AICE Literature Terminology Exam
with Complete Solutions
Abstract Language - ANS-Language describing ideas and qualities rather than
observable or specific things, people or places (The observable or 'physical' is usually
described with concrete language. Ex: love, honor, integrity, evil.)
Allegory - ANS-the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to
represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning (In some for example, an
author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. This
meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.)
Alliteration - ANS-The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or
more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not
frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for this in any essay passage.
The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo
the sense of the passage.
Allusion - ANS-A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably
commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. They can be
historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and
a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of this.
Ambiguity - ANS-The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word,
phrase, sentence, or passage.
Anachronism - ANS-Anything that is incongruous in the time period it has been placed
in. It appears in a temporal context in which it seems sufficiently out of place as to be
peculiar, incomprehensible or impossible. The item is often an object, but may be a
verbal expression, a technology, a philosophical idea, a musical style, a material, a
custom, or anything else closely enough bound to a particular period as to seem odd
outside it. For example: an actor in a Shakespearean play wearing a digital watch.
Analogy - ANS-A similarity or comparison between two different things or the
relationship between them. This can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with
or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. They can also make writing
more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging.
Anaphora (uh NAF uh ruh) - ANS-The repetition of the same word or words at the
beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, commonly in conjunction with
climax and with parallelism:
,To think on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity;/ To think on the world
verily it is,/ To think that here man hath no perfect bliss. -Peacham. This can be used
with questions, negations, hypotheses, conclusions, and subordinating conjunctions,
although care must be taken not to become affected or to sound rhetorical and
bombastic. Consider these selections: Will he read the book? Will he learn what it has
to teach him? Will he live according to what he has learned?
Analysis - ANS-Breaking down of something to see how the parts come together to form
the whole: In rhetorical ____________, we consider how the devices and strategies
come together to support the author's purpose.
Anastrophe (uh NAS truh fe) - ANS-Inversion of the normal word order, as in a man
forgotten (instead of a forgotten man)
Anecdote - ANS-A short tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident:
This kind of evidence is an informal account of evidence in the form of hearsay. The
term is often used in contrast to scientific evidence, as evidence that cannot be
investigated using the scientific method. The problem with arguing based on this kind of
evidence is that it is not necessarily typical; only statistical evidence can determine how
typical something is. Misuse of it is a logical fallacy.
Annotation - ANS-Explanatory notes added to text to explain, cite sources, or give
bibliographic data.
Antagonist - ANS-The adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary
work.
Antithesis - ANS-The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.
Antonomasia (an tihn uh MAY zha) - ANS-Identification of a person by an appropriate
substituted phrase, such as her majesty for a queen or the Bard of Avon for
Shakespeare.
Aphorism - ANS-A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth
or a moral principle (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered
to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point.
Apostrophe - ANS-Figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary
person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love: It is an address to someone
or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.
William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living
at this hour: / England hath need of thee." Another example is Keats' "Ode to a Grecian
Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: "Thou still unravished bride of quietness."
Many of these imply a personification of the object addressed.
, Argument - ANS-The kind of writing that uses reason to affect people's opinions and
actions.
Archetype - ANS-Greek for "original pattern": The abstract idea of a class of things
which represents the most typical and essential characteristics shared by the class.
Certain character or personality types have become this. Ex: the femme fatale, the
jealous husband, the all-conquering hero, the self-made man, the witch, the damsel in
distress.
Aside - ANS-In a play a character's comment that is heard by the audience, but not by
other characters.
Assonance - ANS-The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work,
established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are
described: Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the
atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events.
Balance - ANS-Construction in which both halves of the sentence are about the same
length and importance.
Ballad - ANS-Any light, simple song, especially one of romantic character, having two or
more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
Farce - ANS-A type of comedy that presents stereotyped characters in improbable
situations.
Feminine Rhyme - ANS-Rhyme in which the final two syllables of one line mimic the
sound of the final two syllables of another line. Examples: repeat, deplete; farrow,
narrow; scarlet; varlet.
Figurative Language - ANS-Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal
meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. The word or words are
inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or representations that
the thing described evokes.
Figure of Speech - ANS-A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare
dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
Flashback - ANS-A scene in a narrative that breaks the normal time sequence of the
plot to narrate events that happened earlier.
Foil - ANS-A character who, by contrast, points out the qualities or characteristics of
another character. Ex: An oafish character will further highlight the grace of another.
Foot - ANS-The basic unit of measurement in rhythm
with Complete Solutions
Abstract Language - ANS-Language describing ideas and qualities rather than
observable or specific things, people or places (The observable or 'physical' is usually
described with concrete language. Ex: love, honor, integrity, evil.)
Allegory - ANS-the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to
represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning (In some for example, an
author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. This
meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence.)
Alliteration - ANS-The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or
more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Although the term is not
frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for this in any essay passage.
The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo
the sense of the passage.
Allusion - ANS-A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably
commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. They can be
historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and
a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of this.
Ambiguity - ANS-The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word,
phrase, sentence, or passage.
Anachronism - ANS-Anything that is incongruous in the time period it has been placed
in. It appears in a temporal context in which it seems sufficiently out of place as to be
peculiar, incomprehensible or impossible. The item is often an object, but may be a
verbal expression, a technology, a philosophical idea, a musical style, a material, a
custom, or anything else closely enough bound to a particular period as to seem odd
outside it. For example: an actor in a Shakespearean play wearing a digital watch.
Analogy - ANS-A similarity or comparison between two different things or the
relationship between them. This can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with
or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. They can also make writing
more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging.
Anaphora (uh NAF uh ruh) - ANS-The repetition of the same word or words at the
beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences, commonly in conjunction with
climax and with parallelism:
,To think on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity;/ To think on the world
verily it is,/ To think that here man hath no perfect bliss. -Peacham. This can be used
with questions, negations, hypotheses, conclusions, and subordinating conjunctions,
although care must be taken not to become affected or to sound rhetorical and
bombastic. Consider these selections: Will he read the book? Will he learn what it has
to teach him? Will he live according to what he has learned?
Analysis - ANS-Breaking down of something to see how the parts come together to form
the whole: In rhetorical ____________, we consider how the devices and strategies
come together to support the author's purpose.
Anastrophe (uh NAS truh fe) - ANS-Inversion of the normal word order, as in a man
forgotten (instead of a forgotten man)
Anecdote - ANS-A short tale narrating an interesting or amusing biographical incident:
This kind of evidence is an informal account of evidence in the form of hearsay. The
term is often used in contrast to scientific evidence, as evidence that cannot be
investigated using the scientific method. The problem with arguing based on this kind of
evidence is that it is not necessarily typical; only statistical evidence can determine how
typical something is. Misuse of it is a logical fallacy.
Annotation - ANS-Explanatory notes added to text to explain, cite sources, or give
bibliographic data.
Antagonist - ANS-The adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary
work.
Antithesis - ANS-The opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite.
Antonomasia (an tihn uh MAY zha) - ANS-Identification of a person by an appropriate
substituted phrase, such as her majesty for a queen or the Bard of Avon for
Shakespeare.
Aphorism - ANS-A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth
or a moral principle (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered
to be a folk proverb.) It can be a memorable summation of the author's point.
Apostrophe - ANS-Figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary
person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love: It is an address to someone
or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity.
William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living
at this hour: / England hath need of thee." Another example is Keats' "Ode to a Grecian
Urn," in which Keats addresses the urn itself: "Thou still unravished bride of quietness."
Many of these imply a personification of the object addressed.
, Argument - ANS-The kind of writing that uses reason to affect people's opinions and
actions.
Archetype - ANS-Greek for "original pattern": The abstract idea of a class of things
which represents the most typical and essential characteristics shared by the class.
Certain character or personality types have become this. Ex: the femme fatale, the
jealous husband, the all-conquering hero, the self-made man, the witch, the damsel in
distress.
Aside - ANS-In a play a character's comment that is heard by the audience, but not by
other characters.
Assonance - ANS-The emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work,
established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are
described: Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the
atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events.
Balance - ANS-Construction in which both halves of the sentence are about the same
length and importance.
Ballad - ANS-Any light, simple song, especially one of romantic character, having two or
more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
Farce - ANS-A type of comedy that presents stereotyped characters in improbable
situations.
Feminine Rhyme - ANS-Rhyme in which the final two syllables of one line mimic the
sound of the final two syllables of another line. Examples: repeat, deplete; farrow,
narrow; scarlet; varlet.
Figurative Language - ANS-Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal
meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. The word or words are
inaccurate literally, but describe by calling to mind sensations or representations that
the thing described evokes.
Figure of Speech - ANS-A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare
dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor,
oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement.
Flashback - ANS-A scene in a narrative that breaks the normal time sequence of the
plot to narrate events that happened earlier.
Foil - ANS-A character who, by contrast, points out the qualities or characteristics of
another character. Ex: An oafish character will further highlight the grace of another.
Foot - ANS-The basic unit of measurement in rhythm
