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AP English Literature

Close reading, analysis of poetry and prose, literary devices, characterization, theme, and writing about literature.

Cards (24)

1
Front
What is close reading in literary analysis?
Back
A careful, detailed examination of a text's language, structure, tone, and literary devices to understand how meaning is constructed, rather than just summarizing content.
2
Front
What is a thesis statement in a literary essay?
Back
A specific, arguable claim about a text that goes beyond plot summary, asserting how or why a literary element contributes to meaning, theme, or effect.
3
Front
Define 'tone' in literary analysis.
Back
The author's attitude toward the subject, characters, or audience, conveyed through word choice, syntax, and imagery. Examples include ironic, elegiac, sardonic, and reverent.
4
Front
What is a motif in literature?
Back
A recurring element—image, phrase, symbol, or idea—that develops or reinforces a central theme throughout a work.
5
Front
What distinguishes a symbol from a motif?
Back
A symbol is a specific image or object that represents something beyond itself. A motif is a pattern of repeated elements; a symbol can be part of a motif but is a singular unit of meaning.
6
Front
What is dramatic irony?
Back
A situation in which the audience or reader knows something important that a character does not, creating tension or humor.
7
Front
Define 'diction' and explain its role in literary analysis.
Back
Diction is the author's choice of words. Analyzing diction reveals tone, characterization, and thematic emphasis because specific word choices carry connotative and denotative weight.
8
Front
What is an extended metaphor (conceit)?
Back
A metaphor that is developed at length across a passage or poem, drawing an elaborate comparison between two unlike things to illuminate an idea.
9
Front
What is enjambment in poetry?
Back
The continuation of a sentence or phrase beyond the end of a line of poetry without a pause, creating flow or building tension until the next line provides completion.
10
Front
What is a volta in a sonnet?
Back
A turning point or shift in argument, tone, or perspective, typically occurring at the ninth line in a Petrarchan sonnet or at the couplet in a Shakespearean sonnet.
11
Front
Define 'syntax' in the context of prose analysis.
Back
The arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. Varied syntax—short declarative sentences versus long, complex ones—affects pacing, emphasis, and tone.
12
Front
What is an unreliable narrator?
Back
A narrator whose credibility is compromised by limited knowledge, bias, mental instability, or self-interest, requiring readers to look beyond the narrator's account for deeper meaning.
13
Front
What is the difference between flat and round characters?
Back
Flat characters have one or two dominant traits and do not change; round characters are complex, multi-dimensional, and capable of growth or change.
14
Front
What is a dynamic character?
Back
A character who undergoes significant internal change—in attitude, belief, or personality—over the course of a narrative.
15
Front
Define 'foil' as a literary device.
Back
A character whose contrasting traits highlight the qualities of another character, usually the protagonist, making those qualities more vivid by comparison.
16
Front
What is the difference between theme and thesis in literary discussion?
Back
A theme is a central idea or insight about human experience present in the text. A thesis is the writer's specific, arguable claim about how the text develops or complicates that theme.
17
Front
What is a universal theme?
Back
A central idea that speaks to fundamental human experiences—such as the nature of identity, the inevitability of death, or the conflict between individual and society—applicable across cultures and time periods.
18
Front
What is pathetic fallacy?
Back
The attribution of human emotions or responses to nature or inanimate objects, especially to reflect a character's emotional state (e.g., a storm mirroring inner turmoil).
19
Front
Define 'allusion' in literary analysis.
Back
An indirect reference to a person, event, work of literature, or historical moment that enriches meaning by connecting the text to a broader cultural or literary context.
20
Front
What is synecdoche?
Back
A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole, or the whole represents a part (e.g., 'all hands on deck' using 'hands' to mean sailors).
21
Front
What is anaphora and what effect does it create?
Back
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or lines. It creates emphasis, rhythm, and emotional or rhetorical intensity.
22
Front
What is free verse poetry?
Back
Poetry that does not follow a fixed meter or rhyme scheme, relying instead on natural speech rhythms, line breaks, and other devices to create meaning and music.
23
Front
What should a strong body paragraph in a literary essay include?
Back
A topic sentence making a specific claim, textual evidence (quoted accurately), analysis explaining how the evidence supports the claim, and a connection to the overall thesis.
24
Front
What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
Back
Denotation is a word's literal, dictionary definition. Connotation refers to the emotional associations and cultural meanings a word carries beyond its literal meaning.

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