AP English Literature and Composition Flashcards: Distinguish Literal Figurative Meaning Poetry

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Distinguish Literal Figurative Meaning Poetry, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for AP English Literature and Composition.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is a symbol in literature, in terms of literal versus figurative meaning?

Answer: A concrete thing that represents an abstract idea beyond itself. Objects/images that carry meaning beyond their physical form.

Flashcard 2: Identify the most accurate interpretation type for "the crown" meaning "the monarchy."

Answer: Metonymy. Substitutes associated term (crown) for concept (monarchy).

Flashcard 3: What is the key distinction between denotation and connotation?

Answer: Denotation is dictionary meaning; connotation is implied association or emotion. Denotation is objective; connotation is subjective.

Flashcard 4: Identify whether the meaning is literal or figurative: "He kicked the bucket" meaning "died."

Answer: Figurative. "Kicked the bucket" doesn't literally mean kicking a bucket.

Flashcard 5: Identify whether the phrase "a heart of stone" should be read literally or figuratively.

Answer: Figuratively. Hearts aren't literally made of stone.

Flashcard 6: Identify the figurative device: "The wind whispered through the trees."

Answer: Personification. Gives human qualities (whispered) to non-human things (wind).

Flashcard 7: Identify whether the meaning is literal or figurative: "A dove stood for peace."

Answer: Figurative. Dove represents peace, not just a bird.

Flashcard 8: What is the definition of figurative meaning in a poem?

Answer: An implied meaning created through figures of speech beyond the literal. Uses literary devices to convey deeper meanings.

Flashcard 9: Identify whether "She ran $5$ miles" is literal or figurative.

Answer: Literal. Describes actual physical action.

Flashcard 10: What is hyperbole, and how does it relate to figurative meaning?

Answer: Deliberate exaggeration not meant literally; it signals emphasis. Extreme overstatement for effect.

Flashcard 11: Which contextual cue most strongly indicates figurative meaning: physical possibility or impossibility?

Answer: Impossibility (or strong improbability) in the literal sense. If literally impossible, meaning must be figurative.

Flashcard 12: What is imagery, and how does it relate to literal versus figurative meaning?

Answer: Sensory description; it may be literal or used figuratively to suggest meaning. Appeals to senses; context determines if literal or symbolic.

Flashcard 13: Identify the figurative device in "The wind whispered through the pines."

Answer: Personification. Wind cannot literally whisper like humans.

Flashcard 14: Which clue most strongly signals a figurative reading: contradiction, measurement, or timestamp?

Answer: Contradiction. Impossible scenarios indicate figurative language.

Flashcard 15: Identify the figurative device in "I have told you a million times."

Answer: Hyperbole. Extreme exaggeration for emphasis.

Flashcard 16: What is the definition of symbolism in poetry?

Answer: A concrete image represents an abstract idea beyond its literal sense. Objects/images carry deeper meanings.

Flashcard 17: Identify whether "Time is a thief" is literal or figurative.

Answer: Figurative. Time cannot literally steal things.

Flashcard 18: What is the definition of literal meaning in a poem?

Answer: The explicit, surface-level meaning of the words as stated. Refers to what words actually denote without interpretation.

Flashcard 19: Identify the figurative device: "He fought like a lion."

Answer: Simile. Uses "like" or "as" to make comparison explicit.

Flashcard 20: What is literal meaning in a literary text?

Answer: The explicit, surface meaning of the words as stated. Refers to what words actually say without interpretation.

Flashcard 21: Identify whether the meaning is literal or figurative: "The icy silence filled the room."

Answer: Figurative. "Icy" suggests emotional coldness, not temperature.

Flashcard 22: What is the definition of irony that often separates literal from intended meaning?

Answer: A contrast between what is said and what is meant or what occurs. Creates meaning through contradiction.

Flashcard 23: What is an idiom, in terms of literal versus figurative meaning?

Answer: A fixed phrase whose meaning is figurative, not literal. Common expressions where meaning differs from individual words.

Flashcard 24: What is the definition of an idiom, and why is it not read literally?

Answer: A fixed phrase whose meaning differs from the words' literal meanings. Cultural expressions with non-literal meanings.

Flashcard 25: Identify whether the sentence "The kettle is on the stove" is literal or figurative.

Answer: Literal. Describes actual physical placement.

Flashcard 26: What is a metaphor's literal referent called when interpreting figurative meaning?

Answer: The tenor (the thing being described). In "life is a journey," life is the tenor being described.

Flashcard 27: Identify whether the meaning is literal or figurative: "The glass fell and broke."

Answer: Literal. Describes actual physical events without hidden meaning.

Flashcard 28: Identify the figurative device: "Her smile was sunshine."

Answer: Metaphor. Direct comparison without "like" or "as" (smile = sunshine).

Flashcard 29: Identify whether the phrase is literal or figurative: "Time is a thief."

Answer: Figurative. Time cannot literally steal; metaphor for time's passage.

Flashcard 30: What is the best one-sentence method to separate literal from figurative meaning in a line?

Answer: Test plausibility literally, then check for trope-based meaning in context. First assess literal possibility, then identify devices.

Flashcard 31: Identify the figurative device: "I have told you a million times."

Answer: Hyperbole. Extreme exaggeration for emphasis, not meant literally.

Flashcard 32: What is figurative meaning in a literary text?

Answer: A nonliteral meaning created through comparison, symbol, or connotation. Goes beyond literal to suggest deeper meanings.

Flashcard 33: What is a metaphor's image used for comparison called in interpretation?

Answer: The vehicle (the image used to describe). In "life is a journey," journey is the vehicle describing life.

Flashcard 34: Which meaning is figurative in "She has a sharp tongue": the tongue or the speech?

Answer: The speech is figurative; "sharp" means harsh or biting language. Tongues aren't literally sharp objects.