Literary Terms: Define

Question 1

Plot (all parts-exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

Answer 1

plot- a series of events that make up a story.
exposition- the beginning of the story that sets up important information
rising action-the events that build tension and lead to the climax
climax-the moment of greatest tension in the story
falling action- the consequences of the climax that lead to the resolution
resolution- the conclusion of the story by resolving of conflicts between characters.

Question 2

setting

Answer 2

the time, place, and environment in which a story occurs

Question 3

protagonist

Answer 3

the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

Question 4

antagonist

Answer 4

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.

Question 5

theme

Answer 5

a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative

Question 6

point of view (what is it and what are the different types)

Answer 6

a particular attitude or way of considering a matter.First-person is from the perspective of a character; second-person places the reader as the main character; and third-person is narrated by an external narrator.

Question 7

irony

Answer 7

a situation where there is a contrast between reality and expectations.

Question 8

inference

Answer 8

something learned through a combination of a reader’s knowledge, historical context, and what is known of the author.

Question 9

foreshadowing

Answer 9

a plot element that hints at something to come later in the story.

Question 10

flashback

Answer 10

an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point in the story.

Question 11

genre

Answer 11

a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

Question 12

conflict (man v man, man v society, man v nature, man v self)

Answer 12

conflict-Conflict is a major element of narrative or dramatic structure that creates challenges in a story by adding uncertainty as to whether the goal will be achieved.
man v man-stories where characters are against each other.
man v society-a story in which an individual (or a small group of individuals) chooses to or is forced to fight against their society or community.
man v nature-a type of conflict in which a person (or people) must confront something in the natural world
man v self- a type of conflict that takes place inside a character’s mind.

Question 13

dialogue

Answer 13

the exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a book, play, or other written work

Question 14

tone

Answer 14

the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes towards a given subject

Question 15

mood

Answer 15

the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates within the reader.

Question 16

onomatopoeia

Answer 16

a type of figurative language where a word actually looks or sounds like the sound it is intended to make.

Question 17

hyperbole

Answer 17

a rhetorical and literary technique where an author or speaker intentionally uses exaggeration and overstatement for emphasis and effect.

Question 18

personification

Answer 18

a literary device that uses non-literal language to convey abstract ideas in a relatable way.

Question 19

simile

Answer 19

a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”

Question 20

metaphor

Answer 20

a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another

Question 21

ambiguity

Question 22

anachronism