Terms & Literary Devices

Question 1

Antagonist

Answer 1

The force(s) that work(s) against the protagonist, such as other people, things, society, or themselves

Question 2

Internal Conflict

Answer 2

man vs. himself

Question 3

External Conflict (3)

Answer 3

1. man vs. man or group of people
2. man vs. the environment/society
3. man against the unknown

Question 4

Connotation

Answer 4

What a word infers or suggests

ex. the connotation of snake could be evil

Question 5

Contrast

Answer 5

Stresses the differences of things, qualities, events, or problems

Question 6

Denotation

Answer 6

The literal meaning or definition of a word

ex. the denotation of the word snake is reptile

Question 7

Description

Answer 7

To describe a person you would explain your relationship, their physical characteristics, personality traits, their job, and in what way the person is special or different from others.

• creating a picture using words
• specific details
• uses 5 senses

Question 8

Direct Presentation

Answer 8

The narrator tells the reader everything about the character

Question 9

Dramatic or Objective Point of View

Answer 9

The opposite of the omniscient point of view. It is a moving camera where the events are recorded without judgement or comment. The author does not show the feelings and thoughts of the characters.

• very little of the past or future is given, the story is set in the present

Question 10

Dynamic

Answer 10

A character that changes during the story

Question 11

Falling Action

Answer 11

Part of the plot which occurs after the climax

Question 12

First Person Point of View

Answer 12

The narrator tells the story in the first person using “I”, The reader sees and knows only as much as the narrator

Question 13

Flashback

Answer 13

When the present action in a story is temporarily interrupted so that the reader can witness past events

Question 14

Flat

Answer 14

A character with one or two traits

Question 15

Foil

Answer 15

A character that serves by contrast to stress opposing traits in another character

Question 16

Foreshadowing

Answer 16

Hints or clues to help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story

Question 17

Indirect Presentation

Answer 17

When we know about a character by what he or she says, does, or thinks by how others react to the character

Question 18

Irony

Answer 18

A mode of expressions, through words or events conveying a reality different from and usually opposite to appearance or expectation

Question 19

What are the 3 types of irony?

Answer 19

Verbal irony: sarcasm

Situational irony: for example, a proffesional pick pocket has his own pocket picked as he is in the act of picking someone else’s pocket

Dramatic Irony: for example, someone unknowingly kills his father and says that he will banish his father’s killer when he finds him

Question 20

Limited Omniscient POV

Answer 20

The author tells the story in the third person, but he tells it from the viewpoint of one character in the story, the author stands by the side of the character and presents the story through their eyes

Question 21

Narrator

Answer 21

The person telling the story

Question 22

Omniscient POV

Answer 22

The author tells the story in the third person and he knows everything about all the characters

Question 23

Plot

Answer 23

The sequence of events in a story

Question 24

What are the 5 parts of a plot?

Answer 24

1. Introduction
2. Rising Action
3. Climax
4. Falling Action
5. Conclusion

Question 25

Point of View

Answer 25

Who is telling the story

Question 26

Protagonist

Answer 26

The central character in the story, the character in which the conflict surrounds

Question 27

Resolution

Answer 27

The point of closure in a story, when the principal dramatic complication or dilemma is worked out (conclusion)

Question 28

Rising Action

Answer 28

Part of the plot, a series of steps that develops the conflict as it builds to a climax. Begins with an initial incident

Question 29

Round

Answer 29

A character who is complex and many sided; presented in detail

Question 30

Sarcasm

Answer 30

(Verbal Irony), when a speaker makes a statement in which its actual meaning differs sharply from the meaning of the words expressed

Question 31

Satire

Answer 31

A form of irony that ridicules the faults of humanity, but always in the interest of society

Question 32

Setting

Answer 32

Refers to the time, place, and mood of the story

Question 33

Static

Answer 33

A character that does not change or grow over the course of the story

Question 34

Stereotyped

Answer 34

A “flat character” who is a certain type

ex: jock, nerd

Question 35

Suspense

Answer 35

A narrative technique where an author creates uncertainty or anxiety in the reader about what will happen next and the outcome of the story

-suspense is generally resolved when the story reaches its climax

Question 36

Symbol

Answer 36

Used to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings
(ex: dove –> peace, 4-leaf clover –> good luck

Question 37

Theme

Answer 37

The central idea of the story that is usually not stated by the author. The reader must discover the theme by questioning and examining the meaning of the story