literary terms

Question 1

plot

Answer 1

sequence of related events moving from a problem to a solution; includes the character

Question 2

exposition

Answer 2

introduces the setting, characters, and situation of a story

Question 3

the exposition tells readers

Answer 3

when & where the story takes place, who the main character is and what they are doing

Question 4

conflict

Answer 4

struggle between two opposing forces

Question 5

two types of conflict

Answer 5

internal and external

Question 6

internal conflict

Answer 6

involves a character in conflict with him/her self

Question 7

external conflict

Answer 7

the main character struggles against an outside force

Question 8

rising action

Answer 8

events that lead up to the climax

Question 9

falling action

Answer 9

events that follow the climax and lead to the resolution

Question 10

resolution

Answer 10

end of the central conflict

Question 11

setting

Answer 11

time and place of the action of the story

Question 12

characters

Answer 12

people or animals who are part of the action of the story

Question 13

protagonist

Answer 13

the major character in the story

Question 14

antagonist

Answer 14

the character who opposed the actions and efforts of the protagonist; may be good or evil; may be a person, people, nature, the environment, or the world

Question 15

flat character

Answer 15

character who is not fully developed, only show one or two traits

Question 16

round character

Answer 16

character who is well developed, show many different traits; complex characters who are seen from many angles

Question 17

dynamic character

Answer 17

character who develops and grows during the course of the story

Question 18

static character

Answer 18

character who does not change during the course of the story

Question 19

characterization

Answer 19

the way a writer brings a character to life/ how readers learn about a character

Question 20

direct characterization

Answer 20

the writer directly tells the reader about a character’s personality

Question 21

indirect characterization

Answer 21

the writer reveals the character’s personality through physical description, through the character’s words, thoughts and actions, and though other character’s comments

Question 22

point of view

Answer 22

the perspective from which the events of a story are seen

Question 23

first person

Answer 23

the story is told by one of the characters in it, with the character referring to him/her self as “I”. The character is the narrator

Question 24

third person limited

Answer 24

the narrator is a voice outside of the story who relates the events from the point of view from one of the characters

Question 25

third person omniscient

Answer 25

the narrator is a voice outside of the story who is all-seeing and all-knowing, the narrator may relate actions, comment on behavior, go inside the minds of multiple characters, and tell the readers what multiple characters are thinking and feeling

Question 26

theme

Answer 26

the central message or general insight into life that the author coneys in a story

Question 27

mood

Answer 27

the atmosphere or overall feeling of the story

Question 28

tone

Answer 28

the author’s attitude toward the characters or situation

Question 29

foreshadowing

Answer 29

the use of hints about what is going to happen

Question 30

symbol

Answer 30

an object, person, or event that represents something else

Question 31

irony

Answer 31

the contrast between an expected outcome and the actual outcome

Question 32

verbal irony

Answer 32

words saying the opposite of what is meant

Question 33

situational ironey

Answer 33

the surprising or unexpected encounter of details or facts which do not fit together

Question 34

dramatic irony

Answer 34

contrast between what one character says and what the reader or another character knows to be true