Reading comp terms

Question 1

what is pathetic fallacy

Answer 1

• the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals
  -using weather to symbolize emotion

Question 2

what is figurative language?

Answer 2

• language that is embellished for style and is not meant to be taken literally

Question 3

symbolism:

Answer 3

when something stands for or represents something else

Question 4

imagery:

Answer 4

when words create a visual image and/or evoke sensory impressions

Question 5

irony:

Answer 5

when what is said/what happens is opposite to what you would expect, typically for humorous or empathetic effect

Question 6

simile:

Answer 6

an indirect comparison using the words like or as

Question 7

metaphor:

Answer 7

a direct comparison of two things, NOT using like or as

Question 8

personification:

Answer 8

when something non-human adopts a human action or characteristic

Question 9

hyperbole:

Answer 9

a large exaggeration

Question 10

allusion:

Answer 10

when one piece of literature makes a reference to another piece of literature

Question 11

allegory:

Answer 11

literature with a hidden meaning that parallels an external event, story, or idea

Question 12

analogy:

Answer 12

an extended metaphor or comparison typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification

Question 13

foreshadow:

Answer 13

a hint of what is to come

Question 14

paradox:

Answer 14

-something that seems false but is true
-a self-contradictory statement or argument
-ex: Save money by spending it.

Question 15

mood:

Answer 15

the tone or feeling of a piece of literature
- feeling

Question 16

tone:

Answer 16

the feeling of a piece of literature created by the author
- attitude of author/speaker

Question 17

theme:

Answer 17

the underlying message or idea of a piece of literature

Question 18

motif:

Answer 18

a reaccuring theme, situation, idea, image, etc.
-ex: stars in Romeo and Juliet

Question 19

contrast:

Answer 19

noting the difference between two things

Question 20

juxtaposition:

Answer 20

-when you put two things next to each other to compare and contrast them
-the technique of setting action or charfacters side by sise to emphasize comparisons or contrasts
-ex. night and day
good and evil

Question 21

parallel:

Answer 21

two things that relate to eachother that are the same or similar

Question 22

implicit:

Answer 22

something that relates to inner emotions or feelings; cant be seen

Question 23

explicit:

Answer 23

something that relates to outer description; can be seen

Question 24

context:

Answer 24

the situation surrounding a word, sentence, event, idea, etc (usually means, read what happens before and after)

Question 25

emphasis:

Answer 25

when something is stressed to make it seem more important

Question 26

unifies:

Answer 26

makes whole or complete

Question 27

anecdote:

Answer 27

a short amusing true story that clarifies or relates to what is being said

Question 28

didactic:

Answer 28

intended for instruction, usually of a moral or lesson (uses tone)

Question 29

empathy:

Answer 29

-the identification with and understanding of another individual’s situation, feelings, motives, etc
- the ability to sense other peoples emotions
-the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling

Question 30

archetype:

Answer 30

-a specific model or example for the way something should be; a stock type of character
-an idea, symbol, pattern, or character-type, in a story
-ie. mad scientist, brave hero

Question 31

cliche:

Answer 31

an overused expression that betrays a lack of original thought
ie. think outside of the box

Question 32

aside:

Answer 32

in a play, a comment made by one character to the audience, not heard by others on stage

Question 33

soliloquy:

Answer 33

-a speech by a character who is alone on stage discussing the characters thoughts or emotions
-characters dont lie
-advance the plot
-gives foreshadowing

Question 34

rhetorical question:

Answer 34

a question for which a reply is not required, wanted, or asked for (asked for effect)

Question 35

oxymoron:

Answer 35

contradictory terms appear in conjunction with opposite meanings

Question 36

tragedy:

Answer 36

a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character

Question 37

tragic hero:

Answer 37

-the exceptional protagonist who contributes to their own dramatic end through their fatal flaw
-tragic sense of waste surrounds them

Question 38

hamartia:

Answer 38

the fatal flaw of the tragic hero

Question 39

catharsis:

Answer 39

-release of audience emotions and empathy for characters

Question 40

iambic pentameter:

Answer 40

-kind of metric line used in verse poetry
-each line has 10 syllables, made up of five iambic “feet”, resulting in the “pent” of pentameter
-five unstressed syllables(U), 5 stressed syllables (/)

Question 41

sonnet:

Answer 41

-14 lines with 3 quatrains and one couplet at the end
- rhymes ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
-iambic pentameter
-prologue

Question 42

prologue:

Answer 42

-spoken by the chorus prior to the start of the play
-sonnet form
- forshadowing

Question 43

character foil:

Answer 43

• character who contrasts with another character, usually the main character, to highlight their qualities
  -used for the purpose of emphasizing the essential nature of one of the central characters

Question 44

dramatic irony:

Answer 44

-occurs when the audiences knows something a character does not realize

Question 45

hubris:

Answer 45

the emotion in the tragic hero which leads them to ignore warnings from the gods or to transgress against their moral codes; think insolence or pride

Question 46

static character:

Answer 46

one that doesn’t change throughout the story

Question 47

dynamic character:

Answer 47

they undergo significant internal and/or external changes or growth

Question 48

How can you decifer unknown words in a text?

Answer 48

-look for context clues the author has left
-reread the sentence the unknown word is in
-reread the sentences around the unknown word