AP Lang Lit Term Test #1

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using like or as (Example: "The classroom was a zoo")

Allusion

An indirect reference to a well known person event place or work (Example: "He was a real Romeo")

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or the whole represents a part (Example: "All hands on deck" meaning all sailors)

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as (Example: "She is as brave as a lion")

Personification

Giving human qualities or characteristics to nonhuman things (Example: "The wind whispered through the trees")

Metonymy

Replacing the name of something with something closely associated with it (Example: "The White House announced a decision" meaning the president or administration)

Apostrophe

Addressing an absent person an abstract idea or a nonhuman thing as if it were present and able to respond (Example: "O Death where is your sting?")

Symbolism

Using an object person place or action to represent a larger idea or meaning (Example: "A dove represents peace")

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words (Example: "Peter Piper picked peppers")

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words (Example: "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain")

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of nearby words (Example: "The lumpy bumpy road")

Polyptoton

Repetition of words that come from the same root but have different forms (Example: "With eager eyes and eager hearts")

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences (Example: "We will fight for freedom. We will fight for justice. We will fight for peace")

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences (Example: "See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil")

Anadiplosis

Repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause (Example: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate")

Antimetabole

Repetition of words in successive phrases in reverse grammatical order (Example: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country")

Oxymoron

Combining two contradictory terms to create a new meaning (Example: "Jumbo shrimp")

Antithesis

Placing contrasting ideas in parallel grammatical structures (Example: "To err is human. To forgive is divine")

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but contains a possible truth (Example: "Less is more")

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting ideas images or subjects close together to emphasize their differences (Example: "The rich and the poor stood together")

Slippery Slope

Small issue which results in continued downturn (sequence of events thats are presumed)

Hasty Generalization

Basing a conclusion on a single data point (invalid)

False Cause

Assigning cause to a result that has no valid connection (other causes need to be explored)

Genetic Fallacy

Assuming the value of something based on the group that it falls in

Begging the question

argument's conclusion is already assumed to be true within its own premises

Circular Argument

argument uses its own conclusion as a premise to prove itself, creating a circular loop instead of offering real evidence