AP LANG SYNTAX questions and answers
with solutions 2025
Parallelism - ANSWER similarity in structure and syntax in a series of related words, phrases, clauses,
sentences, or paragraphs that develops balance. Ex. "When you are right, you cannot be too radical;
when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative"- MLK
Anaphora - ANSWER repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in
a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.
Asyndeton - ANSWER a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
(compare to polysyndeton)
example:
"we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe"
(JFK's inaugural address)
Antimetabole - ANSWER Repitition of words in succussive clauses in reverse grammatical order ("You can
take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy."); Reversal of the order of
repeated words or phrases (a loosely chiastic structure, AB-BA) to intensify the final formulation, to
present alternatives, or to show contrast
Chiasmus - ANSWER a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally
reversed;ABBA, ABCCBA, using as many letters as there are levels of correspondence; "Fair is foul and
foul is fair." (Shakespeare) or "Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not
original, and the part that is original is not good";
Stricter than antimetabole
Antithesis - ANSWER A figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by
parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other, such as "hatred
stirs up strife, but love covers all sins"; the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of
balance
Juxtaposition - ANSWER The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or
words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical
effect, suspense, or character development
with solutions 2025
Parallelism - ANSWER similarity in structure and syntax in a series of related words, phrases, clauses,
sentences, or paragraphs that develops balance. Ex. "When you are right, you cannot be too radical;
when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative"- MLK
Anaphora - ANSWER repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in
a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent.
Asyndeton - ANSWER a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
(compare to polysyndeton)
example:
"we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe"
(JFK's inaugural address)
Antimetabole - ANSWER Repitition of words in succussive clauses in reverse grammatical order ("You can
take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy."); Reversal of the order of
repeated words or phrases (a loosely chiastic structure, AB-BA) to intensify the final formulation, to
present alternatives, or to show contrast
Chiasmus - ANSWER a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally
reversed;ABBA, ABCCBA, using as many letters as there are levels of correspondence; "Fair is foul and
foul is fair." (Shakespeare) or "Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not
original, and the part that is original is not good";
Stricter than antimetabole
Antithesis - ANSWER A figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by
parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other, such as "hatred
stirs up strife, but love covers all sins"; the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of
balance
Juxtaposition - ANSWER The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or
words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical
effect, suspense, or character development
