AP Literature First Semester Exam Study Guide
Novels: Be familiar with plot, characters, and theme. Be prepared to identify the speaker and significance
of meaningful quotes. Be able to identify literary devices and tone in quotes.
1984
Wuthering Heights
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Ethan Frome
Short Stories: Be familiar with plot, characters, and theme. Be prepared to identify the speaker and
significance of meaningful quotes. Be able to identify literary devices and tone in quotes.
“Hills Like White Elephants”
“Interpreter of Maladies”
“Everyday Use”
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
“The Kugelmass Episode”
Poems: Be able to identify literary devices and tone in quotes. Be prepared to paraphrase sections of the
poem. Be able to compare and contrast the different poems.
“Dulce et Decorum Est,” Wilfred Owen
“The Chimney Sweeper,” William Blake (both versions)
“Blackberry-Picking,” Seamus Heaney
“The Death of a Toad,” Richard Wilbur
“The Facebook Sonnet,” Sherman Alexie
Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare
Sonnet 159, Petrarch
Sonnet 130, William Shakespeare
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” Dylan Thomas
Vocabulary: Review notes on words including pronunciation, definition, part of speech, synonyms,
antonyms, and usage.
Units 1-6
Notes: Review all notes and be prepared to identify terms and guidelines from them. Be able to identify
the meaning of the acronyms used in analysis.
Poetic Forms (especially three forms of sonnets)
Plot and Structure
Characterization
Theme
Symbolism, Fantasy, & Allegory
Humor & Irony
TPCASTT
Multiple Choice: Expect to see multiple choice questions similar to those on the AP exam. You are
expected to know terms we have discussed in class and to apply them to selections you have never seen
before.