Literary Terms

Question 1

Passages that are stories, dramas, or poems

Answer 1

Literary texts

Question 2

To come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text.
(By contrast, an explicit idea or message is fully stated or revealed by the author. The author tells the reader exactly what he or she needs to know.)

Answer 2

Inference

Question 3

The lesson or message of a literary passage.
(A story could be about two friends who like to o things together and the (_____) might be the importance of friendship

Answer 3

Theme

Question 4

The central idea is the most important point or idea that the author is making in a passage; also known as the main idea

Answer 4

Central idea

Question 5

An overview of a passage that captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions

Answer 5

Objective summary

Question 6

The way an author develops a character over the course of a text

Answer 6

Characterization

Question 7

Where and when a story takes place, including the time of day, the season, or the location

Answer 7

Setting

Question 8

The specific order of a series of events that form a story

Answer 8

Plot

Question 9

The solution to the problem or the end of the main dramatic conflict

Answer 9

Resolution

Question 10

The exact words the characters are saying. Generally, dialogue is set off from the rest of the text with quotation marks and commas. Each time a new character speaks, a new paragraph begins. Dialogue can reveal new information about characters, propel the action in a story, or provoke a character’s decision.

Answer 10

Dialogue

Question 11

Something that occurs in a story; can reveal aspects of characters, advance the plot, or provoke a decision in a story.

Answer 11

Incident

Question 12

Occurs when particular lines of dialogue or specific incidents in a story cause something to happen. For example, if a character has a change of mind, a change of heart, or makes a decision, the plot can move forward.

Answer 12

Propelling the action

Question 13

Personification, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, idiom, alliteration, allusion

Answer 13

Figurative language

Question 14

When a writer describes an object as if it were a person

Answer 14

Personification

Question 15

A comparison using like or as

Answer 15

Simile

Question 16

A direct comparison that states one thing is another.

Answer 16

Metaphor

Question 17

An exaggeration beyond belief.

Answer 17

Hyperbole

Question 18

A quirky expression or saying that is specific to a language

Answer 18

Idiom

Question 19

The use of the same sound to start several words in a row; have a big impact on poems, stories, and dramas
(The beautiful butterfly blew by the bay)

Answer 19

Alliteration

Question 20

An indirect reference to something. When a writer refers to something without mentioning it explicitly.

Answer 20

Allusion

Question 21

Another technique authors use to present precise ideas and set a certain tone; the specific meaning or idea that the word brings to mind

Answer 21

Connotation

Question 22

The dictionary definition of a word

Answer 22

Denotation

Question 23

The attitude of an author about a subject or an audience; the author will choose words and language to create a ____ and express a viewpoint in a text

Answer 23

Tone

Question 24

A comparison between two things that helps to express the relationship or connection between words. (Moon is to night as sun is to day)

Answer 24

Analogy

Question 25

Used to convey meaning in literary writing; breaks longer pieces of writing into smaller portions that are grouped together because they happened around the same time or because they share a similar meaning. Each sentence, paragraph, or chapter fits into the overall ________ of a text and contributes to the development of an idea. Organizational ________ include chronological order, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem and solution

Answer 25

Structure

Question 26

The order in which a series of events happened; A text that is arranged in order of time from the beginning to the end

Answer 26

Chronological order

Question 27

A relationship in which one thing causes another thing to happen

Answer 27

Cause and effect

Question 28

Shifts in the storyline to give readers important information to help them understand the story better

Answer 28

Flashback

Question 29

Hints in the narrative of what is to come in the plot in the future

Answer 29

Foreshadowing

Question 30

The perspective from which a story is told; depends on who the narrator is and how much he or she knows; could be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd

Answer 30

Point of view

Question 31

When the reader knows something that the characters do not know

Answer 31

Dramatic irony

Question 32

The category of a text, such as fiction or nonfiction; each has a particular style, form, and content. Fiction can be divided into more specific categories.

Answer 32

Genre