AP English Literature and Composition Flashcards: Organization, cohesion, and style in literary essays
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Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
An essay describes a setting with short, choppy sentences. What effect does this syntactical choice likely have on the tone?
The use of short, choppy sentences (a specific syntactical choice) likely creates a tone that is tense, urgent, or fragmented, affecting the reader's experience of the setting.
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An essay describes a setting with short, choppy sentences. What effect does this syntactical choice likely have on the tone?
The use of short, choppy sentences (a specific syntactical choice) likely creates a tone that is tense, urgent, or fragmented, affecting the reader's experience of the setting.
What is the primary function of a topic sentence in a paragraph of a literary essay?
A topic sentence expresses the paragraph's controlling idea, which is typically a claim, ensuring the paragraph remains unified and focused.
How does a unified paragraph support an essay's main thesis?
Each unified paragraph acts as a building block, proving a specific sub-claim that, when combined with other paragraphs, collectively supports the essay's overall thesis.
Define 'cohesion' in the context of essay writing.
Cohesion refers to the way different parts of a text are linked together, creating a unified whole where ideas and arguments are clearly related to one another.
If a reader finds an essay's argument difficult to follow from one paragraph to the next, what quality is the essay likely lacking?
The essay is likely lacking cohesion, which is the logical connection and flow between sentences, paragraphs, and larger sections of the text.
A writer wants to connect a paragraph about a character's internal conflict with a following paragraph about their external actions. What could they add to the start of the second paragraph?
They could add a transitional phrase like, 'This internal turmoil manifested in his external actions,' to create a clear, cohesive link between the two paragraphs.
What is parallel structure?
Parallel structure (or parallelism) is a stylistic device that involves the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence or between sentences to create rhythm and emphasis.
What is the core learning objective for developing a paragraph in a literary analysis essay?
The core objective is to develop a paragraph that successfully integrates a specific claim with textual evidence that supports that claim.
Which two writer's choices most directly influence the style and tone of their writing?
A writer's choices regarding syntax (the arrangement of words and phrases to create sentences) and diction (word choice) most directly influence style and tone.
What role do transitional elements play in creating cohesion?
Transitional elements (such as words, phrases, or clauses) explicitly show the logical relationships between ideas, guiding the reader through the writer's line of reasoning.
Besides transitions, identify two stylistic choices that can enhance cohesion and create emphasis.
Strategic repetition of key words or ideas and the use of parallel structure can also enhance cohesion, create rhythm, and add emphasis to an essay.