AP Latin : AP Latin Language
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Latin
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Example Questions
Example Question #3 : Literary Device Identification
Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me
paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,
si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam
cenam, non sine candida puella
et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis. 5
haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster,
cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli
plenus sacculus est aranearum.
sed contra accipies meros amores
seu quid suavius elegantiusve est: 10
nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae
donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque,
quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis,
totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.
What literary device is present in line 5?
Simile
Polysyndeton
Tmesis
Metonymy
Polysyndeton
In line 5, the author uses the conjunction "et" many times in order to indicate just how many things must be at the party/feast. This is an example of polysyndeton. There is no association of phrases using like or as (simile), no use of a part of something to describe the whole [metonymy (e.g. "nice set of wheels" = "nice car"), and no separation of a word into two or more parts (tmesis).
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 13," ln.1-14)
Example Question #591 : Ap Latin Language
inter quas Phoenissa recens a vulnere Dido
errabat silva in magna; quam Troius heros
ut primum iuxta stetit agnovitque per umbras
obscuram, qualem primo qui surgere mense
aut videt aut vidisse putat per nubila lunam, 5
demisit lacrimas dulcique adfatus amore est:
'infelix Dido, verus mihi nuntius ergo
venerat exstinctam ferroque extrema secutam?
funeris heu tibi causa fui? per sidera iuro,
per superos et si qua fides tellure sub ima est, 10
inuitus, regina, tuo de litore cessi.
In line 8, there is an example of which of the following?
Synchesis
Simile
Chiasmus
Litotes
Chiasmus
In line 8, the phrase "exstinctam ferroque extrema secutam" is an example of chiasmus. In these words, the A-B-B-A pattern (in this case, accusative-ablative-ablative-accusative) that is characteristic of a chiasmus is present.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.450-460)
Example Question #592 : Ap Latin Language
Vivamus mea Lesbia, atque amemus,
rumoresque senum severiorum
omnes unius aestimemus assis!
soles occidere et redire possunt:
nobis cum semel occidit brevis lux, 5
nox est perpetua una dormienda.
da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum.
dein, cum milia multa fecerimus, 10
conturbabimus illa, ne sciamus,
aut ne quis malus invidere possit,
cum tantum sciat esse basiorum.
What literary device is present in the underlined selection?
Pleonasm
Chiasmus
Prolepsis
Tmesis
Chiasmus
In the phrase "rumoresque senum severiorum omnes," we see that the cases of the words are in the order accusative plural, genitive plura, genitive plural, accusative plural. This A-B-B-A structure is typical of chiasmus.
Passage adapted from "Catullus 5" by Catullus.
Example Question #3 : Literary Device Identification
vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta sua est?
cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo,
attenuat nervos proximus ille meos;
nec mihi materia est numeris levioribus apta,
aut puer aut longas compta puella comas.' 5
Questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta
legit in exitium spicula facta meum,
lunavitque genu sinuosum fortiter arcum,
'quod' que 'canas, vates, accipe' dixit 'opus!'
Me miserum! certas habuit puer ille sagittas. 10
uror, et in vacuo pectore regnat Amor.
Sex mihi surgat opus numeris, in quinque residat:
ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis!
cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto,
Musa, per undenos emodulanda pedes! 15
The underlined portion contains an example of __________________.
Chiasmus
Onomatopeia
Metonymy
Alliteration
Chiasmus
The words versu...primo are an example of chiasmus. These words are arranged in an ABBA order (ablative sing - nominative sing - nominative sing - ablative sing). Alliteration is a repitition of a sound in the beginning of a word, metonymy is using one word as a substitute for another, and onomatopeia is the use of a word that represents a sound.
Passage adapted from Amores by Ovid, I. 1-15
Example Question #1 : Literary Device Identification
vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta sua est?
cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo,
attenuat nervos proximus ille meos;
nec mihi materia est numeris levioribus apta,
aut puer aut longas compta puella comas.' 5
Questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta
legit in exitium spicula facta meum,
lunavitque genu sinuosum fortiter arcum,
'quod' que 'canas, vates, accipe' dixit 'opus!'
Me miserum! certas habuit puer ille sagittas. 10
uror, et in vacuo pectore regnat Amor.
Sex mihi surgat opus numeris, in quinque residat:
ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis!
cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto,
Musa, per undenos emodulanda pedes! 15
The underlined portion contains an example of ___________________.
Simile
Hyperbole
Chiasmus
Apostrophe
Chiasmus
The words longas...comas is an example of chiasmus. It is arranged in an ABBA structure (accusative pl - nominative sing - nominative sing - accusative pl). "Apostrophe" is when the speaker speaks to someone who is not present, "hyperbole" is an overstatement of something for emphasis (exaggeration), and a "simile" is a comparison using like or as (ut).
Passage adapted from Amores by Ovid, I. 16-30
Example Question #593 : Ap Latin Language
Arma gravi numero violentaque bella parabam
edere, materia conveniente modis.
par erat inferior versus—risisse Cupido
dicitur atque unum surripuisse pedem.
'Quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?
Pieridum vates, non tua turba sumus.
quid, si praeripiat flavae Venus arma Minervae,
ventilet accensas flava Minerva faces?
quis probet in silvis Cererem regnare iugosis,
lege pharetratae Virginis arva coli?
crinibus insignem quis acuta cuspide Phoebum
instruat, Aoniam Marte movente lyram?
sunt tibi magna, puer, nimiumque potentia regna;
cur opus adfectas, ambitiose, novum?
an, quod ubique, tuum est? tua sunt Heliconia tempe?
The underlined portion is an example of __________.
Synchesis
Enjambment
Chiasmus
Tmesis
Chiasmus
The underlined portion ("arma . . . violentaque") is an example of chiasmus. It has the ABBA structure of a chiamus (accusative pl - dative sing - dative sing - accusative pl). Note that sychesis has a ABAB structure, enjambment is the continuation of a sentence/phrase onto another line, and tmesis is the separation of a compound word into two parts.
The correct choice is "chiasmus."
(Passage adapted from Amores by Ovid, I.1–15)
Example Question #1 : Hyperbaton
vix etiam Phoebo iam lyra tuta sua est?
cum bene surrexit versu nova pagina primo,
attenuat nervos proximus ille meos;
nec mihi materia est numeris levioribus apta,
aut puer aut longas compta puella comas.' 5
Questus eram, pharetra cum protinus ille soluta
legit in exitium spicula facta meum,
lunavitque genu sinuosum fortiter arcum,
'quod' que 'canas, vates, accipe' dixit 'opus!'
Me miserum! certas habuit puer ille sagittas. 10
uror, et in vacuo pectore regnat Amor.
Sex mihi surgat opus numeris, in quinque residat:
ferrea cum vestris bella valete modis!
cingere litorea flaventia tempora myrto,
Musa, per undenos emodulanda pedes! 15
The pharetra cum in line 6 is an example of ___________________.
tmesis
metaphor
hyperbaton
litotes
hyperbaton
The words pharetra cum present the reader with an inversion of the normal word order (usually, the preposition should appear before its object in Latin). This is called hyperbaton. "Litotes" is when a negative is used to express a strong positive, a "metaphor" is a comparison without the word like/as (ut), and "tmesis" is the separation of a compound word into two parts.
Passage adapted from Amores by Ovid, I. 16-30
Example Question #594 : Ap Latin Language
Hinc via Tartarei quae fert Acherontis ad undas.
turbidus hic caeno vastaque voragine gurges
aestuat atque omnem Cocyto eructat harenam.
Portitor has horrendus aquas et flumina servat
terribili squalore Charon, cui plurima mento 5
canities inculta iacet, stant lumina flamma,
sordidus ex umeris nodo dependet amictus.
Ipse ratem conto subigit velisque ministrat
et ferruginea subvectat corpora cumba,
iam senior, sed cruda deo viridisque senectus. 10
Huc omnis turba ad ripas effusa ruebat,
matres atque viri defunctaque corpora vita
magnanimum heroum, pueri innuptaeque puellae,
impositique rogis iuvenes ante ora parentum . . .
Line 4 has an example of __________.
litotes
pleonasm
chiasmus
synchysis
synchysis
Synchysis is the intentional scattering of words throughout a sentence. In Latin, this is normally presented in the pattern A-B-A-B, as opposed to chiasmus' A-B-B-A pattern. In this sentence, the pattern is nominative, accusative, nominative, accusative.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.295-308)
Example Question #1 : Semantic Devices
Hinc via Tartarei quae fert Acherontis ad undas.
turbidus hic caeno vastaque voragine gurges
aestuat atque omnem Cocyto eructat harenam.
Portitor has horrendus aquas et flumina servat
terribili squalore Charon, cui plurima mento 5
canities inculta iacet, stant lumina flamma,
sordidus ex umeris nodo dependet amictus.
Ipse ratem conto subigit velisque ministrat
et ferruginea subvectat corpora cumba,
iam senior, sed cruda deo viridisque senectus. 10
Huc omnis turba ad ripas effusa ruebat,
matres atque viri defunctaque corpora vita
magnanimum heroum, pueri innuptaeque puellae,
impositique rogis iuvenes ante ora parentum . . .
The use of "ora" in line 14 is an example of __________.
metonymy
apostrophe
personification
anastrophe
metonymy
The word "ora" is being used to refer to the faces of the parents in this sentence. This substitution of an attribute or part of something to refer to the whole is called "metonymy."
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.295-308)
Example Question #2 : Semantic Devices
saepe pater dixit: 'generum mihi, filia, debes,'
saepe pater dixit: 'debes mihi, nata, nepotes';
illa velut crimen taedas exosa iugales
pulchra verecundo suffuderat ora rubore
inque patris blandis haerens cervice lacertis 5
'da mihi perpetua, genitor carissime,' dixit
'virginitate frui! dedit hoc pater ante Dianae.'
ille quidem obsequitur, sed te decor iste quod optas
esse vetat, votoque tuo tua forma repugnat:
Phoebus amat visaeque cupit conubia Daphnes, 10
quodque cupit, sperat, suaque illum oracula fallunt,
utque leves stipulae demptis adolentur aristis,
ut facibus saepes ardent, quas forte viator
vel nimis admovit vel iam sub luce reliquit,
sic deus in flammas abiit, sic pectore toto 15
uritur et sterilem sperando nutrit amorem.
The use of "ora" (line 4) is an example of __________.
Metonymy
Pleonasm
Metaphor
Synchesis
Metonymy
"Ora," literally translated as mouth, is being used here to refer to the entire face of the girl in this passage. This use of a part of something in order to refer to the whole is an example of metonymy.
(Adapted from Metamorphoses by Ovid, 1.481-496)
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