Lit Terms #31 - 60

Question 0

Cacophony

Answer 0

Succession of harsh, discordant sounds in prose or verse to achieve a specific effect

Question 1

Blank Verse

Answer 1

Un rhymed iambic pentameter

Question 2

Caesura

Answer 2

A pause in a line of verse, usually near the middle of the line

Question 3

Characteristic

Answer 3

The process by which the writer reveals the personalities of the characters; direct statement, physical description, dialogue, thoughts and feelings, actions, effect on others, others’ reactions

Question 4

Chiasmus (antimetabole)

Answer 4

Sentence strategy in which the arrangement of ideas in the second clause is reversal of the first

Question 5

Circular Reasoning

Answer 5

Trying to prove one idea with another idea that is too similar to the first idea

Question 6

Clause

Answer 6

A group of words with a subject and a verb; may be independent (main) or dependent (subordinate); a subordinate clause may function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence

Question 7

Climax

Answer 7

The decisive or turning point in a story or play when the action changes course and begins to resolve itself

Question 8

Closed Couplet

Answer 8

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and represent a complete thought

Question 9

Colloquialism

Answer 9

The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing; not generally acceptable in formal writing; colloquialisms create a conversational tone

Question 10

Comic Relief

Answer 10

Something said or done that provides a break from the seriousness of the work

Question 11

Conceit

Answer 11

A juxtaposition that makes a surprising connection between two seemingly different things

Question 12

Conclusion

Answer 12

A reaffirmation or restatement of the thesis; also expresses a final thought about a subject, summarizes main points, uses a quotation, predicts an outcome, makes an evaluation, or recommends a course of action

Question 13

Confessional Poetry

Answer 13

Poetry that uses intimate and painful, disturbing or sad material from the poet’s life

Question 14

Conflict

Answer 14

Internal or external tension created by the the struggle or by the outcome of the struggle

Question 15

Connotative Language

Answer 15

Words which have an implied meaning, emphasizing feelings or subjectivity that surrounds the word

Question 16

Contrast

Answer 16

A literary technique in which the author examines two opposites to create an attitude, to accomplish a purpose or effect, or to make an assertion

Question 17

Control of a Wide Range of the Elements of Writing

Answer 17

Mature diction, varied syntax, and effective organization to convey a clear and insightful evaluation, analysis, impression, or assertion

Question 18

Couplet

Answer 18

Two lines of poetry

Question 19

Dactyl

Answer 19

A metrical foot with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

Question 20

Deduction

Answer 20

Arriving at a conclusion by making an inference from the premise

Question 21

Denotative Language

Answer 21

The literal, dictionary definition of a word, emphasizing an objective tone

Question 22

Denouement

Answer 22

Resolution of the plot

Question 23

Description

Answer 23

Using vivid words to create a dominant impression of what the five senses are experiencing

Question 24

Dialogue

Answer 24

Conversation between two or more characters

Question 25

Diction

Answer 25

Word choice

Question 26

Didactic

Answer 26

A work in which the author’s primary purpose is to instruct, teach, or moralize

Question 27

Digression

Answer 27

Use of material unrelated to the subject of the work

Question 28

Dilemma

Answer 28

A type of conflict in which both choices have negative connotations

Question 29

Dramatic Monologue

Answer 29

A poem in which the speaker addresses one or more listeners who remain silent or whose replies are not revealed