Lit Terms

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

Poem/story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

Question 2

Alliteration

Answer 2

Same sound at beginning of words

Question 3

Allusion

Answer 3

Brief and indirect reference to something w polit/lit/hist significance

Question 4

Anaphora

Answer 4

Repetition of first part of sentence

Question 5

Apostrophe

Answer 5

Extended piece of dialogue when a character speaks to someone inanimate or not present

Question 6

Antagonist

Answer 6

Character who opposes main character

Question 7

Archetype

Answer 7

Patter or model of action or character type that occurs consistently enough in lit to be considered universal

Question 8

Aside

Answer 8

Convention when actors speak to audience without being heard by other actors

Question 9

Assonance

Answer 9

Repetition of vowel sounds btwn diff consonant sounds

Question 10

Blanic verse

Answer 10

Poetry in rhymed iambic pentameter

Question 11

Cacophony

Answer 11

Harsh,clashing, or dissonant sounds produced by words w explosive consonants

Question 12

Chiasmus

Answer 12

2nd half of statement inverts order of 1st half

Question 13

Denouement

Answer 13

Final pt of story where plot lines are resolved and matters are explained

Question 14

Diction

Answer 14

Word choice and style of speaking and writing

Question 15

Didactic

Answer 15

Lit w a moral lesson for reader

Question 16

Dissonance

Answer 16

Harsh sounding or unusual words to create a disturbing effect or catch readers attention

Question 17

Dramatic irony

Answer 17

Audience understands situation but characters don’t

Question 18

End rhyme

Answer 18

Last syllables in 2 or more lines rhyme w each other

Question 19

Enjambment

Answer 19

Continuation of a sentence w out a pause beyond end of line, couplet, or stanza

Question 20

Epistolary

Answer 20

Works of lit written through series of documents like diary entries

Question 21

Epigraph

Answer 21

Short quote or saying at beginning of book or chapter to suggest theme

Question 22

Euphony

Answer 22

Tendency to make phonetic changes for ease of pronunciation

Quality of being pleasing to ear

Question 23

Euphemism

Answer 23

Mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh

Question 24

First person narrative

Answer 24

Narrator talks about self

I

Question 25

Monologue

Answer 25

Long speech by 1 character

Question 26

Oxymoron

Answer 26

2 contradicting words or phrases combined into 1 expression

Question 27

Parable

Answer 27

Short take illustrating moral lesson

Often an allegory

Question 28

Motif

Answer 28

Recurring image that appears throughout same or various works

Question 29

Omniscient narrator

Answer 29

God like or all knowing

Question 30

Onomatopoeia

Answer 30

Words that sound how they are spelled

Question 31

Imagery

Answer 31

Images through words that appeal to senses

Question 32

Internal rhyme

Answer 32

2 or more words in same line rhyme

Question 33

Juxtaposition

Answer 33

2 things w contrasting effect put together

Question 34

Limited omniscient

Answer 34

Knows thoughts of one character

Question 35

Metaphor

Answer 35

Compared w or identified as something else

Question 36

Metonymy

Answer 36

Substitution of name of related object doe subject at hand

Question 37

Paradox

Answer 37

Statement that sounds reasonable but leads to logically wrong conclusion

Question 38

Parody

Answer 38

Imitation of a style w exaggeration for comic effect

Question 39

Personification

Answer 39

Attribution of human nature or characteristics to no human

Question 40

Prose

Answer 40

Regular writing

Not poetry

Question 41

Protagonist

Answer 41

Main character

Question 42

Quatrain

Answer 42

Stanze of 4 lines

Most common

Question 43

Refrain

Answer 43

Group of lines that appears at ends of stanzas or where poem divides into diff sections

Question 44

Round character

Answer 44

Fully developed and relatable

Question 45

Satire

Answer 45

Humor, irony, ridicule, or exaggeration to expose or criticize foolishness or corruption

Question 46

Simile

Answer 46

Like

As

As if

Question 47

Situational irony

Answer 47

Contests btwn what is intended and what actually happens

Question 48

Slant rhyme

Answer 48

Approximate rhyme

Question 49

Soliloquy

Answer 49

Character speaks thoughts aloud while onstage alone

Question 50

Sonnet

Answer 50

14 line poem in iambic pentameter

Abab cdcd efef gg

Question 51

Spondee

Answer 51

Poetic foot of 2 accented syllables

Downtown

Question 52

Stock character

Answer 52

Fictional character who reps a stereotypical role

Question 53

Stream of consciousness

Answer 53

Method of narration

Describes characters thoughts and feelings in mind of character

Question 54

Syllogism

Answer 54

Form of logical thinking that joins 2 or more premises to arrive at a conclusion

Question 55

Symbol

Answer 55

Something that signifies or stands for something else

Question 56

Subtext

Answer 56

Underlying and often distinct theme in a piece of writing or conversation

Question 57

Synecdoche

Answer 57

Figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa

Workmen are hired hands

Question 58

Syntax

Answer 58

Arrangement of words or phrases to create a well formed sentence

Question 59

Tone

Answer 59

Attitude of writer towards subject or audience. Conveyed through word choice and viewpoint of writer on a subject

Question 60

Understatement

Answer 60

Makes situation seem less important or serious