Literary Terms

Question 1

Satire

Answer 1

use of humor irony exaggeration or ridicule to criticize people’s stupidity or vices (making fun of people)

Question 2

Epiphany

Answer 2

Light bulb moment

Question 3

Bildungsroman

Answer 3

a novel dealing with someones formative years or spiritual education

Question 4

Catharsis

Answer 4

Relief of a strong emotion usually through an art form

Question 5

Deus Ex Machina

Answer 5

When a problem that seems unsolvable gets resolved quickly and unexpectedly

Question 6

Vignette

Answer 6

short descriptive piece of writing that captures a brief period of time

Question 7

Apostrophe

Answer 7

a speech or address to a person not present or to a personified object

Question 8

Trope

Answer 8

use of figurative language

Question 9

Pathos

Answer 9

an appeal made to an audience’s emotions in order to evoke feeling

Question 10

Motif

Answer 10

main idea/message in a text

Question 11

Iambic Pentameter

Answer 11

a line of verse with 5 metrical feet each with one short syllable followed by one long syllable

Question 12

Utopia

Answer 12

imaginary society where conditions are highly desirable/near perfect

Question 13

Euphemism

Answer 13

polite way to discuss something not nice

Question 14

Elegiac

Answer 14

like an elegy is mournful/sorrow way or in elegy verses

Question 15

Canon/Canonical

Answer 15

a body of books from a period of time deemed important and influential

Question 16

Allusion

Answer 16

an indirect passive reference to a famous thing

Question 17

Cacophony

Answer 17

a harsh mixture of sounds

Question 18

Blank Verse

Answer 18

verse without rhyme but almost always with iambic pentameter

Question 19

Symbolism

Answer 19

the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities

Question 20

Denouement

Answer 20

conclusion after the climax of a narrative in which the complexities of the plot are unraveled and the conflict is finally resolved

Question 21

Diction

Answer 21

word choice or style of speaking that a writer uses

Question 22

Conceit

Answer 22

an unconventional or logically complex metaphor with awareness of discrepancy between appearance and reality

Question 23

Foil

Answer 23

character that contrasts with the main character usually to to highlight and differentiate features

Question 24

Allegory

Answer 24

a story poem or picture with a hidden meaning (typically moral)

Question 25

Anthropomorphism

Answer 25

the attribution of human characteristics or behaviors to an animal or object (physically)

Question 26

Subtext

Answer 26

the metaphorical meaning of a text not often clearly seen