Direct Hits 7 Rhetorical, Literary Terms

Question 1

simile

Answer 1

an explicit figure of speech that is a comparison between two essentially unlike things, usually using the words “like” or “as,” which points out a figurative way that the two things are alike

Question 2

figurative/metaphorical language

Answer 2

a general term referring to language that describes a thing in terms of something else; the resemblance is figurative, not literal, as the reader is carried beyond the literal meaning to consider the nuances and connotations of the words used in the comparison

Question 3

metaphor

Answer 3

in its more narrow sense, a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another using an implicit or implied comparison, without the use of “like” or “as”

Question 4

personification

Answer 4

a figure of speech in which an inanimate object is given human qualities or abilities

Question 5

parallelism/parallel structure

Answer 5

a rhetorical device or syntactical construction which involves using matching grammatical patterns to establish the equivalent relationship or importance of two or more items. parallelism provides balance and authority to sentences

Question 6

irony

Answer 6

a figure of speech in which what we say or write conveys the opposite of its literal meaning

Question 7

synopsis

Answer 7

a brief summary of the major points of a thesis, theory, story or literary work; an abstract; a précis

Question 8

satire, lampoon, parody

Answer 8

a work that ridicules human vices and follies; comic criticism; note that lampoon and parody are often used as verbs meaning to ridicule

Question 9

hyperbole

Answer 9

a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; extreme exaggeration

Question 10

caricature

Answer 10

a representation in which the subject’s distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated for comic effect

Question 11

epic

Answer 11

a long narrative poem written in a grand style to celebrate the feats of a legendary hero

Question 12

saga

Answer 12

a long narrative story; a heroic tale

Question 13

foreshadowing

Answer 13

a suggestion or indication that something will happen in a story; a hint that presages

Question 14

anecdote

Answer 14

a short account of an interesting or humorous incident

Question 15

eulogy

Answer 15

a laudatory speech or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has died

Question 16

allusion

Answer 16

an indirect or brief reference to a person, event, place, phrase, piece of art, or literary work that assumes a common knowledge with the reader or listener