AP Important Terminology

Question 1

a text that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, usually a political or moral issue; example: Animal Farm

Answer 1

allegory

Question 2

a reference to person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political importance; example: He is certainly no Scrooge, but he doesn’t like to spend any money.

Answer 2

allusion

Question 3

repetition of the beginning consonant sound or letter; slithering snake slide

Answer 3

alliteration

Question 4

either a statement that has two possible meanings or statement whose meaning is unclear

Answer 4

ambiguity

Question 5

the character (or thing, idea) that opposes the protagonist (more complex than the bad guy)

Answer 5

antagonist

Question 6

a figure of speech; opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are opposites of, or strongly contrasted with each other; example: hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins

Answer 6

antithesis

Question 7

direct reference to person (or thing, idea) in a poem; example: O’Elizabeth, you stole my heart

Answer 7

apostrophe

Question 8

repetition of the first part of a sentence for emphasis or artistic effect; example: O’Lord…..O’Lord…

Answer 8

anaphora

Question 9

in a play where a character is speaking to himself- the audience hears the thoughts but the other characters on the stage do not

Answer 9

aside

Question 10

repetition of a vowel sound but have different consonant sounds; example: men sell the wedding bells

Answer 10

assonance

Question 11

the nonuse of a conjunction (uses commas to link but never a conjunction)

Answer 11

asyndeton

Question 12

a coming of age novel

Answer 12

bildungsroman

Question 13

a pause in a line of poetry (changes the meter)

Answer 13

caesura

Question 14

the process in which a character’s personality is revealed through their speech, thoughts, actions, looks, and effect on other characters; we use this to “judge” a character’s character

Answer 14

characterization

Question 15

characterization that is told directly or directly stated within the text

Answer 15

explicit characterization

Question 16

characterization that is inferred conclusion based on information with the test

Answer 16

implicit characterization

Question 17

tension is at the highest moment in the plot

Answer 17

climax

Question 18

struggle between two opposing forces

Answer 18

conflict

Question 19

personal, cultural, societal definition of a word

Answer 19

connotation

Question 20

repetition of consonant sounds

Answer 20

consonance

Question 21

dictionary definition of a word

Answer 21

denotation

Question 22

the word choice and the significance of the selection

Answer 22

diction

Question 23

in poetry where the line continues to the next line without a punctuation mark

Answer 23

enjambment

Question 24

moment a character realizes or is more aware of a situation within the plot (often when we see the protagonist change)

Answer 24

epiphany

Question 25

appeal to ethics

Answer 25

ethos

Question 26

words or expressions that has a meaning beyond its literal meaning

Answer 26

figurative language

Question 27

interruption in the text to a prior moment; usually provides insight or shows a memory

Answer 27

flashback

Question 28

Their qualities contrast the protagonist's qualities in order to highlight that trait

Answer 28

Foil

Question 29

Hint of what will happen later in the story

Answer 29

Foreshadowing

Question 30

Protagonist's personality or character trait that ultimately causes his downfall (usually death) - the tragic flaw

Answer 30

Hamartia

Question 31

Pride or arrogance that ultimately causes the characters downfall

Answer 31

Hubris

Question 32

Extreme exaggeration

Answer 32

Hyperbole

Question 33

Description that utilizes the five senses

Answer 33

Imagery

Question 34

Contradiction of an expectation

Answer 34

Irony

Question 35

Irony that contrasts between what is said and what is meant - also used with puns and words with multiple meanings

Answer 35

Verbal irony

Question 36

Irony that contacts between what the characters know and what the audience members know

Answer 36

Dramatic irony

Question 37

Irony that contrasts between what is expected to occur and what days

Answer 37

Situational irony

Question 38

Two or more ideas, places, characters, or actions are placed side by side in order to develop comparisons and contrasts

Answer 38

Juxtaposition

Question 39

Appeal to logic

Answer 39

Logos

Question 40

Comparison between two unlike items; often uses the be form verbs ( is, was, are, were )

Answer 40

Metaphor

Question 41

The measures beats of a line of poetry

Answer 41

Meter

Question 42

A word substituted to represent something closely related using a part of it; example: saying crown to represent the kong or queen

Answer 42

Metonymy

Question 43

Feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions

Answer 43

Mood

Question 44

Object or idea that repeats itself throughout a text

Answer 44

Motif

Question 45

The reasons for characters actions and author's purpose

Answer 45

Motivation

Question 46

Free from bias

Answer 46

Objective

Question 47

Words that represent the sound; example: buzz, swoosh

Answer 47

Onomatopoeia

Question 48

Two opposite items joined together; example: jumbo shrimp

Answer 48

Oxymoron

Question 49

appeal to emotion

Answer 49

pathos

Question 50

components of a sentence are similar in structure (also sound and meter)

Answer 50

parallelism

Question 51

statement that appears contradictory but is used to illustrate an opinion or statement; example: wise fool; your enemy's friend is your enemy

Answer 51

paradox

Question 52

genre that uses imitation and exageration to produce a comic relief

Answer 52

parody

Question 53

giving of human-like characterstics - this is more than a talking bear as the main characters; example: the wind whispered to the tree; the tree waved to the passing by cars

Answer 53

personification

Question 54

the order of events that occur in a text

Answer 54

plot

Question 55

the viewpoint of whose the story is told from

Answer 55

point of view

Question 56

"I" perspective

Answer 56

first person

Question 57

"you" perspective

Answer 57

second person

Question 58

outside narrator who does not "see" into the character's minds

Answer 58

third objective

Question 59

outside narrator who can "see" into one character's mind

Answer 59

third limited

Question 60

outside narrator who can "see" into all characters' minds

Answer 60

omniscient

Question 61

repetition of conjunctions within a sentence (and, but, or)

Answer 61

polysyndeton

Question 62

the main character in a story- must change in some way (more complex than a good guy)

Answer 62

protagonist

Question 63

the trustworthiness of the narrator, author, and/or text

Answer 63

reliability

Question 64

several types- all designed to make an idea clearer of for emphasis

Answer 64

repetition

Question 65

the repeated use of words that rhyme in a set pattern

Answer 65

rhyme scheme

Question 66

device used to mock someone- meant to both amuse and hurt that person at the same time

Answer 66

sarcasm

Question 67

used to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption through humor, irony, exaggeration, and/or ridicule - used to try to improve humanity through the criticism

Answer 67

satire

Question 68

time, place a story takes place; takes into cultural, historical, and political issues and expectations of that time

Answer 68

setting

Question 69

a change in a text; in poetry often indicated by words such as "and, but, yet"

Answer 69

shift

Question 70

comparison using like or as

Answer 70

simile

Question 71

the events or background for a poem (like setting)

Answer 71

situation

Question 72

in plays- used to show a character's innermost thoughts

Answer 72

soliloquy

Question 73

the voice or person/thing speaking in the poem; speaker in not the author

Answer 73

speaker

Question 74

unit of lines within a poem

Answer 74

stanza

Question 75

two paired lines

Answer 75

couplet

Question 76

four paired/ grouped lines

Answer 76

quatrain

Question 77

characteristic given;used to identify a group of people; authors use them to bot set-up agreed characteristic ( common knowledge/assumption) and to break them

Answer 77

stereotype

Question 78

organization of text and its componets

Answer 78

structure

Question 79

the way an author used diction, sentence structure figurative language, and syntax to establish mood, imagery, and meaning

Answer 79

style

Question 80

a bias perspective

Answer 80

subjective

Question 81

an item/thing/person/idea that represents something beyond itself

Answer 81

symbol

Question 82

a word substituted to represent something closely related using the whole of it : example: saying crown to represent the monarch government

Answer 82

synecdoche

Question 83

the ordering of the words in a sentence

Answer 83

syntax

Question 84

the main idea or underlying meaning of a text- it is more than a singular word- the topic plus them opinion on the topic; example: war affects both those away and at home

Answer 84

theme

Question 85

how the reader should feel when reading a text

Answer 85

tone

Question 86

the moment of significant change

Answer 86

turning point

Question 87

intentionally making something seem less important

Answer 87

understatement

Question 88

author's use of syntax, diction, character development, etc. within a text or multiple text

Answer 88

voice

Question 89

introductory material, background, beginning of the story

Answer 89

exposition

Question 90

events that move the plot forwards to the climax

Answer 90

rising action

Question 91

point of highest emotion

Answer 91

climax

Question 92

events that occur after the climax that moves the plot towards the denouement

Answer 92

falling action

Question 93

the conclusion, ending of the story

Answer 93

denouement

Question 94

includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, demouement

Answer 94

Freytag's Pyramid