AP Lit Literary Test

allegory

A narrative where characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities, often with a dual meaning

anastrophe

Inversion of normal word order for rhetorical or poetic effect

apostrophe (literary)

A direct address to an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object

character foils

Characters who contrast with one another to highlight particular traits or themes

colloquialism

Informal words or expressions used in ordinary or familiar conversation

bildungsroman

A coming

denotation v connotation

Denotation is the literal dictionary meaning of a word; connotation is the emotional or cultural associations it carries

frame story

A narrative structure where a main story serves as a framework for one or more secondary stories

hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or dramatic effect

irony (dramatic)

When the audience knows something the characters do not, creating tension or humor

irony (situational)

When the actual outcome of a situation contradicts what was expected

irony (verbal)

When a speaker says the opposite of what they mean, often for sarcasm or emphasis

metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"

extended metaphor

A metaphor developed at length throughout a passage or entire work

paradox

A statement that appears self

parallelism

Use of similar grammatical structures to express related ideas, creating rhythm and emphasis

personification

Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to non

simile

A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"

unreliable narrator

A narrator whose credibility is compromised, causing readers to question the truth of their account

POETIC FORMS

elegy

A mournful, reflective poem, often lamenting the dead

lyric poetry

Short, personal poetry expressing emotion, contemplation, or a single speaker's thoughts

ode

A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a particular person, place, thing, or idea

sonnet

A 14

villanelle

A 19

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words

assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words

consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words

end rhyme

Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines of poetry

internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse

slant rhyme

Imperfect rhyme where the sounds are similar but not exact (also called near rhyme or half rhyme)

feminine rhyme

Rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed (e.g., "trembling" / "resembling")

masculine rhyme

Rhyme of single stressed syllables (e.g., "despair" / "repair")

anapestic meter

A metrical foot with two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (da

dactylic meter

A metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (DUM

iambic meter

A metrical foot with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable (da

trochaic meter

A metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable (DUM

spondaic meter

A metrical foot with two stressed syllables (DUM

caesura

A deliberate pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation

enjambment

Continuation of a sentence or clause without a pause beyond the end of a line or stanza

end stop

A pause at the end of a line of poetry, typically marked by punctuation

birds

Often symbolize freedom, transcendence, the soul, or messages from the divine

cave

Represents the unconscious mind, isolation, a place of transformation or revelation

Christ figure

A character who embodies sacrificial love, redemption, suffering, or resurrection themes

Edenic fall

The loss of innocence or expulsion from a state of grace or paradise

fire

Can symbolize passion, destruction, purification, divine presence, or knowledge

garden

Represents paradise, innocence, growth, cultivation, or a controlled natural space

ice

Often symbolizes emotional coldness, death, stagnation, or rigidity

island

Represents isolation, self

mountain

Symbolizes spiritual ascent, challenge, perspective, or a place of revelation

sea

Represents the unconscious, chaos, journey, the unknown, or emotional depth

seasons

Often parallel stages of life: spring (youth/rebirth), summer (maturity), autumn (decline), winter (death)

serpent

Symbolizes temptation, evil, deception, or forbidden knowledge

water

Represents purification, rebirth, the unconscious, change, or the flow of life

wilderness

Symbolizes danger, freedom, the unknown, a place of testing, or untamed nature

The author of The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini

The primary setting of The Kite Runner

Kabul, Afghanistan and later California, spanning the 1970s to early 2000s

The protagonist of The Kite Runner

Amir

Amir's loyal friend and half

brother in The Kite Runner

The central theme of betrayal and redemption in The Kite Runner

Amir's guilt over betraying Hassan and his journey to atone for his past

The significance of kite running in The Kite Runner

Symbolizes friendship, loyalty, the pursuit of approval, and the loss of innocence

The antagonist who bullies Hassan in The Kite Runner

Assef

Amir's father's name in The Kite Runner

Baba

The major historical events referenced in The Kite Runner

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, rise of the Taliban, Afghan refugee experience

The secret relationship revealed late in The Kite Runner

Hassan is actually Amir's half

The author of Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton

The setting of Cry, the Beloved Country

South Africa during the era of apartheid

The two central fathers whose stories converge in Cry, the Beloved Country

Stephen Kumalo (a Zulu pastor) and James Jarvis (a white landowner)

Stephen Kumalo's son who commits a crime in Cry, the Beloved Country

Absalom Kumalo

The major theme of racial injustice in Cry, the Beloved Country

The destructive impact of apartheid on individuals, families, and society

The significance of the title Cry, the Beloved Country

A lament for South Africa's suffering and a call for compassion, justice, and reconciliation

The city where much of the novel's urban action takes place

Johannesburg

What James Jarvis learns through his son's death in Cry, the Beloved Country

Empathy for Black South Africans and a commitment to social change and community building

The religious perspective central to Cry, the Beloved Country

Christian faith as a source of hope, moral guidance, and the possibility of redemption amid suffering

The symbolic contrast between rural Ndotsheni and urban Johannesburg

Tradition, community, and spiritual grounding versus corruption, disintegration, and moral confusion

The author of The Awakening

Kate Chopin

The setting of The Awakening

Late 19th

The protagonist of The Awakening

Edna Pontellier

Edna's husband, who represents conventional societal expectations in The Awakening

Léonce Pontellier

The two men Edna is romantically involved with in The Awakening

Robert Lebrun (idealized love) and Alcée Arobin (physical passion)

The central theme of female independence in The Awakening

A woman's struggle for self

The symbolism of the sea in The Awakening

Freedom, sensuality, the unconscious, temptation, and ultimately death or release

The significance of Edna learning to swim in The Awakening

Represents her growing sense of independence, control over her body, and willingness to take risks

The friend who serves as a foil to Edna in The Awakening

Adèle Ratignolle, who embodies the ideal "mother

The ending of The Awakening

Edna walks into the sea, an ambiguous conclusion suggesting either defeat, liberation, or both

The author of The Color Purple

Alice Walker

The setting of The Color Purple

Rural Georgia in the early to mid

The protagonist of The Color Purple

Celie

The form of The Color Purple

Epistolary novel told through letters (first to God, then to Nettie)

Celie's primary confidant in her letters for most of the novel

God, and later her sister Nettie

The major theme of female empowerment in The Color Purple

Women finding voice, strength, solidarity, and self

Celie's abusive husband, whom she initially calls "Mister"

Albert

The charismatic blues singer who helps Celie discover her self

worth and sexuality

The significance of the color purple in The Color Purple

Represents beauty, spirituality, joy, and the divine presence in everyday life and nature

Celie's long

lost sister who writes letters from Africa

The author of A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams

The setting of A Streetcar Named Desire

New Orleans, in the French Quarter, post

The protagonist of A Streetcar Named Desire

Blanche DuBois

Blanche's sister, who is married to Stanley

Stella

Stella's husband and Blanche's primary antagonist

Stanley Kowalski