AP LIT VOCAB 2

Question 1

Evince

Answer 1

To reveal the presence of something (a quality or feeling)
“His lousy clothing and messy bureau evinced his lack of organization”

Question 2

Pedantic

Answer 2

Excessively concerned with literal accuracy or minutiae or with ostentatiously displaying knowledge
“The student’s essay was too pedantic to be understood.”

Question 3

Euphemistic

Answer 3

“(Something unpleasant) having been softened so that it is easier to hear or bear
When you’re around young kids, it’s important to use euphemistic language when dealing with mature topics like sex and death.”

Question 4

Colloquial

Answer 4

Informal in language or conversational style
“The interviewer put me at ease by using colloquial language rather than formal speech.”

Question 5

Esoteric

Answer 5

Seemingly designed for a small group and unfollowable by anybody but the intended individuals
“Young Desidarius could not even comprehend the esoteric language of the Gods.”

Question 6

Insipid

Answer 6

Lacking qualities that interest or stimulate; dull
“The students played games during the guest’s insipid presentation”

Question 7

Trite

Answer 7

Lacking originality; (of an idea or opinion) overused and therefore insignificant
“We’ve written so many essays that sometimes, when we’re rushed, we fill them with the same trite ideas”

Question 8

Consecration

Answer 8

The act of declaring something sacred or holy (often done to a church)
“People came from far in wide to witness the consecration of the newly built church; the holiness of the event left them all in awe.”

Question 9

Gregarious

Answer 9

Sociable, having an obvious desire to be around others (extroverted)
“The college interviewer was impressed by the smart, curious and gregarious individual that was standing in front of him.”

Question 10

Candor

Answer 10

Honest, frank expression
“The administration’s candor when it came to talking about its failures was refreshing: “The program was a total and complete failure.”

Question 11

Vacillate

Answer 11

To waver between different opinions or actions; indecisive.
“No time to vacillate; we have to act now!”

Question 12

Bemused

Answer 12

To be confused, bewildered, or lost in thought
“The English teacher asked Wolfstein to read the passage, but he just gave a bemused smile because he had no idea what was going on.”

Question 13

Tactile

Answer 13

relating to the sense of touch; tangible
“These tools allowed the blind to deepen their tactile abilities.”

Question 14

Insidious

Answer 14

Progressing incrementally and subtly, with harmful effects
“The insidious pressures of senior year have begun to take their toll on the students.”

Question 15

Elegy

Answer 15

A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead
“Thomas Gray wrote a famous elegy.”

Question 16

Paradigm

Answer 16

A model, a typical example or pattern of something
“The cultural paradigms seem to shift after every election.”

Question 17

Metonymy

Answer 17

a figure of speech used to substitute a word with a closely related concept
“The British people swear loyalty to the Crown.”

Question 18

Supposition

Answer 18

A hypothetical/uncertain belief.
“When making a bet, you trust your gut and hope your supposition is correct.”

Question 19

Duplicitous

Answer 19

Deceptive in words or action; deceitful
“I’m guessing that Tim was being duplicitous when he shared homework with me and then I no longer had access to it.”

Question 20

Rapacious

Answer 20

aggressively greedy
“After eight hours of testing, the students tore into the bagels with rapacious appetites.”

Question 21

Unscrupulous

Answer 21

having or showing no moral principles
“He believed he needed to be unscrupulous to fulfill his ambitions, but now he has no friends to share the success with.”

Question 22

Bildungsroman

Answer 22

a coming of age novel that deals with the protagonist’s formative years
e.g. Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird

Question 23

Epigram

Answer 23

a brief and surprising satirical statement
“Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.” - JFK

Question 24

Perfidious

Answer 24

deceitful and untrustworthy in an opportunistic way
“The fruits of his perfidious scheme were cut short when the cops finally caught on.”

Question 25

Malapropism

Answer 25

when one word is mistaken for another similar word for comedic effect
E.g. “Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons” - Dogberry (instead of “apprehended” and “suspicious.”)

Question 26

Conceit

Answer 26

an artistic effect or device, a fanciful notion
“The director’s brilliant conceit was to film the whole movie in one take”

Question 27

Litote

Answer 27

ironic understatement in which a good thing is expressed as the contrary of a bad thing
e.g., “you won’t be sorry”, meaning “you’ll be glad”

Question 28

Invective

Answer 28

Insulting, abusive or highly critical language
“When Thomas got back his Bac Blanc, he let out an impressive stream of invective.”

Question 29

Red Herring

Answer 29

The introduction of a topic not related to the subject at hand meant to divert attention.
“In that scene, the sword hanging on the wall was a clear red herring meant to distract the audience’s attention from the book missing on the shelf.”

Question 30

Exposition

Answer 30

A literary device used to introduce background information about a story’s events, settings, characters, etc. to readers.