Literary Terms Lightning
A contrast between expectation and reality.
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
What is Personification?
“The author uses literary devices to show emotion.”
Strong Answer: Must name device + specific emotion + effect
Example: The author uses imagery of decay to convey a sense of despair and inevitability.
Read the following brief passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
What is the primary theme?
A. Beauty of nature
B. Stillness of time
C. Change beneath apparent calm
D. Loneliness
What is C. Change beneath apparent calm?
How long per FRQ?
What is 40 minutes?
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
What is Alliteration?
“My thoughts are a tangled web.”
What is Metaphor?
“This poem is about love and sadness.”
Strong Answer: Add argument + tension
Example: The poem suggests that love inevitably leads to loss, revealing the speaker’s conflicted view of intimacy.
Read the following passage:
The dusk settles softly on the lake’s still face,
A mirror dimmed by time’s unyielding hand;
The trees lean close, as if to leave no trace
Of all the moments they cannot command.
A single bird breaks silence with its cry,
Then disappears into the darkening air;
And though the world seems paused, it hurries by,
Unseen, beneath the calm it seems to wear.
“Time’s unyielding hand” is an example of:
A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Irony
D. Hyperbole
What is B. Personification?
What should you do first when reading a prompt?
What is identify what the question is asking?
A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.
What is a Paradox?
“She ran like the wind.”
What is Simile?
“The writer uses imagery and tone.”
Strong Answer: Say HOW + WHY
Example: Through harsh visual imagery and a bitter tone, the writer critiques societal indifference.
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
What best describes Mrs. Alvarez’s state of mind?
A. Confident
B. Anxious
C. Excited
D. Indifferent
What is B. Anxious?
True or False: When writing your response for FRQ 3, you need to use one of the books that's on the recommendation list.
When an object represents an abstract idea.
What is Symbolism?
“The silence was deafening.”
What is Oxymoron?
“In conclusion, the author shows that life is hard.”
Strong Answer: Remove fluff + be specific
Example: The author reveals that personal growth often emerges through sustained hardship (with XYZ characters or whatever topic of the prompt!).
Read the following passage:
Mrs. Alvarez prided herself on routine. Each morning, she arranged her desk with meticulous care, aligning papers as though their order might impose clarity upon the day. Yet today, her hands faltered. The letter... creased, unfamiliar... rested at the center of her otherwise perfect arrangement. She had not opened it. Instead, she adjusted the pens once more, as if their symmetry might delay what she already feared to know.
The letter primarily functions to:
A. Show her routine
B. Introduce conflict
C. Describe her job
D. Reveal setting
What is B. Introduce conflict?
You realize halfway through your essay that your argument is weak or unclear. What is the BEST course of action?
A. Erase everything and restart
B. Keep writing and hope it improves
C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it
D. Ignore the thesis and focus only on evidence
What is C. Refine your thesis in the next paragraph and align your evidence to it?
AP readers reward coherence, not perfection. Adjusting your line of reasoning mid-essay is a strong move. Remember what we've talked about! You've got this. The most important thing is really the line of reasoning!
A reference to another text, historical event, or figure.
What is an Allusion?
“The crown will decide the matter.”
What is Metonymy?
(Metonymy is a figure of speech where a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it, rather than its literal name. It is used to add vividness, creativity, or conciseness to language by substituting a related term (e.g., "the Crown" for a monarch, "Hollywood" for the film industry).)
“The theme is that people change.”
Strong Answer: Add nuance
Example: The text argues that people change not through choice, but through unavoidable confrontation with truth. (In literature, a nuance is a subtle shade of meaning, feeling, tone, or distinction that adds depth, complexity, and richness to a text. It refers to the delicate, often unspoken variations in language—such as connotation, word choice, or character motivation—that go beyond the literal surface meaning to influence reader perception and emotion.)
Read the following passage:
JAMES: You always said honesty mattered most.
LILA: And you always said timing mattered more.
JAMES: So now you choose silence?
LILA: I choose what keeps things from breaking.
JAMES: Or what keeps you from being blamed?
(Pause.)
LILA: Sometimes those are the same.
Lila’s final line suggests:
A. She is confident
B. She wants to leave
C. She is unaware
D. She is conflicted but justified
What is D. She is conflicted but justified?
Which of the following strategies is MOST effective for earning a higher FRQ score?
A. Clearly connecting each piece of evidence back to a central argument
B. Using advanced vocabulary in every sentence
C. Writing as much as possible, regardless of clarity
D. Summarizing the plot in detail
What is A. Clearly connecting each piece of evidence back to a central argument?