Literary devices

Question 1

Simile

Answer 1

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.

Ex: My food is cold as ice.

Question 2

Protagonist

Answer 2

A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story.

Ex:Max out of Rodman Philbrick’s novel Freak the mighty.

Question 3

Irony

Answer 3

Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.

Ex:The name of Britain’s biggest dog was “Tiny”.

Question 4

Personification

Answer 4

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.

Ex:The fire swallowed the entire forest.

Question 5

Prefix

Answer 5

a word, letter, or number placed before another.

Ex:Pre-before, prefix

Question 6

Pun

Answer 6

A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.

Ex: Frog parking only all others will be toad.

Question 7

Setting

Answer 7

Setting is an environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place. It may provide particular information about placement and timing, such as New York, America, in the year 1820. Setting could be simply descriptive like a lonely cottage on a mountain. Social conditions, historical time, geographical locations, weather, immediate surroundings, and timing are all different aspects of setting. It has its three major components; social environment, place and time.

Ex: a lonely cottage on the mountain

Question 8

Hyperbole

Answer 8

Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

Ex:At the park there were thousands of kids.

Question 9

Plot

Answer 9

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

Ex:Among the examples of plot in modern literature, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (written by J.K. Rowling) is probably the most familiar to both readers and moviegoers. The plot of the story begins when Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Professor lets loose a troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends.

Question 10

Suffix

Answer 10

a morpheme added at the end of a word to form a derivative

Ex:-ble means capable of, or worthy of

Question 11

Imagery

Answer 11

Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

Ex:It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.

Question 12

Conflict

Answer 12

In literature, a conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist.

Ex:Hamlet’s internal conflict is the main conflict in William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. This internal conflict decides his tragic downfall.

Question 13

Stanza

Answer 13

In poetry, a stanza is a division of four or more lines having a fixed length, meter or rhyming scheme.

Ex:English language poems have the following kinds of stanzas: Couplet,Tercet,Quatrain,Quintain, and Sestet

Question 14

Satire

Answer 14

Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.

Ex:A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption.

Question 15

Climax

Answer 15

Climax, a Greek term meaning “ladder”, is that particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point.

Ex:In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, the story reaches its climax in Act 3. In the first scene of the act, Romeo challenges Tybalt to a duel after he (Tybalt) killed Mercutio

Question 16

Rhyme

Answer 16

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounding words occurring at the end of lines in poems or songs.

Ex:Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full! One for the master, one for the dame, And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.

Question 17

Literary devices

Answer 17

a technique a writer uses to produce a special effect in their writing. An example of a literary device is a flashback.

Ex:an analogy

Question 18

Metaphor

Answer 18

Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.

Ex:My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too angry.)

Question 19

Narrative writing

Answer 19

Narrative is a report of related events presented to the listeners or readers in words arranged in a logical sequence.

Ex:“Animal Farm” by George Orwell is a modern narrative example that aim at extending a writer’s political views. It is a form of narrative known as a political satire. It uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW II.

Question 20

Argumentative writing

Answer 20

given to expressing divergent or opposite views.

Question 21

Theme

Answer 21

Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

Ex:Love and friendship are frequently occurring themes in literature. They generate emotional twists and turns in a narrative and can lead to a variety of endings: happy, sad or bittersweet.

Question 22

Symbolism

Answer 22

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

Ex:In our daily life, we can easily identify objects, which can be taken as examples of symbol such as the following:
The dove is a symbol of peace.
A red rose or red color stands for love or romance.

Question 23

Authors purpose

Answer 23

An author’s purpose is the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic.

Question 24

Point of view

Answer 24

a particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

Ex: you can see the world from different peoples points o view in books

Question 25

Ways to excel a star testing

Answer 25

1. Read the question and answers twice then answer
2. Think about what you talked about in the classroom
3. Take your time!!!