AP English Literature and Composition
UPDATED Questions and CORRECT
Answers
accent - CORRECT ANSWER - the stress given a syllable in pronunciation
allegory - CORRECT ANSWER - an extended narrative in prose or verse in which
characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a
second meaning to read beneath the surface story; the underlying meaning may be moral,
religious, political, social, or satiric
alliteration - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning
of words that are close to one another; for example, "beautiful blossoms blooming between the
bushes"
allusion - CORRECT ANSWER - a reference to another work or famous figure assumed
to be well known enough to be recognized by the reader
anachronism - CORRECT ANSWER - an event, object, person, or thing that is out of
order in time; some of these are unintentional, such as when an actor performing Shakespeare
forgets to take off his watch; others are deliberately used to achieve a humorous or satiric effect,
such as the sustained anachronism of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court
analogy - CORRECT ANSWER - a comparison of two similar but different things, usually
to clarify an action or a relationship, such as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump
anecdote - CORRECT ANSWER - a short, simple narrative of an incident
aphorism - CORRECT ANSWER - a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth
about life
, apostrophe - CORRECT ANSWER - the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or
absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction either to begin a poem or to make a
dramatic break in thought somewhere within the poem (usually in poetry but sometimes in prose)
Ex. "Oh, mountain!"
aside - CORRECT ANSWER - a brief speech or comment that an actor makes to the
audience, supposedly without being heard by the other actors on stage; often used for
melodramatic or comedic effect
assonance - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of vowel sounds between different
consonants, such as in neigh and fade
ballad - CORRECT ANSWER - a long narrative poem that presents a single dramatic
episode, which is often tragic or violent
blank verse - CORRECT ANSWER - poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter; a
favorite form used by Shakespeare
cacophony - CORRECT ANSWER - harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used
deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony
colloquialism - CORRECT ANSWER - a word used in everyday conversation and
informal writing that is sometimes inappropriate in formal writing
consonance - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of identical consonant sounds before
and after different vowel sounds, as in boost/best; can also be seen within several compound
words, such as fulfill and ping-pong
description - CORRECT ANSWER - the picturing in words of something or someone
through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four
modes of discourse
UPDATED Questions and CORRECT
Answers
accent - CORRECT ANSWER - the stress given a syllable in pronunciation
allegory - CORRECT ANSWER - an extended narrative in prose or verse in which
characters, events, and settings represent abstract qualities and in which the writer intends a
second meaning to read beneath the surface story; the underlying meaning may be moral,
religious, political, social, or satiric
alliteration - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning
of words that are close to one another; for example, "beautiful blossoms blooming between the
bushes"
allusion - CORRECT ANSWER - a reference to another work or famous figure assumed
to be well known enough to be recognized by the reader
anachronism - CORRECT ANSWER - an event, object, person, or thing that is out of
order in time; some of these are unintentional, such as when an actor performing Shakespeare
forgets to take off his watch; others are deliberately used to achieve a humorous or satiric effect,
such as the sustained anachronism of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court
analogy - CORRECT ANSWER - a comparison of two similar but different things, usually
to clarify an action or a relationship, such as comparing the work of a heart to that of a pump
anecdote - CORRECT ANSWER - a short, simple narrative of an incident
aphorism - CORRECT ANSWER - a short, often witty statement of a principle or a truth
about life
, apostrophe - CORRECT ANSWER - the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or
absent person or to a place, thing, or personified abstraction either to begin a poem or to make a
dramatic break in thought somewhere within the poem (usually in poetry but sometimes in prose)
Ex. "Oh, mountain!"
aside - CORRECT ANSWER - a brief speech or comment that an actor makes to the
audience, supposedly without being heard by the other actors on stage; often used for
melodramatic or comedic effect
assonance - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of vowel sounds between different
consonants, such as in neigh and fade
ballad - CORRECT ANSWER - a long narrative poem that presents a single dramatic
episode, which is often tragic or violent
blank verse - CORRECT ANSWER - poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter; a
favorite form used by Shakespeare
cacophony - CORRECT ANSWER - harsh, awkward, or dissonant sounds used
deliberately in poetry or prose; the opposite of euphony
colloquialism - CORRECT ANSWER - a word used in everyday conversation and
informal writing that is sometimes inappropriate in formal writing
consonance - CORRECT ANSWER - the repetition of identical consonant sounds before
and after different vowel sounds, as in boost/best; can also be seen within several compound
words, such as fulfill and ping-pong
description - CORRECT ANSWER - the picturing in words of something or someone
through detailed observation of color, motion, sound, taste, smell, and touch; one of the four
modes of discourse
