Midterm Exam Review

Question 1

plot

Answer 1

the series of events that make up a story

summary

Question 2

theme

Answer 2

the main idea

the purpose for writing the story

Question 3

tone

Answer 3

the author’s attitude toward a subject

Question 4

mood

Answer 4

the feeling created by a literary piece

Question 5

imagery

Answer 5

sense experienced using language

Question 6

irony

Answer 6

the opposite of eat is said
a contrast
a form of hypocrisy

Question 7

allusion

Answer 7

reference to something or someone we’re familiar with

Question 8

climax

Answer 8

the highest point of interest in a story

a turning point

Question 9

conflict

Answer 9

a struggle between two opposing forces

Question 10

assonance

Answer 10

poetic device
repetition of the same vowel sounds in words
opposite of alliteration
ex. late, make, sake, and bait

Question 11

connotation

Answer 11

implied definition/meaning

ex. cake–>birthday

Question 12

denotation

Answer 12

dictionary definition
ex. cake–> pastry baked in oven
opposite of connotation

Question 13

metaphor

Answer 13

an implied direct comparison between two different things

Question 14

personification

Answer 14

giving human characteristics to animals and things

Question 15

hyperbole

Answer 15

an exaggeration

Question 16

anecdote

Answer 16

a brief or short story (humorous)

Question 17

stereotype

Answer 17

a fixed, generalized idea of people

Question 18

onomatopoeia

Answer 18

words that sound like their meaning

Question 19

flashback

Answer 19

going back in time

Question 20

alliteration

Answer 20

repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more words

Question 21

cliche

Answer 21

an overused expression

Question 22

colloquialism

Answer 22

informal language that is not acceptable in formal writing

“slang words”

Question 23

didactic

Answer 23

having the purpose of teaching or instructing

Question 24

diction

Answer 24

word choices made by a writer

introduces tone

Question 25

inference

Answer 25

a conclusion based on the entire piece read

Question 26

point of view

Answer 26

first person ("I" and main character) 
third person (outside) 
omniscient (all knowing presence)

Question 27

symbol

Answer 27

an object that stands for something else

Question 28

protagonist

Answer 28

the main character

good guy

Question 29

antagonist

Answer 29

the bad guy

the opposite of protagonist

Question 30

simile

Answer 30

comparison between two different things using like or as

Question 31

adage

Answer 31

wise saying

Question 32

argument

Answer 32

dispute

debate

Question 33

characters

Answer 33

the people in the story

major or minor

Question 34

foreshadowing

Answer 34

a prediction

Question 35

analogy

Answer 35

showing a resemblance between two different things