outside and you reply, “It’s 2:00.”)