AP Literary Techniques Test #1

9/19 Ms Huber

Foreshadowing

Using techniques to hint to something in the future

Stream of consciousness

Attempts to depict the continuous flow of a character's thoughts and feelings, mimicking the natural, often chaotic and nonlinear, way the human mind works

Flashback

Shift the narration to something that happened in the past

Frame Story

Story within a story (e.g. Canterbury Tales, Frankenstein)

Flash Forward

Projection into the future

Narrative Pace

The speed at which a story unfolds, controlling the flow of events to create a desired rhythm, tension, and emotional impact for the reader

Speaker

First, Second, and third person

Narrator

Person narrating the story

Person (Mask)

The distinct voice or character through which an author expresses a work, functioning as a "mask" that is separate from the author's true identity

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters as a feature of a book, play, or movie

Interior monologue

A piece of writing expressing a character’s inner thoughts 

Parallel Scene

A scene or narrative event that runs alongside another, sharing similar themes, character struggles, or thematic patterns, often to create emphasis or contrast

Denouement

The ending. It is the point where all conflicts have been resolved. It directly follows the climax and falling action of a story

Gaps

Ambiguities or spaces in the text that encourage reader interpretation and engagement

Subplots

 A secondary storyline that runs alongside the main plot

Contrast

Placing two opposing elements in close proximity to highlight their differences (e.g. Ralph is contrasted with Jack)

Repetition

Word/line/sentence is repeated for emphasis (e.g. I walked down the street, down the street, down the street.)

Paradox

Statement/idea that is self-contradictory but reveals universal truths/themes (e.g. “less is more;” “I know only one thing: that I know nothing”)

Understatement

Intentionally makes situation less significant; opposite of hyperbole (e.g. describe gory wound as “just a scratch”)

Sarcasm

Says the opposite of what they mean in a critical tone (e.g. Holden Caulfield shouts, “Sleep tight, ya morons!” As he leaves the school and the people he resents)

Rhetorical Question

A question is posed not to elicit an answer, but to make a point, emphasize an idea, or create a dramatic effect (e.g. “What happens to a dream deferred?”

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect (e.g the audience knows Juliet isn’t really dead, but Romeo thinks she is dead and kills himself)

Parallelism

Uses similar grammatical structures for words, phrases, or clauses with similar meaning to create balance, rhythm, and clarity in writing and speech (e.g. “I came, I saw, I conquered”)

Symbolism

The use of objects, people, actions, or concepts to represent deeper, abstract ideas or meanings beyond their literal interpretation (e.g. the green light, white dress, river)

Didactic (attitude/language)

A text or authorial attitude primarily intended to instruct, teach a moral lesson, or provide instruction, sometimes to an excessive degree; instructions (e.g. The Tortoise and the Hare, Bible)

Empathy

The reader's ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of a fictional character, often through the act of "perspective-taking" within a narrative (e.g. “I feel what you feel”)