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AP Language Midterm Vocabulary Flashcards

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5563566488ambivalentof two minds, undecided0
5563567999antipatheticrepulsed, feeling or expressing hostility1
5563571148didacticinstructive, esp. "moralizing"2
5563574882dolefulmournful, dismal, sad, dejected, woeful, despondent3
5563578367enjoiningforceful, prohibiting or forbidding, imposing4
5563581647insouciantcarefree, indifferent, calm, and unbothered5
5563583502lugubriousmournful, dismal, sad, dejected, woeful, despondent6
5563586435pedanticunnecessarily focused on trivial or insignificant or dull facts, arcane7
5563595874polemicalargumentative, esp. against a philosophy, religion8
5563601068querulouswhiny, complaining, petulant9
5563603058sardonicdisdainfully sarcastic, mocking, derisive10
5563610885conflatecombine (2 or more texts) into one11
5563621083scare tacticstampedes legitimate fears into panic or prejudice12
5563623168either/or fallacyreduces a complex issue into only 2 choices13
5563628300slippery slopecasts today's tiny misstep as tomorrow's slide into disaster14
5563634580sentimental appealuses tender emotions excessively to distract from facts15
5563637803bandwagon appealurges people to follow the same path everyone else is taking16
5563643046false authoritycites themselves or other authorities17
5563648396dogmatismattempts to persuade by asserting or assuming that a particular position is the only one conceivably acceptable within a community18
5563664336moral equivalencesuggests that serious wrongdoings don't differ from minor offenses (or visa versa)19
5563670333ad hominemattacks the character of a person rather than the claims he/she makes20
5563673547hasty generalizationinfers from insufficient evidence21
5563677294faulty causalityassumes that because one event or action follows another, the first causes the second22
5563680527begging the question, circular reasoningassumes as true the very claim that's disputed23
5563684272equivocationuses tricks of language and half-truth24
5563690293nonsequiturmakes claims that fail to connect logically25
5563692007straw manmisrepresents the argument of the other side to make it easy to knock down26
5563695331faulty analogypushes comparisons to far27
5563700200acerbicbitter, caustic, barbed, cutting28
5563702230reverentdeferential, worshipful, respectful29
5563703906condescendingpatronizing, haughty, arrogant30
5563712789judicioussensible, cautious31
5563712790soberingmaking someone give serious thought to important things32
5563715214invectivediatribe, attack, abuse, criticism33
5563717378esotericobscure, cryptic, arcane, mysterious34
5563720815opprobriouscritical, scornful, contemptuous, disgraceful, shameful35
5563742350repugnancedisgust, revulsion36
5563746777railleryhumorous, playful, or friendly ridiculing of someone37
5563755563ad populum (bandwagon appeal)latin for "to the people," this fallacy occurs when evidence used to defend an argument boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do."38
5563811630allegorya literary work that portrays that abstract ideas concretely39
5563818156alliterationrepetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words or syllable in sequences40
5563832078allusionbrief reference to a person, an event, or a place (real or fictitious) or to a work of art41
5563842529analogya comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things42
5563850882anaphorarepetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines43
5563855318anecdotebrief story used to illustrate a point or claim44
5563857685annotationthe taking of notes directly on a text45
5563883273antimetablerepetition of words in reverse order46
5563885372antithesisopposition, or contrast, of ideas or words in a parallel construction47
5563893265apostrophea direct address to an abstraction, a thing, an animal, or an imaginary or absent person48
5563899630appeal to false authoritythis fallacy occurs when someone who has no credibility to speak on an issue is cited as an authority.49
5563936702archaic dictionold-fashioned or outdated choice of words50
5563948675argumenta process of reasoned inquiry.51
5563950756assertiona statement that presents a claim or thesis52
5563954849assonancethe repetition of vowel sounds in a sequence of words53
5563957849asyndetonomission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words54
5563976186audiencethe listener, viewer, or reader of a text55
5563980397backingfurther assurances or data without which the assumption lacks authority56
5563992310begging the questiona fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt57
5564003553biasa prejudice or preconceived notion that prevents a person from approaching a topic in a neutral or an objective way58
5564013489blank verserhymed iambic pentameter59
5564019183caesuraa pause within a line of poetry, sometimes punctuated, sometimes not, that often mirrors natural speech60
5564030980characterizationthe method by which author builds, or reveals, a character; it can be direct or indirect61
5564039667circular reasoninga fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence62
5564043126claimalso called an assertion or proposition, a claim states the argument's main idea or position63
5564220558claim of factasserts that something is true or not true64
5564226469claim of policyproposes a change65
5564228605claim of valueargues that something is good or bad, right or wrong66
5564233318classical orationfive-part argument structure used by classical rhetoricians.67
5564241682introductionintroduces the reader to the subject under discussion68
5564243722narrationprovides factual information and background material on the subject at hand or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing69
5564248349confirmationusually the major part of the text, the confirmation includes the proof needed to make the writer's case70
5564256064refutationaddresses the counterargument71
5564258002conclusionbrings the essay to satisfying close72
5564265747closed thesisstatement of the main idea of the argument that also previews the major points the writer intends to make73
5564269558complex sentencea sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause74
5564273989compound sentencea sentence that includes at least two independent clause75
5564287047concessionan acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasoning76
5564292482connotationmeanings or associations that readers have with a word beyond its dictionary definition, or denotation77
5564303524contextthe circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text78
5564309365counterargumentan opposing argument to the one a writer is putting forward79
5564315204counterargument thesistype of thesis statement that includes a brief counterargument80
5564323305cumulative sentencea sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on81
5564326490deductionlogical process wherein you reach a conclusion by starting with a general principle or universal truth and applying it to a specific case82
5564332304dictiona speaker's choice of words83
5564335970ekphrasisart or writing comments on another genre84
5564355401enjambmenta poetic technique in which one line ends without a pause and continues to the next line to complete its meaning also referred to as a "run-on line"85
5564364755enthymemeessentially, a syllogism with one of the premises implied and taken for granted as true86
5564367291epigrama short, witty statement designed to surprise an audience or a reader87
5564369895epigrapha quotation preceding a work of literature that helps set the text's mood or suggests its themes88
5564377411equivocationa fallacy that uses a term with two or more meanings in an attempt to misrepresent or deceive89
5564392036ethosGreek for "character"90
5564393725eulogya poem, speech, or another work written in great praise of something or someone91
5564405178faulty analogya fallacy that occurs when an analogy compares not comparable92
5564410514figurative languagenon literal language, often evoking strong imagery, sometimes referred to as a trope93
5564432813first-hand evidenceevidence based on something the writer knows, whether from personal experience, observation, or general knowledge of events94
5564442351formrefers to defining structural characteristics of work, especially a poem95
5564447520hasty generalizationa fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence96
5564459019hortative sentencesentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action97
5564463548hyperboledeliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or to produce a comic or an ironic effect; an overstatement to make a point98
5564481863iambic pentameteran iamb, the most common metrical foot in English poetry, is made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one99
5564494122imagerya description of how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, or sounds100
5564503932imperative sentencesentence used to command or enjoin101
5564508030induction (generalization)logical process wherein you reason from particulars to universals, using specific cases in order to draw a conclusion102
5564514882inversioninverted order of words in a sentence103
5564516471dramatic ironytension created by the contrast between what a characters says or thinks and what the audience or readers know to be true104
5564528747situational ironya discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens105
5564531809verbal ironyfigure of speech that occurs when a speaker or character says one thing but means something else or when what is said is opposite of what is expected106
5564539049juxtapositionplacement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences107
5564542931logical fallaciesoften arise form a failure to make a logical connection between the claim and evidence to support it108
5564556389logosGreek for "embodied thought"109
5564558434metaphorfigure of speech that compares two things without using like or as110
5564561345meterformal, regular organization of stressed and unstressed syllables, measured in feet111

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