Midterm Terms

Question 0

Exposition*

Answer 0

Provides background information–introduces the setting, characters, and situation

Question 1

Plot*

Answer 1

The sequence of events that make up a story

Question 2

Rising action *

Answer 2

Begins when the conflict is introduced and continues to the climax

Question 3

Conflict*

Answer 3

A struggle between opposing forces. Characters in conflict form the basis of stories, novels, and plays

Question 4

Climax *

Answer 4

Moment at which the conflict reaches it’s highest point

Question 5

Falling action *

Answer 5

Follows climax & leads toward the end of the story

Question 6

Resolution *

Answer 6

Aka denouement which is the end of the story, in which an insight or a change as a result of the conflict is shown

Question 7

Tone*

Answer 7

Writers attitude toward his/her subject, characters, or audience.
Formal or informal
Friendly or distant

Question 8

Mood*

Answer 8

The feeling creates in a reader by a literary work or passage

Question 9

Point of view *

Answer 9

Perspective from which the story is told

Question 10

What is 1st person point of view?*

Answer 10

Narrator is inside the story

Question 11

What is third person limited point of view ?*

Answer 11

Narrator is outside of the story telling the story from one characters perspective

Question 12

What is third person omniscient point of view ?*

Answer 12

Narrator of the story knows all of the characters thoughts

Question 13

Symbolism & examples *

Answer 13

When something stands for, or represents, something else
An object that serves as a symbol has it’s own meaning, but it also represents abstract ideas
Exs. Flag symbolizes a country
Dove represents peace
Marks on paper=spoken words

Question 14

Irony *

Answer 14

General term for literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, expectation, and result, or meaning and intention

Question 15

What are the 3 ironies?*

Answer 15

Verbal
Dramatic
And situational irony

Question 16

Verbal irony *

Answer 16

Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm)

Question 17

Dramatic irony *

Answer 17

Contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows the be true

Question 18

Situational irony *

Answer 18

An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the readers, or the audience

Question 19

Characterization

Answer 19

The act of creating and developing a character

Question 20

Direct characterization

Answer 20

Author simply states to the reader the characters traits (Tina is nice)

Question 21

Indirect characterization

Answer 21

Author shoes a characters personality through his/her actions, thought, feelings, words, and appearance or through another characters observations and reactions.
Ex. Tina helps the new student find his classroom and invited him to join her friends at lunch

Question 22

Foreshadowing *

Answer 22

Clues that suggest that something will happen later

Question 23

External conflict

Examples of conflicts*

Answer 23

The main character struggles against an outside force
Character vs character
Character vs nature
Character vs society
Character vs machine

Question 24

Internal conflict *

Answer 24

Involves a character in conflict with himself or herself

Question 25

Character

Answer 25

Person, animal, or thing that takes part in action of a literary work

Question 26

Antagonist

Answer 26

The character or force the opposes the protagonist

Question 27

Protagonist/main character

Answer 27

The character on which the work focuses ( typically the character the readers would like to see succeed )

Question 28

Round characters

Answer 28

Show many traits-faults as well as virtues

Question 29

Flat characters

Answer 29

Demonstrates only one or there are few key traits

Question 30

Dynamic characters

Answer 30

Develop and grow during the course of the story

Question 31

Static characters

Answer 31

Stay essentially the same throughout the story

Question 32

Theme *

Answer 32

Central message or insight revealed throughout a literary work
Generalization about people/life that is communicated through literary work
Theme may be stated directly or implied
(Though there’s usually no single correct statement of a literary works theme, there can be incorrect ones. Not all literary works have themes)

Question 33

Stanza *

Answer 33

A group of lines in a poem

Question 34

Stanza names, how many lines?*
Couplet
Quatrain
Cinquin 
Sestet
Heptastich
Octave

Answer 34

Couplet 2
Quatrain 4
Cinquin 5
Sestet 6
Heptastich 7
Octave 8

Question 35

What does a thesis statement do?*

Answer 35

Tells the reader the main points of the story or essay

Question 36

Authors purpose is meant to do what for the reader ?*

Answer 36

Explain persuade or inform

Question 37

Allusion *

Answer 37

Reference to something in history or literature

ex. She had a Cinderella wedding

Question 38

Imagery *

Answer 38

representation through language of sense experience, appeals to the senses

Question 39

Pun*

Answer 39

Play on words

Question 40

Foreshadowing*

Answer 40

Clues that something will happen later

Question 41

Alliteration*

Answer 41

Repetition of initial sounds

Ex sevens steaks sizzled

Question 42

Iambic pentameter*

Answer 42

Unstressed stressed

Question 44

Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme*

Answer 44

Ababcdcdefefgg
14 lines
3 quatrains
1 couplet

Question 45

personification*

Answer 45

A nonhuman subject is given human

characteristics

Question 46

simile*

Answer 46

A comparison between two
unlike things using like or as
ex. Quiet as a mouse

Question 47

oxymoron*

Answer 47

two words of opposite meaning.

ex. burning cold, pretty ugly

Question 48

metaphor*

Answer 48

An implied comparison between unlike things.

ex.He’s a house.

Question 49

hyperbole*

Answer 49

an exaggeration to make a point

I’m starving to death

Question 50

Rhyme Scheme*

Answer 50

Alphabet letters are assigned to every new rhyme at the end of a line
ababcdcdefefgg

Question 51

couplet has how many lines ?*

Answer 51

2