AP Lang Literary Devices and Elevated Words - Lit Devices

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

casual literary, historical or biblical reference within a larger work

Question 3

Ambiguity

Answer 3

the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Question 4

Anaphora

Answer 4

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Question 5

Anecdote

Answer 5

a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate to a point.

Question 6

Antagonist

Answer 6

the character who works against the protagonist in the story

Question 7

Antihero

Answer 7

A protagonist who is markedly unheroic: morally weak, cowardly, dishonest, or any number of other unsavory qualities.

Question 8

Antithesis

Answer 8

the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance

Question 9

Antithetical

Answer 9

sharply contrasted in character or purpose, directly opposing

Question 10

Aphorism

Answer 10

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance

Question 11

Asyndeton

Answer 11

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Question 12

Chiasmus

Answer 12

a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally reversed

Question 13

Cliche

Answer 13

a worn-out idea or overused expression

Question 14

Colloquialism

Answer 14

a word or phrase (including slang) used in everyday conversation and informal writing but that is often inappropriate in formal writing (y’all, ain’t)

Question 15

Conceit

Answer 15

a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.

Question 16

Connotation

Answer 16

the implied or associative meaning of a word

Question 17

Diction

Answer 17

a writer’s or speaker’s choice of words

Question 18

Didactic

Answer 18

having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

Question 19

Epithet

Answer 19

any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality

Question 20

Figurative Language

Answer 20

Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Question 21

Flashback

Answer 21

a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene that interrupts the normal chronological development of the story

Question 22

Foreshadowing

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Hyperbole

Answer 23

extreme exaggeration

Question 24

Imagery

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Irony

Answer 25

incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

Question 26

Juxtaposition

Answer 26

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

Question 27

Metaphor

Answer 27

a comparison of two unlike things without using the word like or as.

Question 28

Metonymy

Answer 28

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it

Question 29

Onomatopoeia

Answer 29

a word that imitates the sound it represents

Question 30

Oxymoron

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Paradox

Answer 31

a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Question 32

Parody

Answer 32

humorous or satirical mimicry

Question 33

Personification

Answer 33

a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics

Question 34

Pun

Answer 34

a humorous play on words

Question 35

Rhetorical Question

Answer 35

a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered

Question 36

Satire

Answer 36

form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly

Question 37

Stereotype

Answer 37

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Question 38

Understatement

Answer 38

lack of emphasis in a statement or point; restraint in language often used for ironic effect

Question 39

Warrant

Answer 39

a general principle or assumption that establishes a connection between the support and the claim