Literary Devices Flashcards
- What is the main purpose of an allegory?
a) To create suspense
b) To tell a story with a hidden meaning
c) To entertain with humor
d) To use only fictional characters
To tell a story with a hidden meaning
- Which of the following is an example of a fable?
a) The Prodigal Son
b) The Good Samaritan
c) Animal Farm
d) Romeo and Juliet
c) Animal Farm
What lesson does The Tortoise and the Hare teach?
a) The importance of honesty
b) The value of perseverance
c) The danger of greed
d) The power of friendship
The value of perseverance
- Apostrophe is a figure of speech that:
a) Directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or object
b) Uses excessive exaggeration
c) Compares two unlike things using “like” or “as”
d) Tells a moral lesson
a) Directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or object
- Which of the following lines from Macbeth is an example of apostrophe?
a) “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”
b) “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”
c) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
d) “Out, out, brief candle!”
b) “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”
- What is bathos in literature?
a) A sudden shift from serious to ridiculous tone
b) A long, dramatic monologue
c) A story with multiple narrators
d) A comparison between two opposite ideas
a) A sudden shift from serious to ridiculous tone
- Which author used bathos intentionally in The Rape of the Lock?
a) William Shakespeare
b) Alexander Pope
c) Jane Austen
d) John Milton
b) Alexander Pope
Conceit
- Conceit is a type of:
a) Apostrophe
b) Extended metaphor
c) Hyperbole
d) Juxtaposition
b) Extended metaphor
In A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, John Donne compares lovers to:
a) Stars in the sky
b) Twin compasses
c) A tree and its roots
d) A lock and key
b) Twin compasses
Circumlocution
- Circumlocution is best described as:
a) The repetition of a phrase for emphasis
b) The use of excessive words to describe something simple
c) A dramatic irony in storytelling
d) A sudden interruption in dialogue
b) The use of excessive words to describe something simple
- Which of the following is an example of circumlocution?
a) “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” (from Harry Potter)
b) “To be or not to be”
c) “The best of times, the worst of times”
d) “All for one, and one for all”
a) “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”
- What is chiasmus?
a) A figure of speech that repeats words in reverse order
b) A form of understatement
c) A metaphor extended throughout a text
d) A form of irony
a) A figure of speech that repeats words in reverse order
- Which of these is an example of chiasmus?
a) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
b) “To be or not to be”
c) “The pen is mightier than the sword”
d) “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
a) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
- What is a diacope?
a) A repeated word with intervening words in between
b) A long, descriptive metaphor
c) The contrast of opposite ideas
d) The exaggeration of emotions
a) A repeated word with intervening words in between
Which of the following is an example of diacope?
a) “To be or not to be”
b) “All for one, and one for all”
c) “Out, out, brief candle!”
d) “Parting is such sweet sorrow”
a) “To be or not to be”
- Zeugma is a literary device where:
a) One word applies to two or more different words in a sentence
b) Two contradictory words are placed together
c) A phrase is repeated in reverse order
d) A single line is repeated for emphasis
: a) One word applies to two or more different words in a sentence
- Which of these is an example of zeugma?
a) “She lost her coat and her temper.”
b) “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
c) “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
d) “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
a) “She lost her coat and her temper.”
- Hyperbole is best defined as:
a) Extreme exaggeration for emphasis
b) A rhetorical question
c) A phrase with a hidden meaning
d) A character speaking to an object
a) Extreme exaggeration for emphasis
- Which of the following is an example of hyperbole?
a) “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” (Macbeth)
b) “O brawling love! O loving hate!”
c) “Et tu, Brute?”
d) “To be or not to be”
a) “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
- What is the purpose of juxtaposition in literature?
a) To compare two similar things
b) To place contrasting ideas side by side
c) To create a humorous effect
d) To provide background information
b) To place contrasting ideas side by side
- In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, what is juxtaposed?
a) Light and darkness
b) Good and evil within one person
c) A hero and a villain
d) Heaven and Hell
: b) Good and evil within one person
In Animal Farm, what do the animals symbolize?
a) Farm animals in real life
b) Political figures and societal classes
c) The struggles of rural farmers
d) The importance of animal rights
b) Political figures and societal classes
The Good Samaritan teaches:
a) The value of patience
b) The importance of helping others regardless of their background
c) The consequences of greed
d) The power of perseverance
b) The importance of helping others regardless of their background
In Death, Be Not Proud, how does John Donne personify death?
a) As a powerful ruler
b) As a weak and powerless entity
c) As a divine being
d) As a tragic figure
b) As a weak and powerless entity
In Frankenstein, what does Victor Frankenstein address in an apostrophe?
a) His mother’s spirit
b) The stars, clouds, and wind
c) His journal
d) His friend Henry Clerval
b) The stars, clouds, and wind
In The Rape of the Lock, how does Alexander Pope use bathos?
a) By comparing a lock of hair to a tragic loss
b) By depicting an epic battle between nobles
c) By using exaggerated metaphors about love
d) By making fun of the protagonist’s intelligence
a) By comparing a lock of hair to a tragic loss
How does Jane Austen use bathos in Northanger Abbey?
a) By making the protagonist’s fears seem exaggerated and comical
b) By including a tragic love story
c) By comparing real-life events to fairy tales
d) By writing in overly dramatic language
a) By making the protagonist’s fears seem exaggerated and comical
In A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, John Donne compares lovers to:
a) A pair of birds
b) A drafting compass
c) A candle and its flame
d) A river and the sea
b) A drafting compass
How does The Flea use conceit?
a) By comparing a flea to a marriage bond
b) By describing a flea as a deadly creature
c) By using a flea as a symbol of sin
d) By portraying the flea as a symbol of love lost
a) By comparing a flea to a marriage bond
- Why is Voldemort referred to as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?
a) To emphasize his feared presence
b) To show respect for his power
c) To make fun of his character
d) To avoid confusion with another character
a) To emphasize his feared presence-circumlocution
How does Shakespeare use circumlocution in Sonnet 18?
a) To describe the beauty of a loved one indirectly
b) To compare time to a thief
c) To discuss the inevitability of death
d) To criticize societal expectations
a) To describe the beauty of a loved one indirectly
Which of the following lines from Paradise Lost is an example of chiasmus?
a) “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven”
b) “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven”
c) “Sing, Heavenly Muse”
d) “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions”
b) “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven”
What does the phrase “All for one and one for all” from The Three Musketeers illustrate?
a) Apostrophe
b) Chiasmus
c) Bathos
d) Hyperbole
b) Chiasmus
- Which of the following is an example of diacope?
a) “I hate to be poor, and we are degradingly poor, offensively poor, miserably poor, beastly poor.”
b) “To be or not to be, that is the question.”
c) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
d) “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
a) “I hate to be poor, and we are degradingly poor, offensively poor, miserably poor, beastly poor.”
Which of the following is an example of zeugma?
a) “She lost her keys and her temper.”
b) “Out, out, brief candle!”
c) “All the world’s a stage.”
d) “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
“She lost her keys and her temper.”
. How does Groucho Marx use zeugma in Duck Soup?
a) By making wordplay between time and fruit
b) By exaggerating a tragic event
c) By making a joke about war
d) By playing with metaphorical languag
a) By making wordplay between time and fruit
In Macbeth, what is exaggerated in the line “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
a) Macbeth’s guilt
b) His love for Lady Macbeth
c) His fear of battle
d) His respect for the king
Macbeth’s guilt
What is being exaggerated in The Odyssey when Homer describes “Rosy-fingered dawn”?
a) The color of the sunrise
b) The strength of Odysseus
c) The danger of the sea
d) The wisdom of the gods
a) The color of the sunrise
How does A Tale of Two Cities use juxtaposition?
a) By contrasting the best and worst of times
b) By showing two characters who are identical
c) By describing a single event from two perspectives
d) By using metaphorical language to describe a city
By contrasting the best and worst of times
How does Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde use juxtaposition?
a) By showing the dual nature of humanity
b) By contrasting love and hate
c) By focusing on a single tragic character
d) By describing a beautiful city alongside a dark underworld
a) By showing the dual nature of humanity
What contrast is shown in Paradise Lost when describing Heaven and Hell?
a) Light vs. Darkness
b) War vs. Peace
c) Love vs. Hate
d) Good vs. Evil
a) Light vs. Darkness
How does Satan express defiance in Paradise Lost?
a) By choosing to reign in Hell rather than serve in Heaven
b) By seeking redemption from God
c) By helping Adam and Eve
d) By refusing to acknowledge his punishment
By choosing to reign in Hell rather than serve in Heaven
