end of year 7 English Literature Test Revision keywords

Question 1

Genre

Answer 1

A type or category of literature e.g. Gothic

Question 2

Generic conventions

Answer 2

The features we would normally associate with a particular genre of writing.

Question 3

Context

Answer 3

The circumstances in which a literary text is written; the social and historical events that influence writers and their readers.

Question 4

Character

Answer 4

A person who plays a role in a narrative (story).

Question 5

Plot

Answer 5

The main events that occur in a narrative.

Question 6

Setting

Answer 6

The time and location of a narrative.

Question 7

Protagonist

Answer 7

The leading character of a short story, novel or play.

Question 8

Antagonist

Answer 8

A character in a narrative who is presented as the main enemy and rival of the protagonist.

Question 9

Archetype

Answer 9

An example of a typical character type e.g. Hero or villain.

Question 10

Narrative

Answer 10

a story

Question 11

Narrator

Answer 11

The ‘speaker’ in a narrative; the character telling the story.

Question 12

Simile

Answer 12

Comparing two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Question 13

Metaphor

Answer 13

Comparing two things by saying one is the other.

Question 14

Personification

Answer 14

Giving human qualities (e.g. emotions or actions) to non-living things.

Question 15

Pathetic fallacy

Answer 15

Using descriptions of the weather to create a specific mood.

Question 16

Onomatopoeia

Answer 16

Words that re-create the sound of the thing they are describing.

Question 17

Sensory language

Answer 17

Describing what characters can see, hear, feel, smell and taste.

Question 18

Flashback

Answer 18

A scene in a narrative that is set in a time earlier that the main events of the story.

Question 19

Foreshadowing

Answer 19

When the writer drops hints about what will happen later in the story.

Question 20

Cliffhanger

Answer 20

When the ending of a story is uncertain and the reader is left wondering what will happen.

Question 21

Cyclical structure

Answer 21

A narrative that follows a circular pattern with an ending that connects back to the beginning (e.g. starts and ends in the same place or with the same events).

Question 22

Scene

Answer 22

A section of a play which is set in one time or place:)

Question 23

Dialogue

Answer 23

The words spoken by between characters in a play.

Question 24

Stage directions

Answer 24

Instructions in a play script that show how actors move and speak on stage. They are also used to describe the set and lighting.

Question 25

Staging

Answer 25

The way in which plays are presented on stage. This can include the set design, lighting and costumes.