final exam literary terms

Question 1

epic hero

Answer 1

a person with a supernatural power or something special like a special birth or power, a flaw is also present, and the hero is courageous

Question 2

epic

Answer 2

a long poem that tells an epic story of a long journey with lots of trials and tribulations, centers around an epic hero

Question 3

alliteration

Answer 3

a repeated consonant at the beginning of words

Question 4

compounding

Answer 4

combining two words to make a new word

Question 5

kenning

Answer 5

a compact metaphor that functions as a name or epithet

Question 6

formal language

Answer 6

metered rhyme scheme

Question 7

epithet

Answer 7

a descriptive phrase

Question 8

pagan

Answer 8

a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world

Question 9

allusion

Answer 9

references to another work of literature i.e. the bible, mythology

Question 10

consonance

Answer 10

the repetition of consonants in a short sequence of words often at the end of words ex. “is it blunt and flat”

Question 11

basic situation (exposition)

Answer 11

tells us who the characters are and usually what their conflict is

Question 12

inciting incident

Answer 12

the event that sets the plot in motion

Question 13

rising action (complications)

Answer 13

complications arose when the characters take steps to resolve the conflict

Question 14

climax

Answer 14

the most exciting moment in the story, when the outcome is decided one way or another

Question 15

falling action

Answer 15

the events following the climax and leading up to the resolution

Question 16

resolution (denouement)

Answer 16

the conflict is solved and the story is brought to a close

Question 17

conflict

Answer 17

the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story

Question 18

internal conflict

Answer 18

the struggle between opposing forces within a character’s mind (person vs. self)

Question 19

external conflict

Answer 19

the struggle between a character and a opposing force

Question 20

first person

Answer 20

narration by the main character or “I”

Question 21

omniscient

Answer 21

narration by a all knowing observer and can see into the hearts and minds of all characters

Question 22

third person

Answer 22

narration by an all knowing observer but limited to what one of the characters can see, hear, know, or experience

Question 23

protagonist

Answer 23

the main character who faces a problem and everyone is standing behind

Question 24

anatagonist

Answer 24

a force in a story that opposes the protagonist in a negative way

Question 25

character

Answer 25

a person in a story, an animal or object also

Question 26

consistent character

Answer 26

a character who’s actions and decisions are keeping with that the author led to expect

Question 27

dynamic character

Answer 27

a character who changes and develops throughout the course of a work of fiction

Question 28

static character

Answer 28

a character who does not change or develop over the course of a novel

Question 29

stereotype

Answer 29

a generally accepted ice of how a certain type of person should act or be

Question 30

plot

Answer 30

a series of events in a story

Question 31

setting

Answer 31

the time and place in which story takes place

Question 32

theme

Answer 32

an idea, general truth, or commentary on life brought out during a story

Question 33

symbol

Answer 33

an object that has meaning in and itself that stands for or represents an idea, person, belief,superstition

Question 34

moral

Answer 34

a lesson taught by a literary work

Question 35

compare

Answer 35

similar things brought together

Question 36

contrast

Answer 36

different aspects brought together

Question 37

flashback

Answer 37

an interruption of present time to go back to the present

Question 38

foreshadowing

Answer 38

dropping of important hints by the author to prepare the reader for upcoming events

Question 39

suspense

Answer 39

a feeling of excitement, curiosity or expectation about the outcome of a work of fiction

Question 40

tone

Answer 40

a feeling conveyed by the author’s attitude toward the subject and the particular way in which he writes about it.

Question 41

mood

Answer 41

the frame of mind or state of feeling created by a piece of writing

Question 42

atomsphere

Answer 42

the overall feeling of a story conveyed in large part by the setting and or mood

Question 43

style

Answer 43

a distinctive manner in which writer uses language, his choice and argument of words

Question 44

irony

Answer 44

a mode of expression in which the author says one thing but means the opposite

Question 45

satire

Answer 45

a use of irony, ridicule, or sarcasm to expose or poke fun at individuals, cultures, etc

Question 46

narrative

Answer 46

written to tell a story

Question 47

novella

Answer 47

a short novel

Question 48

parable

Answer 48

a story that teachers you a lesson

Question 49

legend

Answer 49

a story that comes down from the past, passed on

Question 50

dramatic irony

Answer 50

the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Question 51

situational irony

Answer 51

a situation where the outcome is incongruous with what was expected, but it is also more generally understood as a situation that includes contradictions or sharp contrasts

Question 52

soliloquy

Answer 52

an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.

Question 53

homeric simile

Answer 53

also called an epic simile is a detailed comparison in the form of a simile that is many lines in length.

Question 54

foil

Answer 54

a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

Question 55

couplet

Answer 55

two lines in a verse that have the same rhyme and fit together