Terms Used In Multiple-Choice Questions Flashcards
Ambiguity
Multiple meanings that a literary work may communicate, especially when two meanings are incompatible
Allegory
A story in which the people, things, and events have another extended, frequently abstract, meaning
Apostrophe
Direct address, usually to someone or something that is not present
Connotation
The implications of a word or phrase, or the emotions associated with it, as opposed to its exact meaning
Convention
A device of style or subject matter that is so often that it becomes a recognized means expression
Denotation
The specific, literal meaning of a word to be found in a dictionary
Didactic
Explicitly instructive
Digression
The inclusion of material unrelated to the actual subject of a work
Epigram
A pithy saying, often employing contrast
Euphemism
A figure of speech utilizing indirection to avoid offensive bluntness
Grotesque
Characterized by distortions or incongruities
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration, overstatment
Jargon
The specialized language of a profession or group
Literal
The precise, explicit meaning
Lyrical
Songlike
Oxymoron
A combination or juxtaposition of opposites
Parable
A story designed to suggest a principle, to illustrate a moral, or to answer a question
Paradox
A statement that seems to be self-contradictory but is, in fact, true
Parody
A composition that imitates the style of another composition, normally done for comic effect
Personfication
A figurative use of language that endows the nonhuman with human characteristics
Reliability
A quality of some fictional narrators in whose word the reader can place his trust
Rhetorical question
A question asked for effect, not in expectation of a reply
Soliloquy
A speech in which a character who is alone speaks his or her thoughts aloud
Stereotype
A conventional pattern, expression, character, or idea
Syllogism
A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them
Thesis
The theme, meaning, or position that a writer endeavors to prove or support
