Literary Terms

Question 1

Theme

Answer 1

the general idea or insight of a work of literature

Question 2

Plagiarism

Answer 2

copying or cheating off of someone else’s work

Question 3

Flashback

Answer 3

an interruption in the present action to show earlier events

Question 4

Reversal

Answer 4

a certain change in someone (e.g., a good guy turns bad, or a bad guy turns good)

Question 5

Dramatic irony

Answer 5

dramatic effect achieved by relying on the audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and accompanying speeches

Question 6

Rhythm

Answer 6

The repetition of stress and unstressed syllables providing a poem’s beat

Question 7

Couplet

Answer 7

when two rhyming lines are consecutive

Question 8

Free verse

Answer 8

to write anything in any way for poetry

Question 9

Alliteration

Answer 9

the repetition of constant sounds. (e.g., apples are awesome)

Question 10

Assonance

Answer 10

when vowel sounds are repeated

Question 11

Ballad

Answer 11

a sad story, about a death or loss

Question 12

Epic

Answer 12

long narrative poem about the many deeds of a great hero

Question 13

Narrative

Answer 13

poem that tells a story

Question 14

Lyric

Answer 14

a poem that doesn’t tell a story but expresses the speaker’s feelings

Question 15

Ode

Answer 15

long lyric poem usually praising some subject, written in dignified language

Question 16

Sonnet

Answer 16

14-line lyric poem that follows strict rules of structure, meter and rhyme

Question 17

Internal rhyme

Answer 17

two words in the same line the rhyme (e.g., broken, spoken)

Question 18

Protagonist

Answer 18

the good guy or hero

Question 19

Antagonist

Answer 19

the bad guy or villan

Question 20

Genre

Answer 20

a class or category of artistic endeavor (sci-fi, romance, drama, western, kids)

Question 21

Conflict

Answer 21

a problem to be solved or something to overcome

Question 22

Resolution

Answer 22

coming to an agreement, solving the problem, reaching a conclusion

Question 23

Style

Answer 23

the characteristic way a work is written or performed

Question 24

Simile

Answer 24

a figure of speech comparing two things using “like” or “as” (e.g., she is like a rose)

Question 25

Metaphor

Answer 25

a figure of speech comparing things in a non-literal manner (e.g., he is like a toad)

Question 26

Paraphrase

Answer 26

a restatement that gives the meaning in another form or way

Question 27

Biased

Answer 27

a tendency toward a conclusion or opinion (e.g., Jack is biased toward playing video games rather than doing homework)

Question 28

Approximate rhyme

Answer 28

words that sound similar but don’t rhyme perfectly

Question 29

Objective

Answer 29

a goal, or something that can be determined without bias

Question 30

End rhyme

Answer 30

Rhymes that occur at the end of the lines

Question 31

Resources

Answer 31

sources of supply or aid, especially those that can be drawn upon when needed

Question 32

Primary source

Answer 32

an original document or an eye-witness to an event

Question 33

Secondary source

Answer 33

a source that obtained information from a primary source, but did not witness the event directly

Question 34

Dynamic character

Answer 34

a literary or dramatic character who undergoes a permanent inner change during a story