Literary Devices

Question 1

allusion

Answer 1

a reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the writer but relies on the reader’s familiarity with what is mentioned

Question 2

diction

Answer 2

the specific word choice an author uses

Question 3

flashback

Answer 3

a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time

Question 4

foreshadowing

Answer 4

a technique used to give clues to coming events in a narrative

Question 5

irony

Answer 5

contrast between expectation and reality, said and meant, expected to happen and actually happens, appears to be true and actually true

Question 6

mood

Answer 6

a story’s atmosphere or the feeling it evokes in the reader

Question 7

paradox

Answer 7

a statement or situation that seems to be a contradiction but reveals a truth

Question 8

point of view

Answer 8

the vantage point from which a writer tells a story

• omniscient
• first person
• third person

Question 9

satire

Answer 9

the use of ridicule or scorn to expose human weakness

Question 10

symbolism

Answer 10

attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships

Question 11

tone

Answer 11

the writer’s attitude toward the reader, a subject, or a character