AP English Literature And
Composition Practice Exam Questions
With Correct Answers 2026/2027
Adage - CORRECT ANSWER -A saying that becomes widely accepted as truth over time. Usually
observances of life and behaviour that express a general truth. Ex: "A penny saved is a penny
earned."
Allegory - CORRECT ANSWER -A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying
symbolic, metaphorical or possibly ethical meaning.
Alliteration - CORRECT ANSWER -The repetition of one or more initial consonant in a group of
words or lines of poetry or prose. Writers use this for ornament or for emphasis.
Allusion - CORRECT ANSWER -A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect
or enhance the meaning of an idea.
Ambiguity - CORRECT ANSWER -A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to
evoke multiple meanings and interpretation.
Anachronism - CORRECT ANSWER -A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that
fails to correspond with the time/era in which the work is set.
Analogy - CORRECT ANSWER -A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to
something else that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by
comparing it to something that is familiar.
Antagonist - CORRECT ANSWER -A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing
the protagonist produces tension or conflict.
,Antithesis - CORRECT ANSWER -A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together
in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
Aphorism - CORRECT ANSWER -A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty
manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
Apollonian - CORRECT ANSWER -In contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike
qualities of human nature and behaviour.
Apostrophe - CORRECT ANSWER -A figure of speech where the writer or speaker detaches
himself from his present reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.
Archetype - CORRECT ANSWER -A character, action or situation which represents or reflects a
commonly held or universal pattern, such as human nature.
Assonance - CORRECT ANSWER -The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of
words or lines in poetry and prose.
Ballad - CORRECT ANSWER -A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited; a
long narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, typically has a folksy quality
Bard - CORRECT ANSWER -A poet or a performer in olden times who told heroic stories to
musical accompaniment.
Bildungsroman - CORRECT ANSWER -A special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological
and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood. Generally, such a
novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she
leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.
, Blank verse - CORRECT ANSWER -Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used
in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton; its lines generally do not rhyme.
Bombast - CORRECT ANSWER -Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects.
Cacophony - CORRECT ANSWER -The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious
sounds, primarily those of consonants, to achieve the desired results. Ex: "I detest war because
cause of war is always trivial."
Caesura - CORRECT ANSWER -It involves creating a fracture within a sentence, where the two
separate parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked; the purpose is to
create a dramatic pause. Ex: "Mozart- oh, how your music makes me soar!"
Canon - CORRECT ANSWER -The works most widely read, studied, and considered most
important in national literature or in a specific literary period.
Caricature - CORRECT ANSWER -A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things;
a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality.
Catharsis - CORRECT ANSWER -A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a
dramatic tragedy.
Classicism - CORRECT ANSWER -Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman
culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity and restraint.
Conceit - CORRECT ANSWER -A figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened
together with the help of similes or metaphors; it develops a comparison which is exceedingly
unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative.
Composition Practice Exam Questions
With Correct Answers 2026/2027
Adage - CORRECT ANSWER -A saying that becomes widely accepted as truth over time. Usually
observances of life and behaviour that express a general truth. Ex: "A penny saved is a penny
earned."
Allegory - CORRECT ANSWER -A story in which the narrative or characters carry an underlying
symbolic, metaphorical or possibly ethical meaning.
Alliteration - CORRECT ANSWER -The repetition of one or more initial consonant in a group of
words or lines of poetry or prose. Writers use this for ornament or for emphasis.
Allusion - CORRECT ANSWER -A reference to a person, place, or event meant to create an effect
or enhance the meaning of an idea.
Ambiguity - CORRECT ANSWER -A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to
evoke multiple meanings and interpretation.
Anachronism - CORRECT ANSWER -A person, scene, event, or other element in literature that
fails to correspond with the time/era in which the work is set.
Analogy - CORRECT ANSWER -A comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to
something else that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by
comparing it to something that is familiar.
Antagonist - CORRECT ANSWER -A character or force in a work of literature that, by opposing
the protagonist produces tension or conflict.
,Antithesis - CORRECT ANSWER -A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together
in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect.
Aphorism - CORRECT ANSWER -A statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty
manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
Apollonian - CORRECT ANSWER -In contrast to Dionysian, it refers to the most noble, godlike
qualities of human nature and behaviour.
Apostrophe - CORRECT ANSWER -A figure of speech where the writer or speaker detaches
himself from his present reality and addresses an imaginary character in his speech.
Archetype - CORRECT ANSWER -A character, action or situation which represents or reflects a
commonly held or universal pattern, such as human nature.
Assonance - CORRECT ANSWER -The repetition of two or more vowel sounds in a group of
words or lines in poetry and prose.
Ballad - CORRECT ANSWER -A simple narrative verse that tells a story that is sung or recited; a
long narrative poem, usually in very regular meter and rhyme, typically has a folksy quality
Bard - CORRECT ANSWER -A poet or a performer in olden times who told heroic stories to
musical accompaniment.
Bildungsroman - CORRECT ANSWER -A special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological
and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood. Generally, such a
novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she
leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.
, Blank verse - CORRECT ANSWER -Poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used
in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton; its lines generally do not rhyme.
Bombast - CORRECT ANSWER -Inflated, pretentious language used for trivial subjects.
Cacophony - CORRECT ANSWER -The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing and unmelodious
sounds, primarily those of consonants, to achieve the desired results. Ex: "I detest war because
cause of war is always trivial."
Caesura - CORRECT ANSWER -It involves creating a fracture within a sentence, where the two
separate parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked; the purpose is to
create a dramatic pause. Ex: "Mozart- oh, how your music makes me soar!"
Canon - CORRECT ANSWER -The works most widely read, studied, and considered most
important in national literature or in a specific literary period.
Caricature - CORRECT ANSWER -A grotesque likeness of striking qualities in persons and things;
a portrait that exaggerates a facet of personality.
Catharsis - CORRECT ANSWER -A cleansing of the spirit brought about by the pity and terror of a
dramatic tragedy.
Classicism - CORRECT ANSWER -Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman
culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity and restraint.
Conceit - CORRECT ANSWER -A figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened
together with the help of similes or metaphors; it develops a comparison which is exceedingly
unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative.
