AP Psychology AP Review Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 13757898073 | psychology | the study of behavior and mental processes | 0 | |
| 13757898074 | psychology's biggest question | Which is more important in determining behavior, nature or nurture? | 1 | |
| 13757898075 | psychology's three levels of analysis | biopsychosocial approach (looks at the biological, psychological, and social-cultural approaches together) | 2 | |
| 13757898076 | biological approach | genetics, close-relatives, body functions | 3 | |
| 13757898077 | evolutionary approach | species - helped with survival (ancestors) | 4 | |
| 13757898078 | psychodynamic approach | (Freud) subconscious, repressed feelings, unfulfilled wishes | 5 | |
| 13757898079 | behavioral approach | learning (classical and operant) observed | 6 | |
| 13757898080 | cognitive approach | thinking affects behavior | 7 | |
| 13757898081 | humanistic approach | becoming a better human (behavior, acceptance) | 8 | |
| 13757898082 | social-cultural approach | cultural, family, environment | 9 | |
| 13757898083 | two reasons of why experiments are important | hindsight bias + overconfidence | 10 | |
| 13757898084 | types of research methods | descriptive, correlational, and experimental | 11 | |
| 13757898085 | descriptive methods | case study survey naturalistic observation (DON'T SHOW CAUSE/EFFECT) | 12 | |
| 13757898086 | case study | studies one person in depth may not be typical of population | 13 | |
| 13757898087 | survey | studies lots of people not in depth | 14 | |
| 13757898088 | naturalistic observation | observe + write facts without interference | 15 | |
| 13757898089 | correlational method | shows relation, but not cause/effect scatterplots show research | 16 | |
| 13757898090 | correlation coefficient | + 1.0 (both increase) 0 (no correlation - 1.0 (one increases, other decreases) | 17 | |
| 13757898091 | experimental method | does show cause and effect | 18 | |
| 13757898092 | population | type of people who are going to be used in experiment | 19 | |
| 13757898093 | sample | actual people who will be used (randomness reduces bias) | 20 | |
| 13757898094 | random assignment | chance selection between experimental and control groups | 21 | |
| 13757898095 | control group | not receiving experimental treatment receives placebo | 22 | |
| 13757898096 | experimental group | receiving treatment/drug | 23 | |
| 13757898097 | independent variable | drug/procedure/treatment | 24 | |
| 13757898098 | dependent variable | outcome of using the drug/treatment | 25 | |
| 13757898099 | confounding variable | can affect dependent variable beyond experiment's control | 26 | |
| 13757898100 | scientific method | theory hypothesis operational definition revision | 27 | |
| 13757898101 | theory | general idea being tested | 28 | |
| 13757898102 | hypothesis | measurable/specific | 29 | |
| 13757898103 | operational definition | procedures that explain components | 30 | |
| 13757898104 | mode | appears the most | 31 | |
| 13757898105 | mean | average | 32 | |
| 13757898106 | median | middle | 33 | |
| 13757898107 | range | highest - lowest | 34 | |
| 13757898108 | standard deviation | how scores vary around the mean | 35 | |
| 13757898109 | central tendency | single score that represents the whole | 36 | |
| 13757898110 | bell curve | (natural curve) |  | 37 |
| 13757898111 | ethics of testing on animals | need to be treated humanly basically similar to humans | 38 | |
| 13757898112 | ethics of testing on humans | consent debriefing no unnecessary discomfort/pain confidentiality | 39 | |
| 13757898113 | sensory neurons | travel from sensory receptors to brain | 40 | |
| 13757898114 | motor neurons | travel from brain to "motor" workings | 41 | |
| 13757898115 | interneurons | (in brain and spinal cord) connecting motor and sensory neurons | 42 | |
| 13757898307 | neuron |  | 43 | |
| 13757898116 | dendrites | receive messages from other neurons | 44 | |
| 13757898117 | myelin sheath | protects the axon | 45 | |
| 13757898118 | axon | where charges travel from cell body to axon terminal | 46 | |
| 13757898119 | neurotransmitters | chemical messengers | 47 | |
| 13757898120 | reuptake | extra neurotransmitters are taken back | 48 | |
| 13757898121 | excitatory charge | "Let's do it!" | 49 | |
| 13757898122 | inhibitory charge | "Let's not do it!" | 50 | |
| 13757898123 | central nervous system | brain and spinal cord | 51 | |
| 13757898124 | peripheral nervous system | somatic nervous system autonomic nervous system | 52 | |
| 13757898125 | somatic nervous system | voluntary movements | 53 | |
| 13757898126 | autonomic nervous system | involuntary movements (sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems) | 54 | |
| 13757898127 | sympathetic nervous system | arousing | 55 | |
| 13757898128 | parasympathetic nervous system | calming | 56 | |
| 13757898129 | neural networks | more connections form with greater use others fall away if not used | 57 | |
| 13757898130 | spinal cord | expressway of information bypasses brain when reflexes involved | 58 | |
| 13757898131 | endocrine system | slow uses hormones in the blood system | 59 | |
| 13757898132 | master gland | pituitary gland | 60 | |
| 13757898133 | brainstem | extension of the spinal cord responsible for automatic survival | 61 | |
| 13757898134 | reticular formation (if stimulated) | sleeping subject wakes up | 62 | |
| 13757898135 | reticular formation (if damaged) | coma | 63 | |
| 13757898136 | brainstem (if severed) | still move (without purpose) | 64 | |
| 13757898137 | thalamus | sensory switchboard (does not process smell) | 65 | |
| 13757898138 | hypothalamus | basic behaviors (hunger, thirst, sex, blood chemistry) | 66 | |
| 13757898139 | cerebellum | nonverbal memory, judge time, balance emotions, coordinate movements | 67 | |
| 13757898140 | cerebellum (if damaged) | difficulty walking and coordinating | 68 | |
| 13757898141 | amygdala | aggression, fear, and memory associated with these emotions | 69 | |
| 13757898142 | amygdala (if lesioned) | subject is mellow | 70 | |
| 13757898143 | amygdala (if stimulated) | aggressive | 71 | |
| 13757898144 | hippocampus | process new memory | 72 | |
| 13757898145 | cerebrum | two large hemispheres perceiving, thinking, and processing | 73 | |
| 13757898146 | cerebral cortex | only in higher life forms | 74 | |
| 13757898147 | association areas | integrate and interpret information | 75 | |
| 13757898148 | glial cells | provide nutrients to myelin sheath marks intelligence higher proportion of glial cells to neurons | 76 | |
| 13757898149 | frontal lobe | judgement, personality, processing (Phineas Gage accident) | 77 | |
| 13757898150 | parietal lobe | math and spatial reasoning | 78 | |
| 13757898151 | temporal lobe | audition and recognizing faces | 79 | |
| 13757898152 | occipital lobe | vision | 80 | |
| 13757898153 | corpus callosum | split in the brain to stop hyper-communication (eliminate epileptic seizures) | 81 | |
| 13757898154 | Wernicke's area | interprets auditory and hearing | 82 | |
| 13757898155 | Broca's area | speaking words | 83 | |
| 13757898156 | plasticity | ability to adapt if damaged | 84 | |
| 13757898157 | sensation | what our senses tell us | 85 | |
| 13757898158 | bottom-up processing | senses to brain | 86 | |
| 13757898159 | perception | what our brain tells us to do with that information | 87 | |
| 13757898160 | top-down processing | brain to senses | 88 | |
| 13757898161 | inattentional blindness | fail to "gorilla" because attention is elsewhere | 89 | |
| 13757898162 | cocktail party effect | even with tons of stimuli, we are able to pick out our name, etc. | 90 | |
| 13757898163 | change blindness | giving directions and person is changed and we don't notice | 91 | |
| 13757898164 | choice blindness | when defending the choice we make, we fail to notice choice was changed | 92 | |
| 13757898165 | absolute threshold | minimum stimulation needed in order to notice 50% of the time | 93 | |
| 13757898166 | signal detection theory | we notice what is more important to us (rather hear a baby crying) | 94 | |
| 13757898167 | JND (just noticeable difference) | (Weber's law) difference between different stimuli noticed in proportion | 95 | |
| 13757898168 | sensory adaptation | tired of noticing (Brain says, "Been there, done that. Next?" | 96 | |
| 13757898169 | rods | night time | 97 | |
| 13757898170 | cones | color | 98 | |
| 13757898171 | parallel processing | notice color, form, depth, movement, etc. | 99 | |
| 13757898172 | Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory | 3 corresponding color receptors (RGB) | 100 | |
| 13757898173 | Hering's opponent-process theory | after image in opposite colors (RG, YB, WB) | 101 | |
| 13757898174 | trichromatic + opponent-process | Young-Helmholtz -> color stimuli Hering -> en route to cortex | 102 | |
| 13757898175 | frequency we hear most | human voice | 103 | |
| 13757898176 | Helmoltz (hearing) | we hear different pitches in different places in basilar membrane (high pitches) | 104 | |
| 13757898177 | frequency theory | impulse frequency (low pitches) | 105 | |
| 13757898178 | Helmholtz + frequency theory | middle pitches | 106 | |
| 13757898179 | Skin feels what? | warmth, cold, pressure, pain | 107 | |
| 13757898180 | gate-control theory | small fibers - pain large fibers - other senses | 108 | |
| 13757898181 | memory of pain | peaks and ends | 109 | |
| 13757898182 | smell | close to memory section (not in thalamus) | 110 | |
| 13757898183 | grouping | Gestalt make sense of pieces create a whole | 111 | |
| 13757898184 | grouping groups | proximity similarity continuity connectedness closure | 112 | |
| 13757898185 | make assumptions of placement | higher - farther smaller - farther blocking - closer, in front | 113 | |
| 13757898186 | perception = | mood + motivation | 114 | |
| 13757898187 | consciousness | awareness of ourselves and the environment | 115 | |
| 13757898188 | circadian rhythm | daily biological clock and regular cycle (sleep and awake) | 116 | |
| 13757898189 | circadian rhythm pattern | - activated by light - light sensitive retinal proteins signal brains SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus) - pineal gland decreases melatonin | 117 | |
| 13757898190 | What messes with circadian rhythm? | artificial light | 118 | |
| 13757898191 | The whole sleep cycle lasts how long? | 90 minutes | 119 | |
| 13757898192 | sleep stages | relaxed stage (alpha waves) stage 1 (early sleep) (hallucinations) stage 2 (sleep spindles - bursts of activity) (sleep talk) stage 3 (transition phase) (delta waves) stage 4 (delta waves) (sleepwalk/talk + wet the bed) stage 5 (REM) (sensory-rich dreams) (paradoxical sleep) | 120 | |
| 13757898193 | purpose of sleep | 1. recuperation - repair neurons and allow unused neural connections to wither 2. making memories 3. body growth (children sleep more) | 121 | |
| 13757898194 | insomnia | can't sleep | 122 | |
| 13757898195 | narcolepsy | fall asleep anywhere at anytime | 123 | |
| 13757898196 | sleep apnea | stop breathing in sleep | 124 | |
| 13757898197 | night terrors | prevalent in children | 125 | |
| 13757898198 | sleepwalking/sleeptalking | hereditary - prevalent in children | 126 | |
| 13757898199 | dreaming (3) | 1. vivid bizarre intense sensory experiences 2. carry fear/survival issues - vestiges of ancestors' survival ideas 2. replay previous day's experiences/worries | 127 | |
| 13757898200 | purpose of dreaming (5 THEORIES) | 1. physiological function - develop/preserve neural pathways 2. Freud's wish-fulfillment (manifest/latent content) 3. activation synthesis - make sense of stimulation originating in brain 4. information processing 5. cognitive development - reflective of intelligence | 128 | |
| 13757898201 | 1. Can hypnosis bring you back in time? 2. Can hypnosis make you do things you wouldn't normally do? 3. Can it alleviate pain? 4. What state are you in during hypnosis? 5. Who is more susceptible? | 1. cannot take you back in time 2. cannot make you do things you won't do 3. can alleviate pain 4. fully conscious ((IMAGINATIVE PEOPLE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE)) | 129 | |
| 13757898202 | depressants | slows neural pathways | 130 | |
| 13757898203 | alcohol | ((depressant)) disrupts memory formation (REM) lowers inhibition expectancy effect | 131 | |
| 13757898204 | barbituates (tranquilizers) | ((depressant)) reduce anxiety | 132 | |
| 13757898205 | opiates | ((depressant)) pleasure reduce anxiety/pain | 133 | |
| 13757898206 | stimulants | hypes neural processing | 134 | |
| 13757898207 | methamphetamine | ((stimulant)) heightens energy euphoria affects dopamine | 135 | |
| 13757898208 | caffeine | ((stimulant)) | 136 | |
| 13757898209 | nicotine | ((stimulant)) CNS releases neurotransmitters calm anxiety reduce pain affects (nor)epinephrine and dopamine | 137 | |
| 13757898210 | cocaine | ((stimulant)) euphoria affects dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine | 138 | |
| 13757898211 | hallucinogen | excites neural activity | 139 | |
| 13757898212 | ecstasy | ((hallucinogen)) reuptake is blocked affects dopamine and serotonin | 140 | |
| 13757898213 | LSD | ((hallucinogen)) affects sensory/emotional "trip" (+/-) affects serotonin | 141 | |
| 13757898214 | marijuana | ((hallucinogen)) amplify sensory experience disrupts memory formation | 142 | |
| 13757898215 | learning | organism changing behavior due to experience (association of events) | 143 | |
| 13757898216 | types of learning | classical operant observational | 144 | |
| 13757898217 | famous classical psychologists | Pavlov and Watson | 145 | |
| 13757898218 | famous operant psychologist | Skinner | 146 | |
| 13757898219 | famous observational psychologists | Bandura | 147 | |
| 13757898220 | classical conditioning | outside stimulus | 148 | |
| 13757898221 | Pavlov's experiment | Step 1: US (food) -> UR (salivation) Step 2: NS (bell) -> US (food) -> UR (salivation) Later... CS (bell) -> CR (salivation) | 149 | |
| 13757898222 | Watson's experiment | white rat was given to Little Albert Step 1: US (noise) -> UR (cry) Step 2: NS (rat) -> US (noise) -> UR (cry) Later... CS (rat) -> CR (cry) | 150 | |
| 13757898223 | generalization | any small, white fluffy creature will make Albert cry now | 151 | |
| 13757898224 | discriminate | any large, white fluffy creature won't make Albert cry | 152 | |
| 13757898225 | extinction | stop "treating" with conditioned response | 153 | |
| 13757898226 | spontaneous recovery | bring stimulus back after a while | 154 | |
| 13757898227 | operant conditioning | control by organism | 155 | |
| 13757898228 | Skinner's experiment | operant chamber / Skinner box (lead to shaping) | 156 | |
| 13757898229 | shaping | get animal closer to doing what you want them to do | 157 | |
| 13757898230 | reinforcers | want to continue behavior (positive reinforcement: give money to do laundry) (negative reinforcement: do to avoid nagging) | 158 | |
| 13757898231 | punishments | want to stop behavior (positive reinforcement: smack) (negative reinforcement: take away phone) | 159 | |
| 13757898232 | fixed ratio | happens a certain number of times (Starbucks punch card) | 160 | |
| 13757898233 | variable ratio | happens an unpredictable number of times (winning the lottery) | 161 | |
| 13757898234 | organism must do these (2 times) | fixed ratio and variable ratio | 162 | |
| 13757898235 | fixed interval | happens at a certain time (mailman comes to the house at 10:00 AM) | 163 | |
| 13757898236 | variable interval | happens at any time (receive texts from friends) | 164 | |
| 13757898237 | these things happen regardless (2 times) | fixed interval and variable interval | 165 | |
| 13757898238 | Which (fixed/variable) conditions better? | variable | 166 | |
| 13757898239 | criticisms of Skinner | doesn't take into account intrinsic motivation | 167 | |
| 13757898240 | intrinsic motivation | doing something for yourself, not the reward | 168 | |
| 13757898241 | extrinsic motivation | doing something for reward | 169 | |
| 13757898242 | Skinner's legacy | use it personally, at school, and at work | 170 | |
| 13757898243 | famous observational experiment | Bandura's Bobo doll | 171 | |
| 13757898244 | famous observational psychologist | Bandura | 172 | |
| 13757898245 | mirror neurons | "feel" what is observed happens in higher order animals | 173 | |
| 13757898246 | Bobo doll experiment legacy | violent video games/movies desensitize us see good: do good see evil: do evil | 174 | |
| 13757898247 | observational learning | biological behaviors work best | 175 | |
| 13757898248 | habituation | get used to it -> stop reacting | 176 | |
| 13757898249 | examples for observational learning | lectures and reading | 177 | |
| 13757898250 | serotonin involved with memory | speeds the connection between neurons | 178 | |
| 13757898251 | LTP | ((long-term potentiation)) strengthens potential neural forming (associated with speed) | 179 | |
| 13757898252 | CREB | protein that can switch genes on/off with memory and connection of memories | 180 | |
| 13757898253 | glutamate involved with memory | neurotransmitter that enhances LTP | 181 | |
| 13757898254 | glucose involved with memory | released during strong emotions ((signaling important event to be remembered)) | 182 | |
| 13757898255 | flashbulb memory | type of memory remembered because it was an important/quick moment | 183 | |
| 13757898256 | amygdala (memory) | boosts activity of proteins in memory-forming areas to fight/flight | 184 | |
| 13757898257 | cerebellum (memory) | forms and stores implicit memories ((classical conditioning)) | 185 | |
| 13757898258 | hippocampus (memory) | active during sleep (forming memories) ((information "moves" after 48 hours)) | 186 | |
| 13757898259 | memory | learning over time contains information that can be retrieved | 187 | |
| 13757898260 | processing stages | encoding -> storage -> retrieval | 188 | |
| 13757898261 | encoding | information going in | 189 | |
| 13757898262 | storage | keeping information in | 190 | |
| 13757898263 | retrieval | taking information out | 191 | |
| 13757898264 | How long is sensory memory stored? | seconds | 192 | |
| 13757898265 | How long is short-term memory stored? | less than a minute | 193 | |
| 13757898266 | How many bits of information is stored in short-term memory? | 7 | 194 | |
| 13757898267 | How many chunks of information is stored in short-term memory? | 4 | 195 | |
| 13757898268 | How many seconds of words is stored in short-term memory? | 2 | 196 | |
| 13757898269 | short term memory goes to ______________ | working memory | 197 | |
| 13757898270 | working memory | make a connection and process information to mean something | 198 | |
| 13757898271 | working memory goes to _________________ | long-term memory | 199 | |
| 13757898272 | How much is stored in long-term memory? | LIMITLESS | 200 | |
| 13757898273 | implicit memory | naturally do | 201 | |
| 13757898274 | explicit memory | need to explain | 202 | |
| 13757898275 | automatic processing | space, time, frequency, well-learned information | 203 | |
| 13757898276 | effortful processing | processing that requires effort | 204 | |
| 13757898277 | spacing effect | spread out learning over time | 205 | |
| 13757898278 | serial position effect | primary/recency effect | 206 | |
| 13757898279 | primary effect | remember the first things in a list | 207 | |
| 13757898280 | recency effect | remember the last things in a list | 208 | |
| 13757898281 | effortful processing (4 things) | 1. recency effect 2. spacing effect 3. testing effect 4. serial position effect | 209 | |
| 13757898282 | semantic encoding (1) meaning (2) how to | make meaning out of something --- chunk, hierarchy, or connect to you | 210 | |
| 13757898283 | if we can't remember a memory... | 1. change memory to suit us 2. fill in the blanks with logical story | 211 | |
| 13757898284 | misinformation effect | not correct information | 212 | |
| 13757898285 | imagination inflation | imagine or visualize something that isn't real | 213 | |
| 13757898286 | source amnesia | what is the truth? (is it a dream, story, memory, etc.?) | 214 | |
| 13757898287 | priming | association (setting you up) | 215 | |
| 13757898288 | context | environment helps with memory | 216 | |
| 13757898289 | state-dependency | you may remember something if you go back to the state you were in (go back to high) | 217 | |
| 13757898290 | mood-congruency | emotion will bring back similar emotional memories | 218 | |
| 13757898291 | forgetting curve | forget after 5 days forget after 5 years | 219 | |
| 13757898292 | the forgetting curve was created by | Ebbinghaus | 220 | |
| 13757898293 | proactive interference | old information interferes with the new | 221 | |
| 13757898294 | retroactive interference | new information interferes with the old | 222 | |
| 13757898295 | children can't remember before age __ | 3 | 223 | |
| 13757898296 | Loftus | connected to abuse cases/childhood | 224 | |
| 13757898297 | prototypes | generalize | 225 | |
| 13757898298 | problem-solving (4) | trial + error algorithms heuristic (representative + availability) insight - "AHA!" | 226 | |
| 13757898299 | against problem-solving | fixation | 227 | |
| 13757898300 | mental set | what has worked in the past | 228 | |
| 13757898301 | functional fixedness | only way to do this is with this | 229 | |
| 13757898302 | Chomsky (nature or nurture?) | "born with language" (nature) | 230 | |
| 13757898303 | Skinner (nature or nurture?) | language is learned (nurture) | 231 | |
| 13757898304 | grammar is _________ | universal | 232 | |
| 13757898305 | phonemes | smallest sound unit | 233 | |
| 13757898306 | morphemes | smallest meaning unit | 234 |
Flashcards
AP Language Terms and Definitions Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 11053466282 | Appeals to Ethos | A persuasive strategy in which a speaker/writer appeals to the audience's sense of trust Writers and speakers often have to build ----- by explaining their credentials or background to their readers, or by emphasizing shared values to gain the reader's trust | 0 | |
| 11053496766 | Ethos | A commercial about a specific brand of toothpaste says that 4 out of 5 dentists use it. | 1 | |
| 11053496767 | Ethos | A political candidate talks about his experiences as a soldier, as a businessman, and as a politician-in contrast to his opponent. | 2 | |
| 11053500275 | Ethos | At a meeting about new standards in education, the featured speaker is a college professor, who argues for the new standards. | 3 | |
| 11053502898 | Appeal to Logos | A persuasive strategy in which a speaker/writer appeals to the audience's sense of logic Speakers appeal to -----, or reason, by offering clear, rational ideas. Look for and use: facts, data/statistics, scientific facts, literal or historical analogies, definitions, and quotations | 4 | |
| 11053537529 | Logos | A politician argues for a new domestic spending program by stating facts and figures | 5 | |
| 11053537530 | Logos | "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." | 6 | |
| 11053537531 | Logos | A study on using a specific reading program to teach young children to read cites statistics regarding the number of children who have been helped by the program, their demographics, the conditions under which they used the program, and the gains they made in their reading proficiency while using the program. | 7 | |
| 11053566795 | Appeal to Pathos | A persuasive strategy in which a speaker/writer appeals to the audience's sense of emotion An effective speaker or writer understands the power of evoking an audience's emotions by using such tools as figurative language, personal anecdotes, and vivid images | 8 | |
| 11053587385 | Pathos | "If we don't move soon, we're all going to die! Can't you see how dangerous it would be to stay?" | 9 | |
| 11053587386 | Pathos | "I'm not just invested in this community - I love every building, every business, every hard-working member of this town." | 10 | |
| 11053587528 | Pathos | "There's no price that can be placed on peace of mind. Our advanced security systems will protect the well-being of your family so that you can sleep soundly at night." | 11 | |
| 11053677238 | Argument | A process of reasoned inquiry; it is a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from a claim to a conclusion | 12 | |
| 11053703723 | Argument | "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." | 13 | |
| 11053715080 | Claim | also known as an assertion or proposition, it states the argument's main idea or position; it differs from a topic or subject in that it has to be arguable | 14 | |
| 11053734153 | Claim | Every other girl in her school has a cell phone. | 15 |
Flashcards
AP English Language and Composition Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 14147568959 | Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to a literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals w oral truth or generalization about human existence. | 0 | |
| 14147568960 | Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in "she sells sea shells"). Althought the term is not frequently in the multiple-choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. | 1 | |
| 14147676661 | Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. | 2 | |
| 14147676662 | Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word , phrase, sentence, or passage. | 3 | |
| 14147676663 | Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something familiar. Analogies can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. | 4 | |
| 14176326008 | Anaphora | One of the devices of repetition, in which the same expression (word or words) is repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, clauses, or sentences. "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." | 5 | |
| 14176326009 | Anecdote | A short narrative detailing the particulars of an interesting episode or event. The term most frequently refers to an incident in the life of a person. | 6 | |
| 14176326010 | Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP language exam occasionally asks for the antecedent if a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. | 7 | |
| 14176326011 | Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle ( if the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb). If aphorism can be a memorable summation of the authors point. | 8 | |
| 14176326012 | Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. It is an address to someone or something that cannot answer. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour:/ England hath need of thee." | 9 | |
| 14176729756 | Atmosphere | The emotional mood created by the entity of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the authors choice of objects that are described. Even elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently atmosphere foreshadows events. Perhaps it can create a mood. | 10 | |
| 14176729757 | Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. An independent, or main, clause expresses a compeleré thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause. The point that you want to consider is the question of what or why the author subordinates one element to the other. Be aware of making effective use of subordination in your own writing. | 11 | |
| 14176729758 | Colloquial | The use of slang le informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work conversational, family tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local le regional dialects. | 12 | |
| 14216353983 | Coherence | A principle demanding that the parts of any composition be arranged so that the meaning of the whole may be immediately clear and intelligible. Words, phrases, clauses within the sentence; and sentence, paragraphs, and chapters in larger pieces of writing are the units that, by their progressive and logical arrangement, make a coherence. | 13 | |
| 14216569885 | Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness as a result of the unusual comparison being made. | 14 | |
| 14216569886 | Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. | 15 | |
| 14216569887 | Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color. | 16 | |
| 14216569888 | Diction | Related to style, refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe the authors diction ( for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the authors purpose. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc. created an authors style. | 17 | |
| 14216569889 | Didactic | From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic words have the primary aim of teaching or instructing,especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. | 18 | |
| 14216569890 | Euphemism | From the Greek for "good speech", euphemisms, are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept. The euphemism may be used to adhere to the standards of a social or political correctness or to add humor or ironic understatement. Saying "earthly remains" rather than "corpse" is an example. | 19 | |
| 14216569891 | Exposition | In essays, one of the four chief types of composition, the others being argumentation, description, and narration. The purpose of exposition is to explain something. In drama, the exposition is the introductory material, which creates the tone, gives the setting, and introduces the characters and conflict. | 20 | |
| 14216569892 | Extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. | 21 | |
| 14227560686 | Figurative language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry a literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid. | 22 | |
| 14227560687 | Figure of speech | A device used to produce figurative language. Many compare dissimilar things. Figures of speech include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonymy, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile.m, synecdoche, and understatement. | 23 | |
| 14227560688 | Generic conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre; for example, they differentiate an essay and journalistic writing or an autobiography and political writing. On the AP language exam, try to distinguish the unique features of a writer's work from those dictated by convention. | 24 | |
| 14227560689 | Genre | The major category in which literary work fits. The basic divisions of literature are prose, poetry, and drama. However, genere is flexible in term; within these broad boundaries exist many subdivisions that are often called genres themselves. For example, prose can be divided into tragedy, comedy, melodrama, farce, etc. On the AP language exam, expect the majority of the passages to be from the following genres: autobiography, biography, diaries, criticism, essays, and journalistic, political, scientific, and nature writing. | 25 | |
| 14332882954 | Homily | This term literally means "sermon", but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. | 26 | |
| 14332882955 | Hyperbole | A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often hyperboles produce irony. | 27 | |
| 14332882956 | Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. In a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman's cheeks and/or symbolizing some degree of perfection(it is the the highest flower in the Great Chain Being). An author may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP exam, pay attention to how an author created imagery and to the effect of this imagery. | 28 | |
| 14332882957 | Inference/infer | To draw a reasonable conclusions form the information presented. When a multiple-choice question ask for an inference to be drawn form a passage, the most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest choice. If an inference is implausible, it's likely to be the correct answer. Note that to the answer choice is not directly stated, it is not inferred and is wrong. As we hav seen in the multiple-choice selections that we have been trying, you just be careful to note the connotation-negative or positive- of the choices. | 29 | |
| 14332882958 | Invective | An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language. | 30 | |
| 14332882959 | Irony/Ironic | the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant. The difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. In general, there are three major types of irony used in language; (1) in verbal irony, the words literally state the opposite of the writers (or speakers) true meaning. (2) in situational irony, events turn out the opposite of what was expected. What the characters and readers think ought to happen is not what does happen. (3) in dramatic irony, farce or events are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or the characters in the work. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it's used to create poignancy it humor. | 31 | |
| 14332882960 | Juxtaposition | A placing or being placed in nearness or contiguity or side by side, often done in order to compare/contrast the two, or to show similarities or differences. | 32 | |
| 14332882961 | Loose sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complex sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational. Generally loose sentences create loose style. | 33 | |
| 14332882962 | Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, suggesting some similarities. Metaphorical language makes writing more vivid, imaginative, thought provoking, and meaningful. | 34 | |
| 14332882963 | Metonymy | A term from the Greek meaning "changed label" or "substitute name," metonymy is a figure of speech in Which the name of one object is substituted for that of other closely associated with it. A news release that claims "the White House declared" rather than "the presidential declared" is using metonymy. The substituted term generally carries a more potent emotional impact. | 35 | |
| 14332882964 | Narrative | A telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events | 36 | |
| 14332882965 | Onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words. Simple examples include such words as buzz, hiss, hum, crack, whinny, and murmur. If you note examples onomatopoeia in an essay passage, note the effect. | 37 | |
| 14332882966 | Oxymoron | From the Greek for "pointedly foolish" an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently contradictory terms to suggest a paradox. Simple examples include "jumbo shrimp" and "cruel kindness." This term does not usually appear in the multiple choice questions, but there is a chance that you might find it in an essay. Take note of the effect, which the author achieves with this term. | 38 | |
| 14332882967 | Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity , | 39 | |
| 14332882968 | Parallelism | Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, these terms comes for the he Greek roots meaning "beside one another", it refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of works, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as preposition or verbal phrase. A famous example of parallelism begins Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the readers attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply porcine a musical rhythm. | 40 | |
| 14332882969 | Parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, parody distorts or exaggerates distinctive feature of the original. Well-written parody offers enlightenment about the original, but poorly written parody offers only ineffectual imitation. Usually an audience must grasp literary allusion and understand the work being parodied in order to fully appreciate the nuances of the newer work. Occasionally, however, parodies take on a life of their own and don't require knowledge of the original. | 41 | |
| 14332882970 | Pendantic | An adjective that describes the words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic or | 42 | |
| 14332882971 | Periodic sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clause is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand alone. For example: "ecstatic with my AP score, I let out a loud, joyful shout.!" The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is also a much stronger sentence than the loose sentence. | 43 | |
| 14332882972 | Personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. Personification is used to make these abstractions,animals, or objects appear more vivid to the reader. | 44 | |
| 14332882973 | Point of view | In literature, the perspective from which the story is told. There are two general divisions of point of view and many subdivisions within these. (1) the first person tells the story with first person pronouns "I" and is a character in the story. The narrator can be the protagonist, a participant (character in a secondary role), or an observer(character who watches the action). (2) the third person narrator relates the events either the 3rd person pronouns "he", "she", and "it". There are two main subdivisions to be aware of: omniscent | 45 | |
| 14332882974 | Prose | One of the major divisions of genre, prose refers to fiction and non-fiction, including all its forms. In prose the printer determines the length of the line; in poetry, he poet determines the length of the line. | 46 |
Flashcards
AP Language Elements of Style Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 8118611409 | Diction | related to style, diction refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP exam, you should be able to describe an author's diction (for example, formal or informal, ornate or plain) and understanding the ways in which diction can complement the author's purpose. Diction, combines with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc., to create an author's style. | 0 | |
| 8118611410 | Archaic Diction | Old-fashioned or outdated choice of words | 1 | |
| 8118611411 | Syntax | the way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate them by thinking of syntax as the groups of words, while diction refers to the individual words. In the multiple-choice section, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax produces effects. There are two main ways we can analyze syntax: by evaluating how the author manipulates the sentence structure and by evaluating which sentence type the author is using | 2 | |
| 8118611412 | Cumulative sentence | Sentence that completes the main idead at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on. | 3 | |
| 8118611413 | Periodic sentence | A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end. This independent clase is preceded by a phrase or clause that cannot stand along. The effect of a periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety. It is typically a much stronger sentence than a loose sentence. | 4 |
Pre-AP Language Vocabulary Flashcards
Terms : Hide Images
| 14604834236 | Asyndeton | commas used without conjunctions: "x,y,z" | 0 | |
| 14604838859 | Polysyndeton | using conjunctions instead of commas: " X and Y and z" | 1 | |
| 14604840014 | Understatement | A statement that says less than what is meant. | 2 | |
| 14604841665 | Garner | v. to gather and store | 3 | |
| 14604842479 | Corroborate | to confirm; to back up with evidence | 4 | |
| 14604844024 | Lament | to mourn | 5 | |
| 14604844446 | Precipitate | to cause to happen suddenly | 6 | |
| 14604845806 | Genial | cheerful and pleasant | 7 | |
| 14638337132 | Anaphora | repetition of a word, phrase or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. This is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent. | 8 | |
| 14638343305 | Hyperbole | incredible exaggeration or overstatement used for effect. | 9 | |
| 14638344897 | Synecdoche | a part represents a whole - "wheels" represents that whole car. | 10 | |
| 14638348322 | Hypothetical | Uncertain, unproven, theory | 11 | |
| 14638349277 | Grant | financial aid based on need. It is not repaid. | 12 | |
| 14638351519 | Matriculate | to register or enroll in a college. | 13 | |
| 14638354962 | Permeate | to spread or seep through | 14 | |
| 14638356413 | Conundrum | a puzzle; a riddle | 15 | |
| 14679016384 | Bastion | stronghold or fortress;wall | 16 | |
| 14679019294 | Manifest | clear or obvious | 17 | |
| 14679020813 | Conventional | common; Customary; unexceptional | 18 | |
| 14679024212 | Contentious | argumentative; quarrelsome | 19 | |
| 14679025747 | Partisan | one who supports a person, idea, or cause. (fan, party) | 20 | |
| 14679028697 | Archetype | a recurrent image, symbol, character, or even situation that is an instinctual expression of man's nature and experiences that are universal in nature. | 21 | |
| 14679033513 | Verisimilitude | The appearance of being true or believable | 22 | |
| 14679037852 | Zeitgeist | a spirit of the age or time. Example: Wearing a poodle skirt would be a ______ of the 1950's. | 23 | |
| 14744288984 | Arbiter | One who decides; a judge | 24 | |
| 14744292430 | Inherent | part of the essential nature of something | 25 | |
| 14744295725 | Sanction | authorize or approve; to ratify or confirm | 26 | |
| 14744298423 | Erratic | unpredictable or wandering, fickle | 27 | |
| 14744301401 | Audacity | boldness; reckless daring | 28 | |
| 14744307155 | Zeugma | A figure of speech in which a word or phrase joins together two distinct parts of a sentence. The most common definition is a word that is used once, but works in two different ways, such as in the following sentence, " She tossed her hair and the salad." It is a verb in both cases but refers to two different actions. | 29 | |
| 14744340018 | Foil | A character who acts as contrast to another character. | 30 | |
| 14744342824 | Oxymoron | two opposite terms used together. ex: jumbo shrimp or pretty ugly | 31 | |
| 14798493971 | Vex | to annoy; to confuse | 32 | |
| 14798496598 | Genre | an artistic class or category | 33 | |
| 14798500060 | Flippant | frivolously shallow and disrespectful | 34 | |
| 14798504077 | Spurious | doubtful, bogus, false | 35 | |
| 14798506361 | Placate | to pacify; to appease | 36 | |
| 14798510013 | Deus ex machina | a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to move the story forward when the write has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending or as a comedic device. | 37 | |
| 14798561005 | Chiasmus | In poetry, a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part in syntactically balance against the first, but with the parts reversed. Coleridge: "Flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike." | 38 | |
| 14798588761 | Antihero | Central character who lacks all the qualities traditionally associated with heroes. May lack courage, grace, intelligence, or moral scruples. | 39 | |
| 14893656434 | Suspense | a feeling of uncertainty and curiosity about what will happen next in a story. The audience is left wondering who attacked Jem until the very end of TKAM, which creates suspense. | 40 | |
| 14893684218 | Colloquialism | A word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is appropriate for formal situations. | 41 | |
| 14893698514 | Allusion | A reference to history, the Bible, a myth, literature, paintings, music, etc. | 42 | |
| 14893709731 | Penchant | strong taste or liking syn. bias, tendency | 43 | |
| 14893716836 | Economical | getting good value or service in relation to the amount of money, time, or effort spent. syn. frugal, thrifty | 44 | |
| 14893725936 | Hone | to sharpen or to improve a skill | 45 | |
| 14893729569 | Neophyte | person who is new to a skill, a subject, or a belief | 46 | |
| 14893735125 | Rivet | to fix one's attention on something | 47 |
Flashcards
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