APL Literary Vocab Terms

Question 1

major unit of actin in a drama or play

Answer 1

act

Question 2

story where people, things, actions represents an idea about life

Answer 2

allegory

Question 3

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Answer 3

alliteration

Question 4

reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature, often indirect or brief references to a well known change of events

Answer 4

allusion

Question 5

comparison of 2 or more like objects that suggests if they are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well

Answer 5

analogy

Question 6

brief account of an interesting incident or event that usually is intended to entertain or to make a point

Answer 6

anecdote

Question 7

see character

Answer 7

antagonist

Question 8

an actor’s speech, directs to the audience, that is not supposed to be heard by other actors on stage, used to let audience know what a character is about to do or what they’re thinking

Answer 8

aside

Question 9

repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry

Answer 9

assonance

Question 10

particular group of readers or viewers that the writer is addressing

Answer 10

audience

Question 11

writer of a book, article, or other text

Answer 11

author

Question 12

his/her reason for creating a particular work

Answer 12

author’s purpose

Question 13

form of nonfiction in which a person tells me a story of his/her life

Answer 13

autobiography

Question 14

poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited

Answer 14

ballad

Question 15

story of a persons life that is written by someone else

Answer 15

biography

Question 16

unrhymed iambic pentameter(see meter)

Answer 16

blank verse

Question 17

pause or a sudden break in a line of poetry

Answer 17

caesura

Question 18

2 events are related as cause & effect, when 1 event brings about or causes another

Answer 18

cause & effect

Question 19

person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature

Answer 19

character

Question 20

character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character(protagonist), doesn’t necessarily have to be a person, could be death, devil, illness or any challenge

Answer 20

antagonist

Question 21

picture or imitation of a person’s habits, physical appearance or mannerisms exaggerated in a comic or absurd way

Answer 21

caricature

Question 22

character who serves as a contrast or a conflict to another character

Answer 22

foil

Question 23

character whose actions are inspiring or noble; often the main character

Answer 23

hero/heroine

Question 24

characters who are central to the part of a story; usually dynamic and round

Answer 24

main characters

Question 25

less important character who interacts with the main characters, helping to move the plot along and providing background for the story; usually static and flat

Answer 25

minor characters

Question 26

all of the techniques that writers use to create characters

Answer 26

characterization

Question 27

character’s personality; a trait is not aphysical description of a character

Answer 27

character trait

Question 28

author directly states a character traits or makes direct comments about a characters nature

Answer 28

direct characterization

Question 29

character who changes throughout the course of the story

Answer 29

dynamic character

Question 30

character about whom little information is provided

Answer 30

flat character

Question 31

author doesn’t directly state a character traits; instead reader draws conclusions and discovers a chracters traits based upon clues provided by author

Answer 31

indirect characterization

Question 32

character who is fully described by the author

Answer 32

round character

Question 33

character who doesn’t change or who changes very little in the course of a story

Answer 33

static character

Question 34

see refrain

Answer 34

chorus

Question 35

the order in which events happen in time

Answer 35

chronological order

Question 36

reader’s process of pausing occasionally while reading to quickly review what he/she unserstands.

Answer 36

clarifying

Question 37

type of figurative language containing an overusesd expression or saying that is no longer considered original

Answer 37

cliche`

Question 38

see plot

Answer 38

climax

Question 39

dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone and usually ends happily with a peaceful resolution of main conflict

Answer 39

comedy

Question 40

process of indentifying similarities

Answer 40

comparison

Question 41

type of poetry that uses its physical or visual form to present its message

Answer 41

concrete poetry

Question 42

tension or problem in the storyl a struggle between opposing forces

Answer 42

conflict

Question 43

dominant or most important conflict in the story

Answer 43

central conflict

Question 44

problem or struggle that exists between the main character and an outside force

Answer 44

external conflict

Question 45

problem or struggle that takes place in the main character’s mind

Answer 45

internal conflict

Question 46

reader’s process of relating the content of a literary work to his/her own knowledge and experience

Answer 46

connecting

Question 47

idea and feeling associated with a word as opposed to its dictionary defintion or denotation

Answer 47

connotation

Question 48

repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry

Answer 48

consonance

Question 49

hints or suggestions that may surround unfamiliar words or phrases and clarify their meaning

Answer 49

context clues