Literary Devices
Gives human-like qualities to an inanimate object or animal, often used to make abstract ideas more vivid or to emphasize an emotional effect.
What is personification
The length of time and amount of questions for the multiple-choice section of the AP Literature exam
What is 1 hour and 55 questions?
The length of time and essay prompts for the FRQ section of the AP Literature exam.
What is 2 hours and 3 essays?
In this novel, multiple characters have not dealt with their trauma of their past and it affects their future?
What is The Great Gatsby?
This type of poem has 14 lines and is often written in iambic pentameter, commonly associated with Shakespeare.
What is a sonnet?
An author’s use of vivid, descriptive language, often intended to create sensory detail and help the reader visualize a scene or experience.
What is imagery
What is the #1 goal/expectation when completing the MCQ portion of the AP Literature Exam?
What is Answer Every Question? or
What is Don't Leave any Blanks?
The three different prompts on the FRQ section of the AP Literature exam.
What is prompt 1: poetry, prompt 2: short fiction, prompt 3: literary argument?
In this text, the protagonist must contend with society norms placed on them due to their gender & the expectations surrounding that.
What is "The Yellow Wallpaper"?
This narrative perspective uses “he” or “she” and allows the reader access all of the thoughts and feelings of every character.
What is third-person omniscient point of view?
When a comparison is made without using “like” or “as,” often stating one thing is another to highlight a shared quality.
What is a metaphor
If you do not know what a word means in the text, you can make an educated guess or use hints and extra information in a sentence or passage that help you understand the meaning of an unknown word called?
What are context clues?
On a FRQ when you see "interpretation or meaning of the work as a whole" you should immediately think of this term
What is a theme?
This text highlights what happens when characters suffer the consequences of their actions
What is Hamlet? or
What is Othello?
This literary element reflects the author’s attitude toward the subject, often revealed through diction and syntax.
What is tone?
The intentional choice and use of words and phrases in writing, often analyzed for its effect on tone, meaning, and characterization.
What is diction?
On AP Lit MCQs, the “best” answer is usually the one that
A. sounds the most sophisticated
B. includes the most literary devices
C. is most fully supported by the text
D. matches personal interpretation
What is C. is most fully supported by the text?
The poetic and prose analysis FRQ (Q1 and Q2) will always ask for you to analyze the author's use of what?
What are literary/poetic elements and devices?
In this novel, various characters were impacted by the environment/ culture/ society around them and must find a way to deal with the natural consequences of their actions.
What is Frankenstein?
This method of characterization reveals a character’s traits through their actions, dialogue, and interactions rather than direct description.
What is indirect characterization?