Set 1

Question 0

Any significant, recurring, or developed idea, concept, or argument in a work of literature. (Often confused with moral or lesson of a story.)

Answer 0

Theme

Question 1

The time and place in which the action of a narrative occurs.

Answer 1

Setting

Question 2

A work that seeks to criticize and correct the behavior of human beings and their institutions by means of humor, wit, and ridicule.

Answer 2

Satire

Question 3

The teller of the story

Answer 3

Narrator

Question 4

The kind or level of language used in a work. Different types:

• abstract
• concrete
• informal
• formal

Answer 4

Diction

Question 5

The character around whom the plot is centered; the hero or heroine in the work of literature. The main character with whom the reader is meant to identify. Not necessarily “good” by any conventional moral standard, but this is the person whose plight the reader is most invested.

Answer 5

Protagonist

Question 6

Reasons for or forces behind the action of a character.

Answer 6

Motivation

Question 7

The uncertainty or anxiety built in the story line about what is going to happen next in a story.

Answer 7

Suspense

Question 8

The sequence of events in a story.

Answer 8

Plot

Question 9

The main adversary of the hero protagonist or a character with whom the protagonist comes in conflict. Not necessarily a villain.

Answer 9

Antagonist

Question 10

Plot line(s) which are concurrent to the main plot of a story but are not the primary focus of the events in the story. These often involve secondary characters and add depth and intricacy to longer works of literature.

Answer 10

Subplot

Question 11

Prose literature, especially short stories and novels, about imaginary events and people.

Answer 11

Fiction

Question 12

A specific category or type of literature.

Answer 12

Genre

Question 13

A particular value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader. (Not the same as the theme of the story, though the two are often confused. This attempts to teach right from wrong in some way.

Answer 13

Moral

Question 14

The author’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject or theme of a work. This is interpreted by the feelings the reader associates with the work. Often, the term is used interchangeably with atmosphere.

Answer 14

Mood

Question 15

A technique by which an author suggests or predicts an outcome of the plot.

Answer 15

Foreshadowing

Question 16

A literary device in which chronological and sequential narrative is interrupted by the recollection of an image or a scene from either the recent or distant past.

Answer 16

Flashback

Question 17

A character who changes within the course of a work.

Answer 17

Dynamic

Question 18

Where the action comes to its moment of greatest tension (see plot)

Answer 18

Climax

Question 19

A situation in which the result of circumstances is the opposite of that which might be reasonably expected. There are several different types:

• Dramatic
• Situational
• Cosmic
• Verbal
• Tragic

Answer 19

Irony

Question 20

A story of uncertain origin and authorship that seeks to explain processes of nature, the creation of the world and the human race, the relationships between man and god(s), or traditional customs and values of a society.

Answer 20

Myth

Question 21

The events that occur with the body of work.

Answer 21

Action

Question 22

A struggle between opposing forces which is the driving force of a story. The outcome of any story provides a resolution of the conflict(s); this is what keeps the reader reading.

• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Self
• Man vs. Society
• Man vs. Abstract Idea (a.k.a Man vs. Supernatural)

Answer 22

Conflict

Question 23

An author’s account or story of her or his own life.

Answer 23

Autobiography

Question 24

A detailed account of a person’s life written by someone other than the subject or person who the work is focused on.

Answer 24

Biography

Question 25

A play on words that sound the same but have different meanings.

Answer 25

Pun

Question 26

A reference which is chronologically out of place.

Answer 26

Anachronism

Question 27

A speech or remark made by a character which is heard only by the audience and not other characters. Often, these are devices used in drama to develop the relationship between the audience and the character and are usually either comedic or dramatic in nature.

Answer 27

Aside

Question 28

A story that contains another story within it.

Answer 28

Framework Story

Question 29

A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.

Answer 29

Parable

Question 30

A way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of a people. Often used by writers to provide more information about a character’s background, education, lifestyle, etc.

Answer 30

Dialect

Question 31

A humorous imitation of ideas, styles, characters or plots in literature.

Answer 31

Parody

Question 32

A speech intended to be delivered on the stage by a solitary character, in which the character reveals his or her nature, thoughts, and/or motives. This is. Much longer and more revealing than an aside and it involves the inner-workings of the character’s mind.

Answer 32

Soliloquy

Question 33

An extended speech or one-way dialogue in which the speaker reveals his or her character. It is not directed to the audience but to the other characters. It generally captures a critical moment.

Answer 33

Monologue, Dramatic