Poetry - Literary Devices

Question 1

Similie

Answer 1

a strong comparison using a connecting word such as like or as.

• a sound like the pitter-patter of raindrops:
• a girl as pretty as a picture

Question 2

Metaphor

Answer 2

Identification of one thing as, or in terms of, a very different thing without the use of like or as.

• He felt as though his home had become a prison;
• She was the apple of her mother’s eye

Question 3

Alliteration

Answer 3

Repetition of initial sounds of stressed syllables near enough to each other to make it noticeable.

• Sounds of silence;
• wild winds whipped her hair

Question 4

assonance

Answer 4

The repetition of vowel sounds in syllables near enough to each other to make it noticeable.

• time can’t hide the lies;
• Feel the need for sleep

Question 5

personification

Answer 5

Attribution of human qualities to non-human objects or two abstractions.

• the wind whispers;
• the stream murmurs; justice cries out

Question 6

imagery

Answer 6

vivid descriptive language that appeals to any of the senses.

• cold stare; sweet honey;
• dizzying heights

Question 7

end rhyme

Answer 7

repetition of terminal sounds of words at the ends of two or more lines.
- you’ve come a long way/ just to see a new day

Question 8

symbolism

Answer 8

an object, condition or action that represents something else within a certain context.

• shabby clothes may represent poverty;
• a dove may represent hope;
• the colour green may represent new life

Question 9

onomatopoeia

Answer 9

words that sound like the items or actions they name or refer to.
- whisper; crackle; flutter

Question 10

paradox

Answer 10

a statement or concept that contains conflicting ideas.

• cruel to be kind;
• he must go to war to make peace;
• this is the beginning of the end

Question 11

abstract noun

Answer 11

refers to an idea, state, quality or emotion

Question 12

accent (in annotation)

Answer 12

a mark on a letter or syllable in a word to indicate pitch, stress or vowel quality

Question 13

aesthetic value

Answer 13

the impact a literary text has on its audience, how it stimulates the senses, emotions and memory

Question 14

analyse

Answer 14

to examine in detail in order to discover meaning and essential features

Question 15

audience

Answer 15

the intended group of readers, listeners or viewers that the writer, designer, filmmaker or speaker is addressing

Question 16

bade

Answer 16

greeted

Question 17

ballad

Answer 17

a narrative poem that tells a story and often has a musical quality

Question 18

chorus

Answer 18

a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following the verse or bridge

Question 19

clime

Answer 19

climate

Question 20

cohesion

Answer 20

grammatical or lexical relationships that bind different parts of a text together and give it unity.

Question 21

colonial

Answer 21

relating to a period in Australian history before federation

Question 22

context

Answer 22

the environment in which a text is responded to or created. Context can include the general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text is responded to and created.

Question 23

determiners

Answer 23

point to a specific person or thing: this one, that one, her one etc.

Question 24

direct speech

Answer 24

what someone has said or written using exact quotes

Question 25

erratic

Answer 25

an irregular pattern; unpredictable

Question 26

evaluative language

Answer 26

positive or negative language that judges the worth of something. It includes language to express feelings and opinions, to make judgments about aspects of people, such as their behaviour, and to assess the quality of objects.

Question 27

figurative language

Answer 27

word groups/phrases used in a way that differ from the expected or everyday usage.

Question 28

foeman

Answer 28

enemy

Question 29

foetid

Answer 29

having a stale, nauseating smell

Question 30

idiom

Answer 30

a form of expression peculiar to a language.

Question 31

imagery

Answer 31

vivid descriptive language that appeals to your senses. It helps you to paint pictures in your mind.

Question 32

line length

Answer 32

the length of a line of poetry

Question 33

lyrical

Answer 33

having the form and musical quality of a song

Question 34

marauder

Answer 34

one who raids or invades

Question 35

narrative

Answer 35

a story of events or experiences, real or imagined

Question 36

pallid

Answer 36

pale; lacking in vitality

Question 37

plot

Answer 37

elements the elements of a narrative text, for example, orientation, complication, climax and resolution

Question 38

plunder

Answer 38

steal

Question 39

rhyme

Answer 39

the repetition of the final sound of a word

Question 40

pattern

Answer 40

identified by using corresponding letters of the alphabet to represent rhyming patterns

Question 41

rhythm

Answer 41

the pattern of irregular or regular stressed or unstressed syllables in words

Question 42

scorn

Answer 42

reject or refuse

Question 43

social value

Answer 43

refers to whether the text is worthwhile and significant to society, and reflects the views, attitudes and beliefs of the historical or cultural context in which it is produced

Question 44

squatter

Answer 44

farmer of sheep or cattle

Question 45

stanzas

Answer 45

verses in a poem

Question 46

symbolism

Answer 46

a word or image signifying something other than what it literally is

Question 47

torrent

Answer 47

a rushing stream of water

Question 48

tricolon

Answer 48

a series of three parallel words, phrases or clauses. It is used when there are two or more clearly defined parts of a sentence, usually clauses that are increasing in power and importance, for example, ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’.

Question 49

troopers

Answer 49

mounted police officers

Question 50

verbatim

Answer 50

in exactly the same words; quoted word for word