Literary Terms

Question 1

Character

Answer 1

person in a story, poem, or play

Question 1

Setting

Answer 1

the time and place of a story or play

Question 2

Protagonist

Answer 2

main character in a story

Question 3

Antagonist

Answer 3

opposer working against the protagonist’s goals

Question 4

Point of View

Answer 4

vantage point from which a writer tells a story

Question 5

First Person

Answer 5

character telling story using first person pronouns, only know what the character knows

Question 6

Third Person Limited

Answer 6

told by narrator who has no part in the story, focuses on just one character

Question 7

Third Person Omniscient

Answer 7

told by all-knowing narrator who has no part in story

Question 8

Theme

Answer 8

central idea of a work of literature

Question 9

Conflict

Answer 9

struggle/clash between opposing character/forces

Question 10

Internal Conflict

Answer 10

takes place inside characters mind (internal struggle)

Question 11

External Conflict

Answer 11

character struggling against outside force

Question 12

Plot

Answer 12

series of related events that make up a story/drama

Question 13

Exposition

Answer 13

explains/gives info, defines, or clarifies idea

Question 14

Rising Action

Answer 14

building towards greatest point of interest, climax

Question 15

Climax

Answer 15

moment of great emotion, intensity, or suspense in a plot

Question 16

Falling Action

Answer 16

deflate plot tension, give time to unwind

Question 17

Resolution

Answer 17

final act in a story

Question 18

Allusion

Answer 18

reference to something outside of the story (ex. pop culture)

Question 19

Autobiography

Answer 19

an account of a persons life written by themselves

Question 20

Biography

Answer 20

an account of a persons life written by someone else

Question 21

Static Character

Answer 21

doesn’t change

Question 22

Dynamic Character

Answer 22

changes as a result of stories events

Question 23

Flat Character

Answer 23

few traits, can be described in few words

Question 24

Round Character

Answer 24

many different character traits, some may contradict others

Question 25

Subordinate Character

Answer 25

plays an important role, but not the main character

Question 26

Characterization (process of)

Answer 26

process of revealing personality of a character

Question 27

Irony

Answer 27

contrast between what is expected to happen, and what does

Question 28

Situational Irony

Answer 28

contrast between what seems appropriate and what really happens

Question 29

Verbal Irony

Answer 29

saying one thing, but meaning something completely different

Question 30

Dramatic Irony

Answer 30

audience knows something important that the character doesn’t

Question 31

Fiction

Answer 31

imaginary events/people

Question 32

Nonfiction

Answer 32

real people, things, events, and places

Question 33

Satire

Answer 33

type of writing that ridicules something

Question 34

Symbol

Answer 34

something that represents something else

Question 35

Science Fiction

Answer 35

fiction based on scientific and technological advances

Question 36

Flashback

Answer 36

interrupts present moment, goes to past events

Question 37

Foil

Answer 37

character who contrasts each other

Question 38

Foreshadowing

Answer 38

use of clues to hint to later in the plot

Question 39

Short Story

Answer 39

short narrative

Question 40

Suspense

Answer 40

uncertainty/anxiety readers feel about what is going to happen next

Question 41

Mood

Answer 41

stories atmosphere

Question 42

Tone

Answer 42

attitude writer takes

Question 43

Ambiguity

Answer 43

element of uncertainty, can be interpreted in many ways

Question 44

Figurative Language

Answer 44

word/phrase that describes one thing in terms of another

Question 45

Metaphor

Answer 45

making comparison between two unlike things (without using like, or as)

Question 46

Smilie

Answer 46

comparison between two unlike things using like or as

Question 47

Personification

Answer 47

nonhuman things given human traits