Fall Semester Final Review Guide Flashcards
taut
stretched or pulled tight; not slack.
(of writing, music, etc.) concise and controlled.
density
the degree of compactness of a substance
spheres
a round solid figure, or its surface, with every point on its surface equidistant from its center.
an area of activity, interest, or expertise; a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic.
abated
(of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread.
cause to become smaller or less intense
lessen, reduce, or remove (especially a nuisance).
incompatibility
not compatible; unable to exist together in harmony:
contrary or opposed in character; discordant:
lustrous
having luster; shining.
incandescent
emitting light as a result of being heated.
passionate or brilliant.
dubious
hesitating or doubting.
not to be relied upon; suspect.
foreshadowing
be a warning or indication of (a future event).
narration
the action or process of narrating a story.
a commentary delivered to accompany a movie, broadcast, etc.
climax
a structural part of a plot and is at times referred to as a crisis. It is a decisive moment or a turning point in a storyline at which the rising action turns around into a falling action.
conflict
a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
dialogue
a literary technique in which writers employ two or more characters to be engaged in conversation with each other. In literature, it is a conversational passage or a spoken or written exchange of conversation in a group or between two persons directed towards a particular subject
suspense
a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.
flashback
a scene in a movie, novel, etc., set in a time earlier than the main story.
a sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past, typically as the result of psychological trauma or taking LSD.
setting
the environment in which a story or event takes place. can include specific information about time and place (e.g. Boston, Massachusetts, in 1809) or can simply be descriptive (eg. a lonely farmhouse on a dark night).
mood
the atmosphere or pervading tone of something, especially a work of art.
synthesizing
combine (a number of things) into a coherent whole.
takes the process of summarizing one step further. Instead of just restating the important points from text, synthesizing involves combining ideas and allowing an evolving understanding of text.
creating original insights, perspectives, and understandings by reflecting on text(s) and merging elements from text and existing schema.
protagonist
the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
static
lacking movement, development, or vitality:
eclipsed
obscure or block out (light)
deprive (someone or something) of significance, power, or prominence
dynamic
a literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude:
antagonist
a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary
internal conflict
psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot’s suspense:
external conflict
psychological struggle within the mind of a literary or dramatic character, the resolution of which creates the plot’s suspense:
Hamlet’s inaction is caused by internal conflict.
character motivation
the reason a character acts or does something
round character
are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader
flat character
are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work
foil character
character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
omniscient point of view
character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
mood
inducing or suggestive of a particular feeling or state of mind
irony
a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.
tone
an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
analogy
a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
allusion
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance
simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid
personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
metaphor
a figure of speech that identifies something as being the same as some unrelated thing for rhetorical effect, thus highlighting the similarities between the two.
hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
