Techniques

Question 1

What is imagery in a text?

Answer 1

Descriptive language that appeals to the five senses, creating vivid pictures in the reader’s mind (e.g., “The golden sun sank behind the hills”).

Question 2

How can you identify simile?

Answer 2

Look for comparisons using “like” or “as” (e.g., “Her smile was as bright as the sun”).

Question 3

What is metaphor?

Answer 3

A figure of speech where something is described as if it is something else to suggest similarity (e.g., “Time is a thief”).

Question 4

What is personification?

Answer 4

Giving human qualities to non-human objects or abstract ideas (e.g., “The wind whispered through the trees”).

Question 5

What is alliteration?

Answer 5

The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words (e.g., “She sells seashells by the seashore”).

Question 6

What is onomatopoeia?

Answer 6

Words that imitate the sounds they describe (e.g., “buzz,” “bang,” “whisper”).

Question 7

How do you recognize hyperbole?

Answer 7

It’s an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally (e.g., “I’ve told you a million times”).

Question 8

What is irony?

Answer 8

A situation or statement where the actual meaning is opposite to what is expected or said (e.g., calling a very tall person “Tiny”).

Question 9

How can you spot symbolism?

Answer 9

Look for objects, characters, or events that represent something more than their literal meaning (e.g., a dove often symbolizes peace).

Question 10

What is oxymoron?

Answer 10

A combination of contradictory or opposing words (e.g., “bittersweet,” “deafening silence”).

Question 11

How do you identify repetition in a text?

Answer 11

Look for words or phrases that are repeated to emphasize an idea or feeling (e.g., “Never, never give up”).

Question 12

What is rhetorical question?

Answer 12

A question asked for effect, not meant to be answered (e.g., “Who doesn’t love a sunny day?”).

Question 13

What is foreshadowing?

Answer 13

A technique where the author gives hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Question 14

How do you recognize juxtaposition?

Answer 14

When two contrasting ideas, characters, or images are placed side by side to highlight their differences (e.g., “darkness and light”).

Question 15

What is tone, and how can you identify it?

Answer 15

Tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward the subject, which can be identified through word choice (e.g., formal, sarcastic, hopeful).

Question 16

What is mood, and how do you recognize it?

Answer 16

The mood is the emotional atmosphere of a text, created through descriptions and setting (e.g., suspenseful, gloomy, joyful).

Question 17

What is contrast?

Answer 17

Highlighting differences between two ideas, objects, or characters (e.g., “The cold, gray streets contrasted with the warm, lively market”).

Question 18

What is anaphora?

Answer 18

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (e.g., “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds”).

Question 19

What is parallelism?

Answer 19

The use of similar grammatical structures or patterns in successive sentences to create rhythm or emphasis (e.g., “She likes cooking, jogging, and reading”).

Question 20

What is emotive language?

Answer 20

Words or phrases used to evoke an emotional response from the reader (e.g., “heartbreaking,” “devastating,” “joyous”).

Question 21

What is allusion?

Answer 21

A reference to another text, person, event, or place (e.g., “He’s a real Romeo” refers to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet).

Question 22

What is assonance?

Answer 22

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words (e.g., “The light of the fire is a sight”).

Question 23

What is consonance?

Answer 23

The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., “The lumpy, bumpy road”).

Question 24

What is euphemism?

Answer 24

A mild or indirect word or expression used to replace one considered harsh or blunt (e.g., “passed away” instead of “died”).

Question 25

What is metonymy?

Answer 25

A figure of speech where something is referred to by the name of something closely related to it (e.g., “The White House” refers to the U.S. president or administration).

Question 26

What is synecdoche?

Answer 26

A figure of speech where a part is used to represent the whole (e.g., “All hands on deck” means all crew members, not just their hands).

Question 27

What is pun?

Answer 27

A form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous effect (e.g., “I’m reading a book about anti-gravity—it’s impossible to put down”).

Question 28

What is anthropomorphism?

Answer 28

A type of personification where animals or objects are not just given human traits but behave like humans (e.g., talking animals in children’s stories).

Question 29

What is idiom?

Answer 29

A phrase or expression with a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning (e.g., “It’s raining cats and dogs” means it’s raining heavily).

Question 30

What is zeugma?

Answer 30

A figure of speech where a word applies to multiple parts of the sentence in different ways (e.g., “He broke her heart and her car”).

Question 31

What is paradox?

Answer 31

A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but reveals a truth (e.g., “This is the beginning of the end”).

Question 32

What is epistrophe?

Answer 32

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive sentences or clauses (e.g., “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”).

Question 33

What is understatement?

Answer 33

Presenting something as smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is (e.g., saying “It’s just a scratch” when referring to a large wound).

Question 34

What is colloquialism?

Answer 34

Informal language or slang used in writing to create a conversational tone (e.g., “gonna,” “y’all”).

Question 35

What is anadiplosis?

Answer 35

The repetition of the last word of one sentence or clause at the beginning of the next (e.g., “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate”).

Question 36

What is antithesis?

Answer 36

A rhetorical device where two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence for contrasting effect (e.g., “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”).

Question 37

What is polysyndeton?

Answer 37

The use of several conjunctions in close succession, often to slow down the rhythm of the sentence (e.g., “We have ships and men and money and stores”).

Question 38

What is asyndeton?

Answer 38

The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence to create a fast-paced rhythm (e.g., “I came, I saw, I conquered”).

Question 39

What is chiasmus?

Answer 39

A rhetorical device where the structure of one phrase is reversed in the next (e.g., “Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you”).

Question 40

What is litotes?

Answer 40

A form of understatement that uses double negatives to affirm a positive (e.g., “It’s not bad” meaning “It’s good”).