Terms to use for IOC: literature

Question 1

Figurative language

Answer 1

language that is symbolic or metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally

Question 2

Pathos

Answer 2

the effect in literature which makes the reader feel sadness or pity

Question 3

Atmosphere

Answer 3

the prevailing mood created by a piece of writing

Question 4

Metonymy

Answer 4

the substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named in place of the name itself

(not part of the whole)
(the SERPENT lied to me)

Question 5

tone

Answer 5

a literary technique created through the combined effects of a number of features, such as diction, syntax, rhythm, etc

Question 6

Catharsis

Answer 6

a purging of the emotions which takes place at the end of a tragedy

Question 7

allusion

Answer 7

a reference to an outside fact, event or another source

Question 8

epigraph

Answer 8

a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme

Question 9

simile

Answer 9

a figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects, using the works like or as

Question 10

Antithesis

Answer 10

contrasting ideas or words that are balanced against each other

Question 11

Conceit

Answer 11

an extended metaphor, used to create a powerful effect

Question 12

parallelism

Answer 12

the balance in one or more sentences that are grammatically identical

(ex: the -ing, -ing, -ing)

Question 13

Diction

Answer 13

the choice of words that a writer makes

Question 14

symbolism

Answer 14

the use of one object to suggest another, hidden object/idea

Question 15

Ambivalence

Answer 15

indicates more than one possible attitude is being displayed by the writer towards a character, theme, or idea, etc

Question 16

in medias res

Answer 16

middle of a narrative

Question 17

Cliché

Answer 17

a phrase, idea, or image that has been used so much that it has lost much of its original meaning, impact, and freshness

Question 18

Motif

Answer 18

a dominant theme, subject, or idea which runs through a piece of literature

Question 19

leitmotif

Answer 19

a repeating theme associated with a person, idea or situation

Question 20

paradox

Answer 20

a seemingly self-contradictory statement that underlines a basis of truth

Question 21

aside

Answer 21

character’s dialogue that is not heard by others

Question 22

hyperbole

Answer 22

an exaggeration/overstatement for effect

Question 23

epiphany

Answer 23

when a character receives sudden insight

Question 24

epilogue

Answer 24

a conclusion

Question 25

jargon

Answer 25

use of specific phrases in a particular situation/profession for conveying hidden meanings understood in that situation/profession

Question 26

Ambiguity

Answer 26

use of language where the meaning is unclear or has two or more possible interpretations or meanings

Question 27

tragedy

Answer 27

hero falls because of a tragic flaw

Question 28

Denouement

Answer 28

the ending of a play, novel, or drama where ‘all is revealed’ and the plot is unraveled

Question 29

Soliloquy

Answer 29

a speech in which a character, alone on stage, expresses his or her thoughts and feelings aloud for the benefit of the audience, often in a revealing way

Question 30

personification

Answer 30

giving objects/animals human qualities

Question 31

apostrophe

Answer 31

an address to a person or personified object not present (or dead)

(Oh sun, please shine on my flowers)

Question 32

ellipsis

Answer 32

the omission of word(s) that are significant/necessary in a sentence

series of dots

Question 33

Lament

Answer 33

a poem expressing intense grief

Question 34

Allegory

Answer 34

a story or narrative, often told at some length, which has a deeper meaning below the surface

Question 35

Dramatic monologue

Answer 35

a poem or prose piece in which a character addresses an audience

Question 36

enjambement

Answer 36

a run-on line, continuing into the next without a grammatical break
(no comma at the end of a line)

Question 37

imagery

Answer 37

the use of words to represent things/actions/ideas by sensory description

Question 38

dues ex machina

Answer 38

God’s hand/unexcepted force changes a seemingly hopeless situation

Question 39

Caricature

Answer 39

a character described through the exaggeration of a small number of features that he or she possesses

Question 40

irony

Answer 40

the contrast between actual meaning and another meaning

verbal: oral
dramatic: audience knowledge vs character knowledge
situational: unexpected outcome of a situation

Question 41

description

Answer 41

text that explains/describes something to help the reader visualize it

Question 42

Connotation

Answer 42

an implication or association attached to a word or phrase

Question 43

Euphemism

Answer 43

expressing an unpleasant or unsavory idea in a less blunt and more pleasant way

Question 44

Theme

Answer 44

the central idea or ideas that the writer explores through a text

Question 45

Synecdoche

Answer 45

a part of something represents the whole object/idea (unlike metonymy)

(the TONGUE lied to me)

Question 46

Anachronism

Answer 46

something that is historically inaccurate

Question 47

metaphor

Answer 47

a figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of unlike objects using identification or substitution

Question 48

exposition

Answer 48

explanation of background information to the audience

Question 49

oxymoron

Answer 49

contradictory terms used together to expressed a paradox for strong effect

Question 50

Refrain

Answer 50

repetition throughout a poem of a phrase, line, or series of lines, as in the ‘chorus’ of a song

Question 51

Colloquial

Answer 51

ordinary, everyday speech and language

Question 52

Syntax

Answer 52

the way in which sentences are structured

Question 53

Style

Answer 53

the individual way in which a writer has used language to express his or her ideas