Barron's Terms - List One

AP Terms List 1

abstract

an abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research. dealing with or tending to deal with a subject apart from a particular or specific instance.

ad hominem

directed to or appealing to feelings or prejudices instead of to intellect or reason.

adage

a saying or proverb containing a truth based on experience and often couched in metaphorical language. ex) “there is more than one way to skin a cat.”

allegory

a story in which a second meaning is to be read beneath the surface.

alliteration

the repetition of one or more initial consonants in a group of words or lines in a poem

allusion

a reference to a person, place, or event meaning to to create an effect or enhance the meaning of an idea.

ambiguity

a vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings or interpretations.

anachronism

a person, scene, event, or other element that fails to correspond with the appropriate time or era. ex) Columbus sailing to the United States.

analogy

a comparison that points our similarities between two dissimilar things; a passage that points out several similarities between two unlike things is called an extended analogy.

anecdote

a brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point.

annotation

a brief explanation, summary, or evaluation of a text or work of literature.

antagonist

a character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing the protagonist, produces tension or conflict.

antecedent

a word to which a pronoun refers.

antithesis

a rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of a grammatical arrangement of words, clauses, or sentences, as in the following: “they promised freedom but provided slavery.” “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

aphorism

a short, pithy statement of a generally accepted truth of sentiment. also see adage and maxim.

Apollonian

in contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike qualities of human nature and behavior.