Literary Terms

Question 1

A story intended to teach a lesson. Each element of the story has a specific symbolic meaning.

Answer 1

Allegory

Question 2

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds, as in “sing a song of sixpence.”

Answer 2

Alliteration

Question 3

A reference to something outside the text.

Answer 3

Allusion

Question 4

The characteristic of being open to more than one interpretation.

Answer 4

Ambiguity

Question 5

A brief story or recounting of events.

Answer 5

Anecdote

Question 6

The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words, as in “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the
plain.”

Answer 6

Assonance

Question 7

A person or figure in a story.

Answer 7

Character

Question 8

How character is revealed.
- Direct: The character’s traits are directly described.
- Indirect: Traits are revealed in a way that requires the reader to draw conclusions, such as dialog,
a character’s actions, a character’s thoughts, what other characters say, etc.

Answer 8

Characterization

Question 9

A local or regional dialect expression. A word or phrase that is used in conversation, but not in formal speech or writing.

Answer 9

Colloquialism

Question 10

Struggle between two or more opposing forces.

Answer 10

Conflict

Question 11

Feeling or idea associated with a word.

Answer 11

Connotation

Question 12

Repetition of consonant sounds

Answer 12

Consonance

Question 13

Dictionary definition

Answer 13

Denotation

Question 14

Description that is significant.

Answer 14

Detail

Question 15

When an authority figure arrives out of nowhere at the end of a story to resolve a conflict.

Answer 15

Deus ex machina

Question 16

Word choice

Answer 16

Diction

Question 17

An event or group of events with a larger plot, considered as a unit.

Answer 17

Episode

Question 18

A nicer sounding, or more vague or indirect expression, used in place of one that is more harsh,
direct, or potentially offensive.

Answer 18

Euphemism

Question 19

A character who contrasts with a main character to highlight an attribute of the main character.

Answer 19

Foil

Question 20

A hint of what is to come

Answer 20

Foreshadowing

Question 21

The category that a text fits into.

Answer 21

Genre

Question 22

An exaggeration used to make a point (opposite of understatement).

Answer 22

Hyperbole

Question 23

An accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal (often metaphorical).

Answer 23

Idiom

Question 24

Description that appeals to a reader’s senses.

Answer 24

Imagery

Question 25

An unusual or unexpected twist

Answer 25

Irony

Question 26

A difference between what the reader knows and what a character in the story knows.

Answer 26

Dramatic irony

Question 27

When events turn out differently than expected.

Answer 27

Situational Irony

Question 28

The surface or literal meaning of what is said is different from the intended meaning.

Answer 28

Verbal Irony

Question 29

Two things placed next to each other, usually to highlight a contrast.

Answer 29

Juxtaposition

Question 30

A comparison of unlike things that does not use the words “like” or “as.”

Answer 30

Metaphor

Question 31

The voice that tells a story.

Answer 31

Narrator

Question 32

The use of words that mimic the sound they describe (such as, hiss, buzz, or bang).

Answer 32

Onomatopoeia

Question 33

An expression that combines seemingly opposite terms (such as, “deafening silence”).

Answer 33

Oxymoron

Question 34

Describing an inanimate object as if it is alive or human. OR Using a character to represent an abstract idea.

Answer 34

Personification

Question 35

The events in the story.

Answer 35

Plot

Question 36

The perspective from which a story is told.

Answer 36

Point of View

Question 37

A type of joke based on words that sound similar but have different meanings

Answer 37

Pun

Question 38

The reason an author writes a text.

Answer 38

Purpose

Question 39

Repeating elements (words, phrases, sounds, images, etc.) for emphasis.

Answer 39

Repetition

Question 40

A question asked to make a point, not to elicit a reply.

Answer 40

Rhetorical question

Question 41

A type of verbal irony where the intended meaning is directly opposite of the literal meaning, used to mock or insult, show irritation, or to be funny.

Answer 41

Sarcasm

Question 42

Where and when a story takes place.

Answer 42

Setting

Question 43

Comparison that does use the words “like” or “as.”

Answer 43

Simile

Question 44

The organization of a text.

Answer 44

Structure

Question 45

Something (usually a specific concrete object) that represents something else (an abstract idea or feeling).

Answer 45

Symbolism

Question 46

Sentence structure.

Answer 46

Syntax

Question 47

A general idea about life that a story expresses or explores.

Answer 47

Theme

Question 48

The controlling idea in an essay

Answer 48

Thesis

Question 49

The author’s attitude toward the subject/The feeling of the reader created by the text.

Answer 49

Tone/Mood

Question 50

A figure of speech that makes something seem smaller or less important than it really is.

Answer 50

Understatement