AP Lit Exam Review

Literary Term Definitions #1

100

The repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds that are close together

Alliteration

200

A device where two opposing ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to each other

Juxtaposition 

300

The common associations attached to a word or phrase

Connotation 

400

The name of a character reflects their appearance, behavior, or character traits

Charactonym 

500

A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole

Synecdoche 

Literary Term Definitions #2

100

A reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, mythology, etc.

Allusion

200

A physical object, person, or event that is used to convey a theme or message

Symbol

300

A character that doesn't change throughout the story

Flat or static character

400

A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, etc. used throughout a work

Motif

500

A dramatic form in which a character talks to themselves/the audience while no other characters are present

Soliloquy

Literary Terms Examples

100

Life of Pi was a story of symbols

Metaphor or allegory

200

If I've told you once, I've told you a million times

Hyperbole

300

Oh Western wind, when wilt though blow

Alliteration

400

Everyone knows that the suits rule the world

Synecdoche

500

Her wings melted from the heat of her ambition, and she plunged into the sea of anonymity 

Allusion

Poetic Stuff

100

A 14 line poem, usually Petrarchan or Shakespearean 

Sonnet

200

The words that an author chooses to use

Diction

300

The "paragraphs" of a poem

Stanzas

400

4 lines of poetry is called a...

Quatrain

500

Rhyming pattern occurs WITHIN a line of poetry

Internal rhyme

Choose a novel to fit this!

100

Select a work in which a physical journey is an important element.

Beowulf

The Odyssey

The Things They Carried

Etc

200

Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a work in which such a character plays a significant role.

A Raisin in the Sun

The Crucible

Etc

300

Choose a work of fiction in which a character is significantly affected by a memory.

1984P

Pride and Prejudice

Etc

400

Select a work of fiction where a character experiences a "rift" and becomes cut off from "home," whether that home is the character's birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. 

Frankenstein 

Lord of the Flies

Beowulf

Etc

500

Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. Choose a work in which such a setting plays a significant role.

Anything by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights

Of Mice and Men

Etc