Literary Terms Test 2

Question 1

a figure of speech that compares two essentially unlike things in great length

Ex. “Life is a mountain, filled with switchbacks and rock slides and few straight paths to the top.”

Answer 1

extended metaphor

Question 2

a brief tale that teaches a lesson about human nature. They often feature animals as characters.

Ex. “Aesop’s _____”

Answer 2

fable

Question 3

a work of literature that contains at least one fantastic or unreal element

Ex. Eragon

Answer 3

fantasy

Question 4

prose writing that tells an imaginary story. It includes both short stories and novels.

Answer 4

fiction

Question 5

expressions that are not literally true. see simile, metaphor, hyperbole, understatement, irony, oxymoron, cliché, metonymy

Answer 5

figurative language or figure of speech

Question 6

an interruption of the chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence. It is a narrative technique that allows a writer to present past events during current events, in order to provide background for the current narration.

Answer 6

flashback

Question 7

when the writer provides clues or hints that suggest or predict future event in a story.

Answer 7

foreshadowing

Question 8

poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm. Often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech.

Answer 8

free verse

Question 9

a type of category of literature. The four main ones include: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Answer 9

genre

Question 10

a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.

Answer 10

hyperbole

Question 11

the use of words and phrases that appeal to the five senses. Writers use sensory details to help readers imagine how things look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.

Ex. “She looks as though she could be on the cover of Vogue, with her soft features and striking beauty.”

Answer 11

imagery

Question 12

“in the middle of,” scenes that begin this way already have established action or situations.

Answer 12

in media res

Question 13

a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens. It spices up a literary work by adding unexpected twists and allowing the reader to become a more involved with the characters and plot. There are many types of it.

Ex. “Missippi’s literary program shows improvement.”

Answer 13

irony

Question 14

a song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker.

Ex.
“Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
-Sonnet No. 18, Shakespeare

Answer 14

lyric poetry

Question 15

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-surrounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.
Ex. “dance a flamingo” (instead of flamenco)

Answer 15

malapropism

Question 16

A type of figurative language in which a comparison is made between two things that are essentially unalike but may have one quality in common. Unlike a simile, this does not contain an explicit word of comparison, such as “like” or “as”.

Ex. “Life is one long roller coaster.”

Answer 16

metaphor

Question 17

the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables. Although all poems have rhythm, not all poems have regular this. Each unit of this is known as a foot. The conventional symbols used to identify accented and unaccented syllables are: “I” to indicate and accented syllable; and an “X” or a small symbol shaped like a “U” to indicate an unaccented symbol. The foot is the basic unit of this.

Answer 17

meter

Question 18

the metaphorical substitution of one word or phrase for another related word or phrase. Example: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” The word “pen is used in place of “words” and the word “sword” is used to represent the idea of fighting or war.

Ex. The white house tells me what to do.

Answer 18

metonymy

Question 19

A mood or atmosphere is the feeling that a literary work conveys to readers. It is created through the use of plot, character, the author’s descriptions, etc.

Ex. “It was a dark and stormy night…“-frightening ___

Answer 19

mood

Question 20

A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. It may also be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil. It is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express, in order that one night be able to interpret the work more accurately.

Ex. Magic in Harry Potter

Answer 20

motif

Question 21

Any writing that tells a story. Most novels and short stories are placed into the categories of first-person and third-person’s of these, which are based on who is telling the story and from what perspective.

Answer 21

narrative

Question 22

Prose writing that presents and explains ideas or that tells about real people, places, objects or events. Some examples of it include autobiographies, newspaper articles, biographies, essays, etc.

Answer 22

nonfiction

Question 23

A work of fiction that is longer and more complex than a short story. In one, setting, plot and characters are usually developed in great detail.

Ex. Lord of the Flies

Answer 23

novel

Question 24

A lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal structure.

Answer 24

ode

Question 25

the use of words whose sound suggest their meaning

ex. buzz, bang, hiss

Answer 25

onomatopoeia

Question 26

a form of figurative language combining contradictory words or ideas

ex. jumbo shrimp, bittersweet

Answer 26

oxymoron

Question 27

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson

Ex. ____(s) of Jesus

Answer 27

parable

Question 28

a statement that seems to contradict itself but is, nevertheless is true

Ex. The child is father of the man.

Answer 28

paradox

Question 29

The use of similar grammatical constuctions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance.

Ex: The sun rises. The sun sets.

Answer 29

parallelism

Question 30

A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author’s work for comic effect or ridicule.

Ex. A Very Potter Musical

Answer 30

parody

Question 31

a work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life; focus on nature

Ex. “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats

Answer 31

pastoral

Question 32

Evokes pity or sympathy

Ex. the Humane Society commercials on TV

Answer 32

pathos

Question 33

A role or characters adopted by an author or an actor.

Ex. “Dan Stevens’s Matthew Crawley had a very different _____ compared to Stevens’s new role of the Beast in Beauty in the Beast.”

Answer 33

persona

Question 34

A figure of speech where animals, ideas or inanimate objects are given human characteristics.

Ex. “The wind whistled throughout the day.”

Answer 34

personification