Literary terms

Question 1

Anecdote

Answer 1

Brief account of an incident, used to help elaborate a point or as an introduction to an essay

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

Brief reference within a work of art to another character, place, event or work of art

Question 3

Atmosphere

Answer 3

Prevailing feeling created be the story

Question 4

Bias

Answer 4

Preference or prejudice, a slanted point of view

Question 5

Aside

Answer 5

In drama, a brief remark directed to the audience and “not heard” by the other characters

Question 6

Colloquialism

Answer 6

Words or expressions that are used in everyday speech or informal writing, but are not appropriate in more formal writing

Question 7

Connotation

Answer 7

Positive or negative association of words

Question 8

Denotation

Answer 8

Definition of a word found in the dictionary

Question 9

Dialect

Answer 9

Language localized to a particular group of people

Question 10

Diction

Answer 10

Refers to the way an author expresses in words

Question 11

Dilemma

Answer 11

Situation in which a character must make a difficult choice between two alternatives

Question 12

Ellipsis

Answer 12

Three dots that indicate missing letters or words (…)

Question 13

Empathy

Answer 13

Making yourself imagine how another person must feel

Question 16

Hubris

Answer 16

Character’s fatal flaw or tragic flaw

Question 18

Initial incident

Answer 18

Moment or event that initiates a conflict

Question 19

Cliché

Answer 19

Language that has been overused to the point that it has lost it’s meaning and has become boring

Question 20

Mood

Answer 20

Similar to atmosphere, the emotional feeling created by a piece of writing or acting

Question 21

Monologue

Answer 21

Written or oral composition in which one person speaks

Question 23

Narrative

Answer 23

A story

Question 24

Narrator

Answer 24

Entity within a story that tells the story to the reader

Question 25

Novel

Answer 25

Longer narrative that presents related episodes in the life of its central character(s)

Question 26

Motivation

Answer 26

Causes a character to do what they do

Question 28

Parody

Answer 28

Humorous imitation of a serious price of writing, it makes fun by imitation

Question 29

Play

Answer 29

Work in either prose or verse that tells a story through dialogue

Question 32

Satire

Answer 32

Uses humor, especially irony and sarcasm, to expose flaws or critique someone

Question 33

Soliloquy

Answer 33

Oral contemplation that makes the audience or reader aware of the character’s inner thoughts

Question 34

Stream of consciousness

Answer 34

Interior monologue

Question 35

Style

Answer 35

Overall texture of a piece of writing, the particular way in which the ideas are expressed

Question 40

Tragedy

Answer 40

Outcome which the character could have avoided at any point along the way, but, due to certain flaws, chose not to

Question 41

Tone

Answer 41

Implied attitude or point of view of a writer towards his/her subject and audience

Question 42

Euphemism

Answer 42

Expressing a disagreeable or unpleasant fact in a more pleasing manner

Question 43

Figurative language

Answer 43

Uses words to paint a picture, draw an interesting comparison or create a poetic effect through the use of simile, metaphor, personification and the other figurative devices

Question 45

Imagery

Answer 45

Pictures or impressions that writers create in the minds of their readers, they use figurative language to appeal to one or more of the senses

Question 47

Jargon

Answer 47

Using language that is not clear and is used to make things more complicated than need be

Question 54

Oxymoron

Answer 54

Expression which combines two apparently contradictory words

Question 55

Paradox

Answer 55

A statement which appears to be contradictory but contains an element of truth

Question 58

Pun

Answer 58

A play on words

Question 59

Rhetorical question

Answer 59

Question that one asks for effect rather than for an invitation or reply

Question 64

Symbolism

Answer 64

Something that stands for something else - an act, word or real object that represents more than itself (2 types)

Question 65

Types of symbolism (2)

Answer 65

1. Literary

2. Arbitrary

Question 66

Literary symbolism

Answer 66

One that is agreed upon by culture

Question 67

Arbitrary symbolism

Answer 67

Unique to a particular piece of literature