elements of fiction

Question 1

What is a genre?

Answer 1

One of the types of categories into which literary works are divided

Question 2

List the major genres of literature.

Answer 2

• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Poetry
• Drama

Question 3

Define fiction.

Answer 3

Tells an invented or imaginary story

Question 4

What is a novel?

Answer 4

Long work of fiction with an involved plot, many characters, and numerous settings

Question 5

What is a short story?

Answer 5

Brief work of fiction that develops a plot, characters, setting, mood, and theme in relatively few pages

Question 6

Define novella.

Answer 6

Short novel or long short story

Question 7

What is a plot?

Answer 7

Series of events related to a central conflict or struggle

Question 8

What are the components of a plot?

Answer 8

• Exposition/Introduction
• Rising action
• Climax/Crisis
• Falling action
• Resolution/dénouement

Question 9

What does exposition/introductory phase do in a plot?

Answer 9

Sets the tone or mood, introduces characters and setting, and provides necessary background information

Question 10

What is the rising action in a plot?

Answer 10

Conflict is developed and intensified

Question 11

Define climax/crisis.

Answer 11

High point of interest or suspense in a literary work, also known as the turning point

Question 12

What occurs during falling action?

Answer 12

Consists of all events that follow the climax, where tensions ease and conflict begins to be resolved

Question 13

What is resolution/dénouement?

Answer 13

Point at which the central conflict is ended or resolved; loose ends are tied

Question 14

Define character in literature.

Answer 14

Individual that takes part in the action of a literary work

Question 15

What is a protagonist?

Answer 15

The most important character in the work who is in conflict with the antagonist

Question 16

What is a minor character?

Answer 16

Plays lesser roles but helps support the plot

Question 17

Define flat character.

Answer 17

Shows only one quality or trait

Question 18

What is a round character?

Answer 18

Shows the multiple character traits of a real person

Question 19

Define static character.

Answer 19

Does not change during the course of the action

Question 20

What is a dynamic character?

Answer 20

Changes throughout the story

Question 21

Who is the antagonist?

Answer 21

Character or force in opposition or in conflict with the protagonist

Question 22

Define characterization.

Answer 22

The act of creating or describing a character

Question 23

What is direct characterization?

Answer 23

The writer tells what the character is like

Question 24

Define indirect characterization.

Answer 24

The writer shows what a character is like and allows the reader to judge the character

Question 25

List techniques of characterization.

Answer 25

* Showing what characters say, do, or think * Showing what characters say or think about them * Describing physical features, dress, and personality

Question 26

What is setting in literature?

Answer 26

Time and place in which a literary work occurs, along with details to create a sense of a particular time and place

Question 27

How is setting often revealed in fiction?

Answer 27

* Description of landscape * Scenery * Buildings * Furniture * Clothing * Weather * Season

Question 28

Define conflict in literature.

Answer 28

Struggle between two forces in a literary work

Question 29

What is an internal conflict?

Answer 29

The main character struggles against some elements within him or herself

Question 30

Give examples of external conflict.

Answer 30

* Character vs. character * Character vs. nature * Character vs. society * Character vs. technology * Character vs. the supernatural

Question 31

What is point of view in literature?

Answer 31

Vantage point or perspective from which a story is told

Question 32

Define first-person point of view.

Answer 32

The story is told by someone who participates in or witnesses the action

Question 33

What is second-person point of view?

Answer 33

The narrator directly addresses the reader

Question 34

Define third-person point of view.

Answer 34

The narrator stands outside of the action of the story and observes

Question 35

What is limited point of view?

Answer 35

The narrator only sees into the mind of one character

Question 36

Define omniscient point of view.

Answer 36

The narrator sees into the mind of all characters

Question 37

What is a reliable narrator?

Answer 37

A narrator that can be trusted and provides accurate information

Question 38

Define unreliable narrator.

Answer 38

A narrator who cannot be trusted and may mislead readers

Question 39

What is a theme in literature?

Answer 39

Central message or perception about life revealed through a literary work

Question 40

What is a stated theme?

Answer 40

Theme that is presented directly

Question 41

Define implied theme.

Answer 41

Theme that must be inferred

Question 42

What is a universal theme?

Answer 42

A message about life that can be understood by people of most cultures

Question 43

What is foreshadowing?

Answer 43

Technique of hinting at events that will occur later in the story

Question 44

Define flashback.

Answer 44

Interrupts the chronological sequence of a literary work to present an earlier event

Question 45

What is mood/atmosphere in literature?

Answer 45

Emotion created in the reader by part or all of a literary work

Question 46

Define imagery.

Answer 46

Descriptive words and phrases that recreate sensory experiences for the reader

Question 47

What is irony?

Answer 47

Difference between appearance and reality

Question 48

What is verbal irony?

Answer 48

Occurs when a writer or character says one thing but means another

Question 49

Define situational irony.

Answer 49

Occurs when an event violates the expectations of characters, readers, or audience

Question 50

What is a symbol in literature?

Answer 50

Anything that stands for or represents both itself and something else

Question 51

Define conventional symbol.

Answer 51

A symbol with traditional, widely recognized associations