Poetry Terms Part 1

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

The repetition of sounds in a sequence of words

Question 2

Beat

Answer 2

A stressed (or accented) syllable

Question 3

Climax

Answer 3

The high point; the moment of greatest tension or intensity. It can occur at any point in a poem.

Question 4

Diction

Answer 4

Word choice - the kind of words the author chooses

Question 5

Enjambed line

Answer 5

A ‘run-on’ line that carries over into the next to complete its meaning

Question 6

Imagery

Answer 6

The visual (or other sensory) pictures used to render a description more vivid and immediate

Question 7

Simile

Answer 7

A figure of speech that compares two distinct things by using a connective word such as “like” or “as”

Question 8

Stanza

Answer 8

A “paragraph” of a poem: a group of lines separated by extra white space from other groups of lines

Question 9

Symbol

Answer 9

An image that stands for something larger and more complex, often something abstract, such as an idea or a set of attitudes

Question 10

Tone

Answer 10

The speaker’s or author’s attitude toward the reader, addressee, or subject matter. It immediately impresses itself upon the reader, yet it can be quite difficult to describe and analyze