AP Literature Terms Quiz

A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work 

The choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language in a literary work

A long speech made by a character in a play while no other characters are on stage.

Person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and also stands for something more

“In the midst of things” – standard of epic poetrywhere the action begins in middle of story

Attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience

Rhetorical device in which unassociated ideas, words, phrases are placed next to one another

Writing that records the thinking that goes on inside a character’s head

An idealized model of a person, object, or conceptfrom which similar instances are patterned

Work in which characters, settings, etc. stand for other people, events, abstract ideas 

When a person, place, or thing, is referred to by something associated with it.

Repetition of same or similar sounds at the beginning of words close together

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, etc. 

Figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect. 

When meaning of character’s words, actions are unknown by character but understood by audience

Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme

Rhyme within a line of poetry instead of at the end

Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry.

A story within a story, within sometimes yet another story

Comment made by stage performer intended to be heard by audience but not by other characters.

When the intended meaning of a statement differs from the apparent meaning

Use of fancy language to describe the trivial or switch from serious thought to a trivial one

The use of words whose sounds echo their sense

A compound poetic phrase substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. 

A work that uses mockery, humor/ wit to critique and change human nature and institutions

Excessive pride or ambition that leads to a character’s downfall

The emotional tone or background that surrounds ascene

Form of understatement in which positive form is emphasized through negation of a negative

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole. 

Opponent who struggles against or blocks the hero, or protagonist, in a story.

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using words such as like, as , than, etc.

Literature emphasizing a particular setting, including customs, clothing, dialect, landscape

A statement which appears contrary to common sense, yet can be seen as true

Commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words. Ex: X,Y,Z

Poetry written without rhymes, but which retains a set metrical pattern like iambic pentameter

Rhetorical balance in which second part is syntactically balanced against first but reversed. 

Harmony or beauty of sound which provides a pleasing effect to the ear

Repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row

The author’s creation--the voice “through which the author speaks.”

Reference to someone or something from history, literature, religion, politics, etc.  

A way of speaking that is characteristic of a social group or inhabitants of a certain area

When words appearing at the ends of two or more verses have similar final consonant sounds

The central character in a story, the one who initiates or drives the action.

a work that makes fun of another work by imitating some aspect of the writer’s style.

A poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be considered as a unit.

Comedy in which ridiculous, stereotyped characters are involved in silly, unlikely situations

Artificial device or coincidence used to bring about a convenient, simple solution to a plot 

Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes

Deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work

Use of language to evoke a picture or concrete sensation of a person, thing, place, experience

A word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse

A character who acts as contrast to another character

Continuation of sense and grammatical construction of sentence beyond the end of poetic line

Presentation of essential information about what has occurred prior to beginning of the play.

Emotional breakdown or climax consisting of overwhelming feelings or extreme emotional change

In a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine which leads to his or her downfall

Comparison between two unlike things WITHOUT the use of like, as, than, or resembles

Category of literary work which may refer to both the content of a given work and to its form

A style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character’s mind.

Play on words based on multiple meanings of words that sound alike but mean different things.

Substitution of an comfortable or inoffensive expression to replace an unpleasant one

The repetition of sound patterns that creates a rhythm in poetry.

Device in which the same expression is repeated at the end of two or more lines or clauses

Willingness of a reader to ignore minor inconsistencies or unbelievable behavior in fiction.

Callingout to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, place, thing, or personified abstract idea

Repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonants in words close together

Sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate items in a series. “X and Y and Z”

The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

Figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

A quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.

Unpleasant sounds in jarring juxtaposition of harsh letters or syllables which sound grating