literary terms

Question 1

antagonist

Answer 1

the character or force against which the main character is pitted

Question 2

characterization

Answer 2

refers to the techniques writers use to develop characters

4 basic methods: physical description, character’s own speechcharacter’s own speech, thoughts, feelings, actions, etc.other characters’ speech thoughts, feelings, actions, etc.narrator’s own direct comments

Question 3

climax

Answer 3

high point; turning point

Question 4

dialect

Answer 4

a form of a language that is connected to a particular geographical area or by a particular ethnic or social group

Question 5

dynamic character

Answer 5

main character that changes with the plot

Question 6

exposition

Answer 6

background information from the beginning of a/the book

Question 7

external conflict

Answer 7

conflict between: man vs. man, man vs. nature, and/or man vs. society

Question 8

falling action

Answer 8

events that occur after a/the climax

Question 9

fiction

Answer 9

made up or not real; can be based on actual events or people; two major types are short stories and novels

Question 10

first person point of view (POV)

Answer 10

told from the perpective of a character

Question 11

flat characters

Answer 11

characters who are described more simply

Question 12

flashback

Answer 12

pausing the story to go back in time to something that already occured

Question 13

foil

Answer 13

a character who provides a striking contrast to another character

Question 14

foreshadowing

Answer 14

things that may give a hint of what’s to come later in the narrative

Question 15

genre

Answer 15

type of book or style a book is written in

Question 16

internal conflict

Answer 16

man vs. self conflict; struggle takes place within a character

Question 17

irony

Answer 17

contrast between what is expected and what actually exists/happens; can be situational, verbal, and/or dramatic

Question 18

mood

Answer 18

how the reader feels while reading a passage/story/book; many different techniques are used to form

Question 19

plot

Answer 19

events that occur in a book/story/novel/passage

Question 20

protagonist

Answer 20

main character

Question 21

resolution

Answer 21

the ending of a story; clarification of the plot; comes after falling action

Question 22

rising action

Answer 22

events leading up to a/the climax

Question 23

round character

Answer 23

character whose many traitsare revealed by the author

Question 24

satire

Answer 24

literary technique in which ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society

Question 25

setting

Answer 25

where and when something occurs; time AND place; a main element

Question 26

short story

Answer 26

work of fiction that contains four main elements: setting, theme, plot, and character(s); usually tells about one main character and one major conflict

Question 27

static character

Answer 27

character who remains the same throughout a story

Question 28

stereotype

Answer 28

general assumptions about certain types of things; defining by a single trait

Question 29

suspense

Answer 29

feeling on edge; tension or excitement felt by the reader

Question 30

symbolism

Answer 30

hidden meanings through other things in texts/passages/books; thing that represents something beyond itself

Question 31

theme

Answer 31

the lesson the story teaches; central idea or message in a work of literature

Question 32

third person limited point of view (POV)

Answer 32

narrator tells what only one character thinks, feels, and observes

Question 33

third person omniscient point of view (POV)

Answer 33

all knowing; sees into the minds of more than one character

Question 34

tone

Answer 34

attitude a writer takes toward a subject

Question 35

voice

Answer 35

refers to a writer’s unique use of language that allows a reader to “hear” a human personality in his or her writing

Question 36

pseudonym

Answer 36

pen name; fake name

Question 37

surprise ending

Answer 37

an unexpected turn of events at the end of a story

Question 38

rite of passage

Answer 38

signals a change from one stage of life to another - usually from childhood to adulthood

Question 39

allusion

Answer 39

reference to another literary work or to a famous person, place, or event

Question 40

simile

Answer 40

figure of speech that makes a comparison using “like” or “as”

Question 41

metaphor

Answer 41

figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that basically unlike, but have something in common

Question 42

personification

Answer 42

figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, idea, or animal