Literary Terms

Question 1

Short Story

Answer 1

brief fictional story

Question 2

Plot

Answer 2

events in the story

Question 3

Theme

Answer 3

message or lesson

Question 4

Setting

Answer 4

where and when the story takes place

Question 5

Characterization

Answer 5

how a character is portrayed

Question 6

Direct Characterization

Answer 6

the narrator tells us what the character is like “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch!”

Question 7

Indirect Characterization

Answer 7

we find out through dialogue, description of character, what others say

Question 8

Protagonist

Answer 8

main character

Question 9

Antagonist

Answer 9

character that has a conflict with protagonist

Question 10

Round Character

Answer 10

many human traits to make a personality

Question 11

Flat Character

Answer 11

one personality trait-stereotype

Question 12

Dynamic Character

Answer 12

character who changes mentally by the end of the story

Question 13

Static Character

Answer 13

character who doesn’t change

Question 14

Irony

Answer 14

expectation vs. reality

Question 15

Verbal Irony

Answer 15

sarcastic remarks “I can’t wait to go to Mrs. Bailie’s class to take notes!”

Question 16

Situational Irony

Answer 16

something happens that isn’t expected = fire station burns down, powerplant goes out, police station gets robbed

Question 17

Dramatic Irony

Answer 17

audience knows something the character doesn’t. The killer is behind the shower curtain-victim walks into the bathroom

Question 18

Allusion

Answer 18

reference to history or culture that the author expects us to know

Question 19

Conflict

Answer 19

problem

Question 20

Internal Conflict

Answer 20

man vs. self

Question 21

External Conflict

Answer 21

man vs. man
man vs. nature
man vs. society
man vs. higher power/fate

Question 22

Point of View

Answer 22

perspective of the story

Question 23

First Person

Answer 23

narrator used I

Question 24

Third Person Omniscient

Answer 24

narrator is not in the story but knows all things

Question 25

Third Person Limited

Answer 25

narrator is not in the story but knows one person's point of view

Question 26

Second Person

Answer 26

"you", recipes, how-to guides, instructions

Question 27

Foil

Answer 27

characters that are opposites of each other

Question 28

Simile

Answer 28

comparison using like or as "He was as fast as a cheetah"

Question 29

Metaphor

Answer 29

comparison not using like or as "He was a cheetah on the field"

Question 30

Personification

Answer 30

giving human traits to nonhuman objects

Question 31

Flashback

Answer 31

past memories

Question 32

Foreshadowing

Answer 32

giving hints to what will happen in the future

Question 33

Allegory

Answer 33

story told with a moral or lesson/characters are symbolic and literal

Question 34

Satire

Answer 34

making fun of weakness in society to prove a point

Question 35

Mood

Answer 35

how a story/reading makes the reader feel

Question 36

Tone

Answer 36

the author's attitude towards his or her work

Question 37

Imagery

Answer 37

language that appeals to the five senses

Question 38

Symbolism

Answer 38

something that represents an idea or belief dove=peace flag=patriotism skull and crossbones=poison

Question 39

Dialogue

Answer 39

conversation between characters

Question 40

Exposition

Answer 40

background information in a story (characters, conflict, setting)

Question 41

Narrative Hook

Answer 41

found in the exposition. Hooks the reader's attention so they want to keep reading

Question 42

Rising Action

Answer 42

events in a story leading to the climax of the conflict

Question 43

Climax

Answer 43

the highest point of interest in the story - the AhHa moment

Question 44

Falling Action

Answer 44

events leading to the end of the story

Question 45

Resolution

Answer 45

the conflict is resolved at the end of the story. Not always a happily ever after

Question 46

Epic

Answer 46

long poem or story narrating a hero's deeds and adventures

Question 47

Hyperbole

Answer 47

extreme exaggeration "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" and "The limo is as long as a football field"

Question 48

Onomatopoeia

Answer 48

words that sound like the noise/sound effects "Oink" Meow" "Bang" "Boom"

Question 49

Soliloquy

Answer 49

a long speech by a character on stage alone (thinking aloud)

Question 50

Suspense

Answer 50

feelings of excited or anxious uncertainty about something

Question 51

Voice

Answer 51

author's use of language to make the story unique

Question 52

Oxymoron

Answer 52

words that contradict each other (jumbo shrimp, pretty ugly, icy hot, small crowd, old news)

Question 53

Myth

Answer 53

traditional story concerning a history of a people explaining a natural event