Literary Techniques - general

Question 1

Title

Answer 1

The meaning of the title

Question 2

Author

Answer 2

The intention of the author

Question 3

Purpose

Answer 3

The intention of the text

Question 4

Implied audeience

Answer 4

The audience the text is aimed at

Question 5

Social context

Answer 5

The social setting in which the text occurs

Question 6

Alliteration

Answer 6

The repetition of sounds at the beginning of words

Question 7

Allusion

Answer 7

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.

Question 8

Ambiguity

Answer 8

A word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.

Question 9

Antithises

Answer 9

A rhetorical device in which two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect. eg. “one small step for man, but one giant leap for man kind”

Question 10

Assonance

Answer 10

The repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words

Question 11

Cliche

Answer 11

An expression that has been overused to the extent that it loses its original meaning or novelty.

Question 12

Colloquialism

Answer 12

The usage of informal or everyday language in literature

Question 13

Comedy

Answer 13

A literary genre that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending.

Question 14

Conceit

Answer 14

A kind of metaphor that compares two very unlike things in a surprising and clever way. eg. “marriage is like getting a root canal”

Question 15

Connotation

Answer 15

A meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly.

Question 16

Consonance

Answer 16

The repetition of consonant sounds

Question 17

Diction

Answer 17

The style of speaking or writing, determined by the choice of words of the speaker or writer.

Question 18

Empathy

Answer 18

The ability of the author to make the reader sense the emotions and feelings of the characters.

Question 19

Figurative language

Answer 19

The use of a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning. eg. metaphors, similes, personification and hyperbole

Question 20

Hyperbole

Answer 20

The use of over-exaggeration to create emphasis or humor.

Question 21

Imagery

Answer 21

The use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. eg. olfactory (smell), visual (sight), aural (sound), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste) & kinaesthetic (movement)

Question 22

Irony

Answer 22

A contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and what is reality

Question 23

Dramatic irony

Answer 23

When the reader understands what’s going on in a situation but the characters are unaware.

Question 24

Metaphor

Answer 24

A comparison between two things that states one thing is another, in order help explain an idea or show hidden similarities.

Question 25

Onomatopoeia

Answer 25

A poetic structure of words to convey how something sounds. eg. a poem about a stream written in a way to imitate the sound of a stream

Question 26

Oxymoron

Answer 26

Two opposite ideas joined to create an effect, commonly it is a combination of an adjective proceeded by a noun. eg. living death

Question 27

Paradox

Answer 27

A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas. eg. “what a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.”

Question 28

Personification

Answer 28

Something that is not human is given human characteristics.

Question 29

Rhetoric

Answer 29

The use of language effectively to persuade employing various methods to convince, influence, or please an audience.

Question 30

Satire

Answer 30

A techniques used to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society, by using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule.

Question 31

Simile

Answer 31

A comparison, showing similarities between two different things, using: like or as.

Question 32

Style

Answer 32

The method in which an author conveys meaning, tone, and emotion.

Question 33

Tone

Answer 33

An attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject. eg. formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, or cheerful

Question 34

Structure

Answer 34

The arrangement of story elements according to purpose, style and genre.

Question 35

Narrative perspective

Answer 35

A set of features determining the way a story is told and what is told. It includes the person who is telling the story, or the narrator, as well as the character from whose point of view the story is told.