AP Lang Mega MCQ Set

Flashcards full of general vocab and rhetorical devices for the AP Lang test

earnestness

deep sincerity or seriousness

exemplar

a model, especially an ideal one

autobiography

story of a person's life written by that person

assert

state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully

distort

to give a false or misleading account of; to twist out of shape

kinship

a social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption; sharing of characteristics or origins

contemporary

current, modern; from the same time

zealous

eager, earnest, devoted, enthusiastic

genial

cordial, pleasantly cheerful or warm

reevaluate

revise or renew one's assessment or prior judgment

ascribe

to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute

diatribe

a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

contentious

quarrelsome, inclined to argue

biography

story of a person's life written by another person

unprecedented

never before known or seen, without having happened previously

inequitable

unfair, unjust

overtly

openly; in a way clearly seen; not done secretly

pretentious

done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably

underscore

emphasize (or, literally, to underline text)

adversary

an enemy, opponent

explicit

definite, clearly stated

implicit

understood though unexpressed; suggested but not communicated directly

paradox

statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

circumlocution

an indirect way of expressing something; talking in circles; indirect language

interjection

a word thrown into a sentence or conversation

resigned

having accepted something unpleasant that one cannot do anything about

civil

polite; courteous; not rude

dialect

a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group

condescending

possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing

credulity

tendency to believe things too quickly or easily

incredulity

the state of being unwilling or unable to believe something

sentence fragment

a sentence missing a subject or verb or complete thought

dispassionate

impartial; calm, free from emotion

self-revelatory

displaying, exhibiting, or disclosing one's most private feelings, thoughts, etc

self-aware

having or showing knowledge and understanding of your own character

erroneous

incorrect, containing mistakes

endorse

give support or one's approval to

rebut

to offer arguments or evidence that contradict an assertion; to refute

concrete

existing in a material or physical form; real or solid; not abstract

abstract

existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence

embody

to give bodily form to; to personify; to make part of a system

quizzical

puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal

pessimism

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess

optimism

the tendency to focus on the positive aspects of a situation

preposition

shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in a sentence

innate

existing from birth, inborn; natural

rhetorical question

a question asked merely for effect with no answer expected

facilitate

to make easier; to assist

contextualize

place in a larger perspective, such as by giving the background or circumstances

didactic

intended to instruct; conveying the tone of teaching or instructing

substantive

real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic

characterize

describe or portray the qualities or peculiarities of

paradox

a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

enmity

hatred, ill-will

critique

an analysis or assessment of a thing or situation for the purpose of determining its nature, limitations, and conformity to a set of standards.

discrepancy

a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts

concession

where a speaker or writer acknowledges the validity of an opposing point in an argument

undermine

to weaken or ruin by degrees

anecdote

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

truism

a statement that is obviously true and says nothing new or interesting

hypothetical case

use of a "what if" or possible scenario in order to challenge the audience to consider its implications

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

exasperated

greatly annoyed; out of patience

ingratiating

charming or flattering

analogy

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

exacerbate

to make worse or more severe

prohibitive

tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent something

objective claim

true or false regardless of whether people think it is true or false

subjective claim

whether it is true or false is not independent of whether people think it is true or false

skeptical

inclined to doubt; slow to accept something as true

counterexample

an example that proves that a conjecture or statement is false

decry

to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

deplore

to feel or express strong disapproval of

engender

to produce, cause, or bring about

petulant

easily irritated or annoyed

decorum

rhetorical principle that refers to the appropriateness of a style to a subject, audience, speaker, and situation

flourish

a showy or decorative way of doing something to get people's attention

ornamented

writing or speech marked by elaborate rhetoric or decorative details

indignant

feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment

exigence

an issue, problem, or situation that causes or prompts someone to write or speak

hypothetical situation

a made-up scenario used to explore the potential outcomes of specific conditions or actions

patronizing

treating with condescension; acting superior

ingratiate

bring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them

forthright

direct and without evasion; honest; frank

reverent

feeling or showing deep and solemn respect

irreverent

showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously

misconstrue

to incorrectly interpret the meaning or intention of something that someone says or does

provocative

tending to produce a strong feeling or response; irritating, annoying

underscore

emphasize (or, literally, to underline text)

antiquated

obsolete, out of fashion, no longer usable

critical

expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments

ribald

irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language

benevolent

kindly, charitable; well meaning

ominous

unfavorable, threatening, of bad omen

resigned

accepting one's fate; unresisting; patiently submissive

empathetic

feeling another's pain as one's own

recapitulate

to review a series of facts; to sum up

objective analysis

seeking to evaluate based upon relevant facts, regardless of feelings

subjective analysis

seeking to evaluate based upon opinions, personal perspective, or feelings

cite

identifying a part of a piece of writing as being derived from a source.