STAAR vocabulary

Question 1

Exposition

Answer 1

the introduction of the story, where the main characters or other elements are introduced

Question 2

Rising action

Answer 2

events leading to the main event/problem of the story

Question 3

Turning point/Climax

Answer 3

the most exciting part of the story

Question 4

Falling action

Answer 4

events that lead to the problem/conflict being solved

Question 5

Resolution

Answer 5

events that bring the story to a close (also known as denouement)

Question 6

Theme

Answer 6

Theme/central message-
the underlying message of a story, poem, or play

Question 7

Internal conflict

Answer 7

a struggle that takes place in a character’s mind (ex.: man vs. self;

Question 8

External conflict

Answer 8

a struggle between a character and an outside force (ex.: man vs. character, man vs. nature, and man vs. society, man vs. fate)

Question 9

Protagonist

Answer 9

the main character in a story or play, usually the hero of the story

Question 10

Antagonist

Answer 10

the character or a force in conflict with the main character, usually the villain

Question 11

First person P.O.V

Answer 11

a character in the story is the narrator and is telling the story; Pronouns: uses I, me, we

Question 12

Third person limited P.O.V

Answer 12

focuses on only ONE character’s actions, emotions, and thoughts; uses character’s names, he, she, it, they, him, her

Question 13

Third person objective P.O.V

Answer 13

focuses on every character’s actions but NOT the emotions and thoughts – the narrator sees and hears everything; uses character’s names, he, she, it, they, him, her

Question 14

Third person omniscient P.O.V

Answer 14

knows the actions, emotions, and thoughts of every character – the narrator knows EVERYTHING; uses character’s names, he, she, it, they, him, her

Question 15

Foreshadowing

Answer 15

When the author gives a hint about something that will happen

Question 16

Irony

Answer 16

an event that is the opposite of what is expected to happen.

Question 17

Flashback

Answer 17

an event from the past that is shown in a story

Question 18

Idiom

Answer 18

an expression that has a different meaning from the literal meaning (ex: You need to hit the books and study!)

Question 19

Simile

Answer 19

a comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as: (ex.: Her new hair do looked like a mop.)

Question 20

Metaphor

Answer 20

a comparison of two unlike things that does NOT use “like” or “as” (ex. My teacher was a monster today.)

Question 21

Personification

Answer 21

giving human qualities to something that is not human (ex.: The wind whispered my name.)

Question 22

Hyperbole

Answer 22

an exaggeration used to emphasize something (ex.: I have told you a million times to spit out that gum.)

Question 23

Alliteration

Answer 23

repeating the same beginning consonant sounds (ex.: Silly Sam swam sideways.)

Question 24

Onomatopia

Answer 24

the use of words to imitate sounds (ex: Pop! Boom!)

Question 25

Symbolism

Answer 25

The use of an object (a thing), person, situation, or word to represent something else

Question 26

Lines and Stanzas

Answer 26

Most poems are written in lines.
A group of lines in a poem are called stanzas. Stanzas separate ideas in a poem. They act like paragraphs.

Question 27

Rhythm

Answer 27

Rhythm is the flow of the beat in the poem.
It gives poetry a musical feel.
Can be fast or slow, depending on the mood and subject of the poem.
You can measure rhythm in meters, by counting the beats in each line.

Question 28

Meter

Answer 28

The basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in a verse; gives a poem rhythm.
Consists of the number of syllables and the pattern of emphasis on those syllables.
Individual units that make up meters are called “feet”: each “foot” features a specific number of syllables and pattern of emphasis.

Question 29

Rhyme

Answer 29

Rhyme is the use of similar-sounding words in lines of verse. They can appear in the middle or at the ends of lines and rhyme perfectly or incompletely.

Question 30

Rhyme Scheme

Answer 30

Rhyme scheme, the formal arrangement of rhymes in a stanza or a poem. If it is one of a number of set rhyme patterns, it may be identified by the name of the poet with whom the set rhyme is generally associated (for example, the Spenserian stanza is named for Edmund Spenser).

Question 31

Imagery

Answer 31

Elements of a poem that invoke any of the five senses to create a set of mental images. Specifically, using vivid or figurative language to represent ideas, objects, or actions.
Five senses: Smell, see, taste, hear.

Question 32

Graphical elements

Answer 32

Graphical elements of a poem refer to the type of capitalization and punctuation it uses, the length of the lines, and the positioning of the words. These elements help form the “shape” of a poem.

Question 33

Author’s Purpose

Answer 33

An author’s purpose is his reason for or intent in writing. An author’s purpose may be to amuse the reader, to persuade the reader, to inform the reader, or to satirize a condition.

Question 34

Repetition

Answer 34

The action of repeating something that has already been said or written.

Question 35

Tone

Answer 35

In literature, tone is, simply put, the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes towards a given subject.

Question 36

Mood

Answer 36

The definition of mood in literature can best be understood as the emotion the author strives to evoke in the reader. Mood in literature embodies the overall feeling or atmosphere of the work. Authors can generate a story’s mood through different techniques—all of which are done through the use of language, of course.