AP English Language and Composition Exam - Key Terms

Flashcards based on the provided lecture notes.

What is an assertion?

A declaration or statement

What does cogent mean?

Convincing; reasonable

What does coherent mean?

Logically connected

What does cohesive mean?

Condition of sticking together

What does didactic mean?

Intended to instruct

What is discourse?

Verbal expression or exchange; conversation

What is eloquence?

The ability to speak vividly or persuasively

What does fluid mean?

Easily flowing

What is an implication?

The act of suggesting or hinting

What does lucid mean?

Easily understood; clear

What is rhetoric?

The art of using language effectively and persuasively

What is an arbiter?

A judge who decides a disputed issue

What does biased mean?

Prejudiced

What does exculpate mean?

To free from guilt or blame

What does impartial mean?

Not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased

What does incontrovertible mean?

Not able to be denied or disputed

What is integrity?

Trustworthiness; completeness

What is objectivity?

Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices

What does plausible mean?

Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible

What does substantiated mean?

Supported with proof or evidence; verified

What does vindicated mean?

Freed from blame

What does condescending mean?

Treating people as weak or inferior

What does contemptuous mean?

Feeling hatred; scornful

What does despotic mean?

Exercising absolute power; tyrannical

What does dictatorial mean?

Domineering; oppressively overbearing

What is disdain?

Contempt; scorn

What does haughty mean?

Arrogant; vainly proud

What does imperious mean?

Arrogantly domineering or overbearing

What does patronizing mean?

Treating in a condescending manner

What does convoluted mean?

Intricate; complex

What does cryptic mean?

Difficult to comprehend

What does futile mean?

Having no useful purpose; pointless

What does impede mean?

To slow the progress of

What does obscure mean?

Relatively unknown

What is a quandary?

A state of uncertainty or perplexity

What does indolent mean?

Lazy

What does insipid mean?

Uninteresting; unchallenging

What does lament mean?

Express grief for; mourn

What does listless mean?

Lacking energy

What is melancholy?

Sadness; depression

What is torpor?

Laziness; inactivity; dullness

What is an alliance?

A union of two or more groups

What is a disparity?

Inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference

What does impinge mean?

Hinder; interfere with

What is a sanction?

An economic or military measure put in place to punish another country

What does servile mean?

Submissive; like a servant

What does suppressed mean?

Subdued; kept from being circulated

What does embellish mean?

To make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate

What does florid mean?

Describing flowery or elaborate speech

What does opulent mean?

Exhibiting a display of great wealth

What does ornate mean?

Elaborately decorated

What does ostentatious mean?

Describing a showy or pretentious display

What does poignant mean?

Profoundly moving; touching

What is ebullience?

Intense enthusiasm

What does effusive mean?

Emotionally unrestrained; gushy

What does egregious mean?

Conspicuously bad or offensive

What does flagrant mean?

Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable

What does frenetic mean?

Wildly excited or active

What does gratuitous mean?

Given freely; unearned; unwarranted

What does superfluous mean?

Extra; unnecessary

What does alleviate mean?

To ease a pain or burden

What is an asylum?

A place of retreat or security

What does auspicious mean?

Favorable; promising

What does benevolent mean?

Well-meaning; generous

What does benign mean?

Kind and gentle

What does mollify mean?

To calm or soothe

What is reclamation?

The act of making something useful again

What does dubious mean?

Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

What does fabricated mean?

Made; concocted to deceive

What is hypocrisy?

The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity

What is slander?

False charges and malicious oral statements about someone

What does spurious mean?

Not genuine

What does astute mean?

Shrewd; clever

What does clandestine mean?

Secretive

What is a coup?

A brilliantly executed plan

What does disingenuous mean?

Not straightforward; crafty

What is a ruse?

A crafty trick

What is a stratagem?

A clever trick used to deceive or outwit

What does surreptitiously mean?

Done by secretive means

What does wary mean?

On guard

What does wily mean?

Cunning

What does ambiguous mean?

Open to more than one interpretation

What does ambivalent mean?

Simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain

What does apathetic mean?

Feeling or showing little emotion

What does arbitrary mean?

Determined by impulse rather than reason

What does capricious mean?

Impulsive and unpredictable

What does equivocate mean?

To avoid making a definite statement

What does indifferent mean?

Not caring one way or the other

What does spontaneous mean?

Unplanned; naturally occurring

What does whimsical mean?

Fanciful; acting in a capricious manner

What does inconsequential mean?

Unimportant

What does superficial mean?

Concerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow

What does tenuous mean?

Having little substance or strength; shaky; unsure; weak

What does trivial mean?

Of little importance or significance

What does assiduous mean?

Hard-working

What does compelling mean?

Forceful; urgently demanding attention

What does diligent mean?

Marked by painstaking effort; hard-working

What does dogged mean?

Stubbornly persevering

What does endure mean?

To put up with; to survive a hardship

What does intrepid mean?

Courageous; fearless