AP Lit Elements Review Quiz

The part of a work of fiction in which the background to the main conflict is introduced

A statement that leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, illogical, or self-contradictory

The quality of being pleasing to the ear through a harmonious combination of words and sounds

Attribution of human characteristics to something non-human

When the rhyme sound is only the very last syllable of a word or line

A genre using mystery, suspense, and sensational and supernatural occurrences to evoke terror

Expressing meaning by saying the opposite, often for humorous or emphatic effect

Structure of sentences, paragraphs, stanzas in a given language

A warning or indication of a future event within a story

The associations or emotional impact of a word in addition to its literal meaning

Repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song, typically after each verse

A character who, by contrast, highlights the characteristics of another character

The one weakness which causes the downfall of a tragic hero

Expressions which make imaginative, rather than literal comparisons or associations

Based on or influenced by the author's personal experiences, feelings, tastes, or opinions

Demand that a reader/viewer accept limitations of reality, staging, and incidents in the plot

Visually descriptive or figurative language within a literary work

In poetry, when a sentence or complete thought is interrupted by a line break, not punctuation

An indirect reference to a specific person, history, piece of literature, or cultural tradition

A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels

A short or amusing story about a real incident or person

A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; may also be a paradox or a difficult problem

a stanza containing four lines

poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter; often found in Shakespeare's plays

poetry without a regular meter, and usually without a rhyme scheme

The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from strong or repressed emotions

Widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

A figure of speech to create a vivid or emphatic comparison

Often confused with tone, it is the primary emotional effect of a work

A similarity of accented sounds between two words

In Greek tragedies, excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods, leading to a nemesis

A group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse

Performers in Greek drama who comment on the main action - typically moving/speaking as a group

Short description in verse/prose of a picturesque scene or incident, especially of rustic life

Also known as an Italian Sonnet; comprised of an octave and a sestet; abba/abba/ cde/cde

A third person narrator who only reports on what one character thinks, sees, and experiences

The leading character or one of the major characters in a literary work

a standard character who may be a stereotype like the miser or the fool

Traditional ballads, usually of unknown origin, passed down orally as part of a culture

A comic play using buffoonery, crude characterizations, and ludicrous improbable situations

Greek word for all types of character flaws

A work of literature portraying or evoking a romantacized or idealized version of country life

Similar to first person point of view, but places the reader in the character's head

A word or phrase typically used in ordinary or familiar conversation

A witty observation that contains a general truth about life

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds or words

A five line stanza

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

One aspect of syntax focusing specifically on word choice

The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant

3rd person narrator who sees into other characters' minds and understands all of their actions

The formation of a word from a sound associated with it; sizzle; splat

The use of irony to mock or convey contempt

Brief, descriptive phrases used to characterize/stereotype people or things

A grating of sounds that are harsh or do not go together

A long poem, typically from oral tradition, narrating the deeds of heroic or legendary figures

Metrical foot consisting of 1 short unstressed syllable followed by 1 long stressed syllable

The characteristic emotion of attitude of an author towards characters, subject, and audience

A thing belonging to or appropriate to a different time period

The simplest stanza, containing two (usually rhymed) lines

A category of literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter

the voice within a poem; either the author or a fictional character

A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

A poem of fourteen lines, typically with ten syllables per line

A fanciful expression in writing or speech; an elaborate or extended metaphor

Repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming syllables near enough to cause an echo effect

The perspective from which a story is presented

An exclamatory passage in a speech or poem addressed to a person or thing not present

A long poem or song narrating a single story, which is often tragic or violent

Representation in which striking characteristics are exaggerated for comic or grotesque effect

The literal meaning of a word

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

sound-alike words at the end of lines of poetry

Use of language and descriptions to create a realistic and specific geological locale

Speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself, regardless of any characters who might overhear

When a major crisis in the protagonist's story is caused by his own beliefs or actions

A third person narrator who only reports what would be visible to a camera or tape recorder

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

The central idea or message in a literary work

The occurence of the same letter/sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words

Imitation of the style of a writer/artist/genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect

Character within a story who relates his or her actions from his or her perspective

A traditional story, concerning the history of people or explaining natural or social phenomena

Remark or passage by a character in a play, intended for the audience, not heard by characters

Something used to represent something ele or something beyond itself

An author's characteristic manner of writing or of expression

Traditional beliefs, customs, stories passed down by word of mouth

Writing that records the conversation that occurs inside a character's head