Lit Terms Part 3

Question 1

Hypothetical Question

Answer 1

Highly conjectural; not well supported by available evidence

Question 2

Idiom

Answer 2

An expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect

Question 3

Imagery

Answer 3

The pattern of images that are the verbal equivalents of sense experience in a text. Every metaphor or simile constitutes an image.

Question 4

Imperative

Answer 4

Noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb in commands, requests, etc.
Ex. Listen! Go!

Question 5

Implication

Answer 5

A suggestion an author or speaker makes (implies) without stating it directly

Question 6

Invective

Answer 6

An intensely vehement, highly emotional verbal attack.

Question 7

Inductive reasoning

Answer 7

Deriving general principles from particular facts or instances

Question 8

Inference

Answer 8

A conclusion one draws (infers) based on premises or evidence

Question 9

Irony

Answer 9

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs

Question 10

Jargon

Answer 10

The specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

Question 11

Legend

Answer 11

A story rooted in fact but which has been elaborated over time so that it is largely fictional
Ex. King Arthur and His Court

Question 12

Limerick

Answer 12

Light verse consisting of 5 lines of regular rhythm in which the 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme.

Question 13

Limited Narrator

Answer 13

Third-person narration told through the eyes of a single character.

Question 14

Literary license

Answer 14

Deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect (ex. intentional sentence fragments)

Question 15

Litotes

Answer 15

A type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite.
Ex. “It was not a pretty picture”

Question 16

Malapropism

Answer 16

The mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar

Question 17

Maxim

Answer 17

A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage.

Question 18

Metaphor

Answer 18

A direct comparison of two different things

Question 19

Metonymy

Answer 19

Substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it.

Question 20

Mood

Answer 20

The emotional atmosphere of a literary work

Question 21

Motivation

Answer 21

A character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner

Question 22

Myth

Answer 22

A traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events.

Question 23

Narrative

Answer 23

A story or narrated account

Question 24

Narrator

Answer 24

One who tells a story. May be 1st or 3rd person, limited or omniscient

Question 25

Non Sequitur

Answer 25

An inference that does not follow logically from the premises.