Literary Terms

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Question 2

Allegory

Answer 2

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Question 3

Beast Fable

Answer 3

a prose or verse fable or short story that usually has a moral

Question 4

Allusion

Answer 4

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

Question 5

Antagonist

Answer 5

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.

Question 6

Main Character

Answer 6

A story has a central character that acts as the focus of the audience’s emotional attachment to the story.

Question 7

Minor Character

Answer 7

usually a character who’s not the protagonist or one of the main supporting characters or secondary characters

Question 8

round character

Answer 8

deep and layered character in a story

Question 9

flat character

Answer 9

a two-dimensional character lacking depth or a real personality

Question 10

dynamic character

Answer 10

a character who undergoes significant internal change throughout the course of a story.

Question 11

static character

Answer 11

a type of character who remains largely the same throughout the course of the storyline.

Question 12

stereotype character

Answer 12

an action or a characterization that is oversimplified, widely imitated, or handed down by tradition

Question 13

Chiasmus

Answer 13

a rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form

Question 14

Simile

Answer 14

Compares two unlike things using the words ‘like’, or ‘as’. For example, the dog smells like dirty socks.

Question 15

Metaphor

Answer 15

Compares two unlike things without “like” or “as.” Examples: “Coach is a cupcake” or “The altar of war.”

Question 16

Alliteration

Answer 16

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of words. It helps create effect, tone and mood within a text.

Question 17

Personification

Answer 17

An object, idea or animal is given human attributes.

Question 18

Protagonist

Answer 18

The central or leading character in a story, e.g. Harry Potter.

Question 19

Antagonist

Answer 19

A character or group of characters that oppose the protagonist.

Question 20

Foreshadowing

Answer 20

The author hints what is to come in the unfolding story. This serves to avoid disappointment or to arouse interest.

Question 21

Oxymoron

Answer 21

When two opposing words are placed side by side to create an effect. For example: pretty ugly, civil war, awfully good.

Question 22

Allusion

Answer 22

A brief or indirect reference to a person, historical event, cultural media product, the Bible, political event, or idea.

Question 23

Diction

Answer 23

The words an author uses to craft his or her work.

Question 24

Hyperbole

Answer 24

An exaggeration of an idea. For example: He has the memory of an elephant.

Question 25

Onomatopoeia

Answer 25

A word that resembles or imitates a sound.

Question 26

Point of View

Answer 26

The perspective from which a writer presents or recounts his or her story.

Question 27

First person POV

Answer 27

‘I’ or ‘we’ is used to narrate the story. For example: I walked down the road and saw a rabbit run across the road.

Question 28

Second Person POV

Answer 28

The word ‘you’ is used. The writer controls all of the information and the reader has little input into the story or information. For example: You open your eyes and the sun is already in the sky.

Question 29

Third person omniscient POV

Answer 29

The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story.

Question 30

Third person limited POV

Answer 30

The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character in a story.

Question 31

Imagery

Answer 31

Images made with words

Question 32

Symbol

Answer 32

An object that represents or stands for an idea, belief or action. A heart is a sign of love.

Question 33

Theme

Answer 33

The main topic/message of a text.

Question 34

Setting

Answer 34

The time, place, and conditions of a story

Question 35

Verbal Irony

Answer 35

Words state the opposite of what is actually happening or understood. (for example: “It’s burning up out here” - spoken when it’s freezing outside)

Question 36

Dramatic Irony

Answer 36

The audience knows more about the present or future circumstances than the characters themselves.

Question 37

Figurative Language

Answer 37

Language that conveys meaning through literary devices rather than being direct or literal. It is open to interpretation and is more poetic in style.

Question 38

Situational Irony

Answer 38

occurs when the outcome of a work is unexpected, or events turn out to be the opposite from what one had expected

Question 39

Paradox

Answer 39

a statement that seems contradictory, but may be true. “Everything I say is a lie.”

Question 40

Synecdoche

Answer 40

where a part stands for the whole. “Hey, you got new wheels!” (meaning a new car)

Question 41

Metonymy

Answer 41

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it. Like “the crown” standing for a monarchy, or “Hollywood” referring to the film industry.

Question 42

Dialogue

Answer 42

Conversation between characters

Question 43

Allegory

Answer 43

a literary work where the characters, settings, and plot events represent real people, places, and events in order to communicate a moral or political value

Question 44

Motif

Answer 44

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a story

Question 44

Motif

Answer 44

a recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a story

Question 45

Mood

Answer 45

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Question 46

Stereotype

Answer 46

a widely held but fixed and oversimplified/mistaken image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Question 47

Chiasmus

Answer 47

a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, e.g. “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy)

Question 48

Conflict

Answer 48

the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story: person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. self (internal conflict) and person vs. nature

Question 49

Fiction

Answer 49

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact

Question 50

Nonfiction

Answer 50

writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people; narrative (shares a true story/biography); expository (explains a process); descriptive; persuasive

Question 51

Novel

Answer 51

an extended work of fiction, usually including many characters, settings, events, and possible themes

Question 52

Thesis

Answer 52

the primary position taken or claim made by a writer or speaker

Question 53

Tone

Answer 53

attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Question 54

Exposition

Answer 54

introduces the characters, settings, and opening situations of a story

Question 55

Narrative Hook

Answer 55

introduces the central conflict of a story

Question 56

Rising Action

Answer 56

the series of actions, including conflicts or struggles. that build a story toward a climax.

Question 57

Climax

Answer 57

the turning point of the story, often the greatest moment of suspense

Question 58

Falling Action

Answer 58

events after the climax, leading to the resolution

Question 59

Resolution

Answer 59

the end of the story where the conflict is resolved

Question 60

Parallelism

Answer 60

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses; e.g. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of of times.” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)