Ap Lang Exam Review UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Argumentative/Synthesis Essay - Correct Answer- -intro, 2-3 main points, counterargument,
conclusion
-counterargument can be separate paragraph anywhere in the body, or tied in to one of the
main point paragraphs
-use at least 3 sources, 1 to back up counterargument
-use specific evidence; don't make the reader look up evidence
-"According to Source A..."; put (Source A) at the end of sentence using specific evidence
-high diction
-clear, concise thesis
-don't stress over qualifying, defending, or challenging; whatever you choose, do it well
Rhetorical Analysis Essay - Correct Answer- -analyze diction, syntax, rhetorical strategies
-show respect for author
-refer to author (if any) by full name first, and then last name once you use full name
-avoid cliches ("so-and-so paints a picture," etc.")
-do not waste time on intro
-no contractions- spell everything out
-clear, concise thesis
Argumentative/Elaboration Essay - Correct Answer- -use examples from history, literature,
science, personal, etc (at least 3 examples is best)
-come up with your own evidence
-refer to author (if any) by full name first, and then last name once you use full name
-clear, concise thesis
Alliteration - Correct Answer- when two words in a sentence begin with the same letter
,EX: The big blue ball
Antonomasia - Correct Answer- a substitution of any epithet or phrase for a proper name
EX: "The King of Rock n Roll" for Elvis Presley
Anthimeria - Correct Answer- any novel change in a word's use, most commonly the use of a
noun as if it were a verb
EX: "Chill-cold; there's a time to break and a time to chill"
Assonance - Correct Answer- the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, usually in
successive or proximate words
EX: "she sells seashells by the seashore"
Anaphora - Correct Answer- repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning
of successive clauses, sentences, or lines
EX: "and so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire...let freedom
ring from...let freedom ring from..."
Epistrophe - Correct Answer- ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the
same word or words
EX: "where now? when now? who now?"
Anadiplosis - Correct Answer- the repetition of the last word of a preceding clause. The word
is used at the end of the sentence and then used again at the beginning of the next sentence
EX: "The mountains look on Marathon - And Marathon looks on the sea..."
"He retained his virtues amidst all his - misfortunes — misfortunes which no prudence could
foresee or prevent."
,"For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas and hath not left his peer."
Epizeuxis - Correct Answer- the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, for
vehemence or emphasis
EX: "And thou no breath at all? Thou'lt come no more,
Never, never, never, never!" -King Lear
"We are never ever ever ever getting back together" -Taylor Swift
Caricature - Correct Answer- device used in descriptive writing and visual arts where
particular aspects of a subject are exaggerated to create a silly or comic effect
EX: "Mr. Chadband is a large yellow man, with a fat smile, and a general appearance of
having a good deal of train oil in his system. Mrs. Chadband is a stern, severe-looking, silent
woman. Mr. Chadband moves softly and cumbrously, not unlike a bear who has been taught
to walk upright. He is very much embarrassed about the arms, as if they were inconvenient to
him."
Parenthesis - Correct Answer- an explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted
into a passage that is not essential to the literal meaning
EX: my dog, who is very hyper, has shaggy hair
Indirect discourse - Correct Answer- discourse consisting not of an exact quotation of a
speaker's words but of a version transformed from them for grammatical inclusion in a larger
sentence
EX: He said he was hungry
Diatribe - Correct Answer- a forceful and bitter attack against someone or something
EX: a father lecturing his son about how the son is not doing anything with his life
, Diacope - Correct Answer- the repetition of a word or phrase with one or two intervening
words
EX: "All happy families are alike, but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion."
("unhappy" is the diacope)
Parallelism - Correct Answer- refers to grammatical or structural similarity between sentences
or parts of a sentence
EX: "good we must love, and must hate ill"
Epanalepsis - Correct Answer- the repetition of the initial word(s) of a clause or sentence at
the end of that same clause or sentence
EX: "the king is dead; long live the king"
Isocolon - Correct Answer- a string of phrases of corresponding structure and equal length
EX: "I came; I saw; I conquered"
Ellipsis - Correct Answer- the suppression of ancillary words to render an expression more
lively or more forceful
EX: John can play the guitar; Mary can too
Polysyndeton - Correct Answer- opposite of asyndeton, the deliberate use of many
conjunctions for emphasis
EX: we ran and sang and jumped and danced and laughed and smiled
Paradox - Correct Answer- an apparently contradictory statement that nevertheless contains a
measure of truth; like oxymoron
