Study Guide for Poetry Test Part 1

Question 1

Allusion

Answer 1

an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.

Question 2

Connotation

Answer 2

emotional/cultural “mood” or undertone that comes along with a word (positive or negative)

Question 3

Denotation

Answer 3

the objective meaning of a word, the literal definition—its dictionary definition—and contains no emotion

Question 4

Diction

Answer 4

word choice; words an author chooses for a particular effect

Question 5

symbol

Answer 5

an object/person which stands for a concept

Question 6

simile

Answer 6

comparing two things using “like” or “as”

Question 7

Metaphor

Answer 7

comparison of 2 unlike things

Question 8

metonymy

Answer 8

a metaphor in which 2 “pieces” of the
metaphor are closely related, such as “Sun” for “time”

Question 9

synecdoche

Answer 9

when an author uses a part to represent the whole
“We need more boots on the ground” General said.

Question 10

personification

Answer 10

when objects or other things take human characteristics

Question 11

apostrophe

Answer 11

NOT “,” –> refers to a poetic voice/speaker addressing (talking to) an aspect of a poem as if it were present and could reply “apostrophize”

Question 12

Situational Irony

Answer 12

situation in which actions have an effect that’s opposite from what was intended/outcome is contrary to what’s expected

Question 13

Verbal Irony

Answer 13

when a speaker says one thing but means another, often opposite. Different from sarcasm

Question 14

dramatic irony

Answer 14

refers to a situation when there’s discrepancy between what speaker says and what author means

Question 15

sonnet

Answer 15

a 14 line classical lyric poem form, written in iambic pentameter and possessing a formal rhyme scheme

Question 16

paradox

Answer 16

an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true
“My life closed two times before it closed”

Question 17

inversion

Answer 17

when the writer changes the normal order of words. They are reversed, therefore leading to a different kind of effect

Question 18

hyperbole

Answer 18

an extreme exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally

Question 19

anaphora

Answer 19

the repetition of short phrases or single words at the beginning of clauses or sentences to enhance rhythm and evoke audience emotional participation in the literary work.

Question 20

tone

Answer 20

the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes towards a given subject.

Question 21

pun

Answer 21

play on words/jokes exploiting multiple the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.