Lit Devices
A comparison of two or more seemly unlike things that DOES NOT use like or as. This type of language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought-provoking, and meaningful.
What is a metaphor?
This technique is usually used in order to highlight areas of the text that are confusing and may require additional research to truly understand what is being said.
What is circling unknown and/or unfamiliar words?
According to The Albert Team, reading this book by Thomas C. Foster is an excellent way to get you to start thinking deeply about literature. That and it could help you score a 4 or a 5 on the AP Literature Exam.
What is How to Read Literature Like a Professor?
This is probably the most common test strategy that students use when answering difficult multiple-choice questions.
What is Process of Elimination?
This core skill/enduring understanding focuses on finding and analyzing how specific textual details in the text explain the function of or reveal nuances and complexities of different ______________________ in a text.
What is character?
Generally, anything that represents itself and stands for something else. This is usually something concrete--like an object, action, character, or scene--that represents something more abstract. But could also be elements of nature, colors, or something else that has been commonly used and found in various works of literature.
What is a symbol?
OR
What is symbolism?
Finding similarities between the text and one of the following aspects:
Your life
Another text
Current events
What is making connections?
Making flashcards, or a Quizlet, is a great way to make sure you study these devices. Something that you will be asked to identify, analyze, and make interpretations on during both the Multiple Choice and Free Response portion of the exam.
What are Literary Devices?
When answering practice Multiple Choice questions, make sure you paying attention to these types of questions. These are the ones that may try to trick you into picking an incorrect answer.
What are questions that have NOT or ALL OF THE FOLLOWING EXCEPT in them?
This core skill/enduring understanding focuses on how specific textual details will reveal the time and place of, specific values of, and/or relationship between characters and __________________________
What is setting?
A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumed to be commonly known, such as an event, book, place, or work of art. They can also be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical.
What is an allusion?
Interacting with the text by reading closely and trying to determine why certain events are happening or why characters are acting a certain way. This strategy is also used to highlight any areas of confusion in the text that you might have.
What is asking questions?
Or
What is questioning a text?
While it may feel silly, doing this is a great way to better understand a concept that you previously had trouble with.
Hint: This is something Ms. Gray always asks you if you have any of...
What is asking questions for clarification?
Chances are doing THIS while reading a timed essay/free response prompt will help you truly understand what the question is truly asking and what specifically the exam authors are looking for.
What is annotating/marking the prompt/question?
This core skill/enduring understanding focuses on how comparisons, representations, and associations can shift meaning from the literal to figurative in a text.
Studying this skill could consist of determining the different meanings of words and phrases; or analyzing the function of a symbol, an image/imagery, simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, etc.
What is Figurative Language?
A principal idea, feature, theme, or element. These can be found deliberately repeated throughout a work of literature to help reinforce and build a certain idea, theme, characteristic, or another facet of meaning throughout the work.
What is a motif?
Using prior knowledge AND elements already observed in the text to determine what might happen next.
What is making predictions?
On the Multiple Choice section of the exam, doing this will help you tremendously while determining what the answer to the question is. Especially if the question asked you what a certain word or phrase means.
What is going back to reread the selected part of the passage in context?
This website, which you created an account for during the first week of class, is a great resource to consult when looking for practice essay prompts, additional AP test-taking tips, information about the AP exam, review videos, AND will be used quite a bit in class throughout the year.
What is the College Board website?
OR
What is AP classroom?
This core skill/enduring understanding focuses on how readers will establish and communicate their interpretations of a text with claims, thesis statements, textual evidence, a line of reasoning, etc.
What is Literary Argumentation?
The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. For example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. This is usually done in order to emphasize a meaning that usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.
What is an allegory?
The best way to be successful while annotating a text AND to also ensure that you remember your thoughts, reactions, interpretations, etc that you had WHILE reading a text is to do this:
Hint: the answer is not annotation.
What is write the annotations down in the margins and/or on a post-it note?
OR
What is the use of a combination of annotation strategies/methods while reading a text?
In order to get the thesis point on your timed essays, you must have a thesis statement that is defensible and provides a what?
What is a line of reasoning?
According to The Albert Team, doing THIS is probably the most important AP Lit test tip that they provide. Since doing so will provide you with ample advice for the exam AND how you can improve in the class.
What is listening to your teacher?
These core skills/essential understandings focus on how the arrangement of parts and sections of the text can reveal information that can emphasize and/or affect how readers experience and interpret a text.
These parts or sections could include but are not limited to: plot, sequence of events, contrasts, function of specific events, conflict, word choice, sentence structure (syntax), etc.
There are 2 possible responses to this question.
What is Structure?
What is Narration?