Literary Terms

Question 1

A central message, idea, or concern in a literary work

Answer 1

Theme

Question 2

A character not fully developed or is a stereotype

Answer 2

Flat character

Question 3

A conclusion made by the reader based on available information

Answer 3

Inference

Question 4

A fully developed character having faults and virtues

Answer 4

Round character

Question 5

A character who remains unchanged

Answer 5

Static character

Question 6

A character who changes in some way

Answer 6

Dynamic character

Question 7

Creative writing that appeals to the imagination and create visual images

Answer 7

Figurative language

Question 8

Everyday spoken language

Answer 8

Prose

Question 9

The use of word to a words to imitate sounds

Answer 9

Onomatopoeia

Question 10

Giving nonhuman objects human characteristics

Answer 10

Personification

Question 11

A comparison between two different things

Answer 11

Metaphor

Question 12

A comparison between two different things using “like” or “as”

Answer 12

Simile

Question 13

The repetition of initial consonant sounds

Answer 13

Alliteration

Question 14

An expression of comparison that cannot be interpreted literally

Answer 14

Idiom

Question 15

The use of exaggerations

Answer 15

Hyperbole

Question 16

Using words to appeal to our five senses

Answer 16

Imagery

Question 17

Anything that stands for or represents something else

Answer 17

Symbolism

Question 18

A struggle between opposing forces/characters in a story

Answer 18

Conflict

Question 19

Character causing the conflict/problem in the story

Answer 19

Antagonist

Question 20

Main character experiencing the conflict/problem in a story

Answer 20

Protagonist

Question 21

Attitude the writer takes toward his subject or audience

Answer 21

Tone

Question 22

The atmosphere or feeling an author creates within the piece of writing

Answer 22

Mood

Question 23

The perspective from which the story is told (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient)

Answer 23

Point of View

Question 24

The sequence of events in a literary work

Answer 24

Plot

Question 25

Introduces the characters, describes the setting, and establishes the problem in the story

Answer 25

Exposition

Question 26

Suspense builds and the problem gets worse

Answer 26

Rising action

Question 27

The turning point in the story

Answer 27

Climax

Question 28

The events that lead to the ending of the story

Answer 28

Falling Action

Question 29

The outcome of the story

Answer 29

Resolution

Question 30

The speaker or character who is telling the story

Answer 30

Narrator

Question 31

Language spoken by a particular group or region of people

Answer 31

Dialect

Question 32

A conversation between characters

Answer 32

Dialogue

Question 33

Interrupts the sequence of events in order to relate an earlier incident

Answer 33

Flashback

Question 34

The time and location of the events described in a literary work

Answer 34

Setting

Question 35

Types of literature; poetry, prose, drama

Answer 35

Genre

Question 36

A reference to a well known person, place, event, or work of art

Answer 36

Allusion

Question 37

A situation where the opposite of what is expected occurs or exists

Answer 37

Irony

Question 38

An author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story

Answer 38

Foreshadow