Literary Terms

Question 1

alliteration

Answer 1

when two or more words in a group of words begin with the same sound

Question 2

antagonist

Answer 2

the opponent or enemy of the protagonist

Question 3

aside

Answer 3

words spoken to the audience by a character in a drama that are not supposed to be heard by the other characters onstage

Question 4

characterization

Answer 4

the means through which an author reveals a character’s personality- direct & indirect

Question 5

climax

Answer 5

the point in a play, novel, short story, or narrative poem at which the conflict reaches its greatest intensity and is then resolved

Question 6

conflict

Answer 6

a struggle between opposing forces- man, self, nature, society, technology

Question 7

dialogue

Answer 7

the conversation between characters in a work of literature

Question 8

dynamic character

Answer 8

a character who undergoes a significant internal change over the course of a story

Question 9

figurative language

Answer 9

uses words in some way other than for their literal meanings to make a comparison, add emphasis, or say something in a fresh and creative way

Question 10

foreshadowing

Answer 10

clues or hints about something that is going to happen later in the story

Question 11

hyperbole

Answer 11

extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant to be taken literally

Question 12

idiom

Answer 12

an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words

Question 13

imagery

Answer 13

language that portrays sensory experiences, or experiences of the five senses

Question 14

major character

Answer 14

a main or important character- plays a large role in a story

Question 15

metaphor

Answer 15

the comparison of tow unlike things to illuminate a particular quality or aspect of one of those things

Question 16

minor character

Answer 16

a character who does not play a large role in a story

Question 17

mood

Answer 17

the feeling the reader gets from a work of literature- atmosphere

Question 18

onomatopoeia

Answer 18

the use of words whose sounds imitate the sounds of what they describe- hiss, growl, buzz, woof

Question 19

personification

Answer 19

describing nonhuman animals, objects, or ideas as though they possess human qualities or emotions

Question 20

plot

Answer 20

the sequence of events in a story

Question 21

point of view

Answer 21

the perspective from which a story is told- first-person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient

Question 22

protagonist

Answer 22

the main or central character of a work of literature

Question 23

setting

Answer 23

the environment in which a story takes place, including the time period

Question 24

simile

Answer 24

when two unlike things are compared using like or as

Question 25

static character

Answer 25

a character who does not undergo a significant change over the course of a story

Question 26

symbol

Answer 26

an object, setting, event, animal or person that on one level is itself, but that has another meaning as well

Question 27

symbolism

Answer 27

the practice of using symbols

Question 28

theme

Answer 28

a story’s main message or moral

Question 29

tone

Answer 29

the author’s attitude toward the subject matter or toward the reader or audience