Literary Terms

Question 1

sequence of events in a literary work

Answer 1

Plot

Question 2

explains a process or presents information. Beginning of plot diagram

Answer 2

Exposition

Question 3

all the events leading up to climax

Answer 3

Rising Action

Question 4

is the high point of interest or suspense

Answer 4

Climax

Question 5

happens after the climax

Answer 5

Falling Action

Question 6

a general change is conveyed

Answer 6

Resolution

Question 7

introduces the central conflict

Answer 7

Inciting Incident

Question 8

is a struggle between 2 or more opposing forces

Answer 8

Conflict

Question 9

involves a character in conflict with himself or herself

Answer 9

Internal Conflict

Question 10

the main characters struggles against an outside force

Answer 10

External Conflict

Question 11

a person or animal that takes part in the action of a literary work

Answer 11

Character

Question 12

is a character or force in conflict with the main character

Answer 12

Antagonist

Question 13

is the main character

Answer 13

Protagonist

Question 14

shows only 1 trait

Answer 14

Flat Character

Question 15

shows many different traits–faults as well as virtues

Answer 15

Round Character

Question 16

character does not change

Answer 16

Static Character

Question 17

character develops and grows during the course of the story

Answer 17

Dynamic Character

Question 18

is the time and place of action

Answer 18

Setting

Question 19

directs the type and amount of information writer reveals

Answer 19

Point of View

Question 20

All-knowing?

Answer 20

Omniscient

Question 21

when a character in the story tells the story

Answer 21

First Person

Question 22

a voice outside the story

Answer 22

Third Person

Question 23

is a central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work

Answer 23

Theme

Question 24

refers to the author’s unique way of writing

Answer 24

Style

Question 25

refers to a authors use of words ….. range of vocabulary, use of slang, etc.

Answer 25

Diction

Question 26

the form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group

Answer 26

Dialect

Question 27

is the writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject

Answer 27

Tone

Question 28

is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage

Answer 28

Mood

Question 29

literary technique that creates appearance vs reality, expectations vs results

Answer 29

Irony

Question 30

Words are use to express the opposite of what is meant

Answer 30

Verbal Irony

Question 31

an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the reader, or the audience

Answer 31

Situational Irony

Question 32

there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true

Answer 32

Dramatic Irony

Question 33

is a literary device that uses a symbol

Answer 33

Symbolism

Question 34

is the use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur

Answer 34

Foreshadowing

Question 35

is a means by which author present material that occurred earlier than the present tense of the narrative

Answer 35

Flashback

Question 36

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

Answer 36

Allusion

Question 37

is figure of speech in which the words like or as are used to compare two apparently dissimilar items

Answer 37

Simile

Question 38

UNCLEAR

Answer 38

Ambiguity

Question 39

is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else

Answer 39

Metaphor

Question 40

the author directly states a character’s trait

Answer 40

Direct Characterization

Question 41

an author provides clues about a character by describing what a character looks like, does, and says, as well as how other characters react to him/her

Answer 41

Indirect Characterization

Question 42

is a long work of fiction

Answer 42

Novel

Question 43

is a short nonfiction work about a particular subject

Answer 43

Essay

Question 44

is writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally

Answer 44

Figurative Language

Question 45

using clues provided by the author that you use to figure things out

Answer 45

Inference

Question 46

is a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event told to entertain or to make a point

Answer 46

Anecdote

Question 47

is a type of character, detail, image, or situation that appears in literature throughout history

Answer 47

Archetype

Question 48

when the author creates a level of uncertainty in the reader

Answer 48

Suspense