reading terms and concepts

Question 1

symbolism

Answer 1

something used to represent something else

ex: black is a symbol used to represent evil or death

Question 2

theme

Answer 2

main meaning of the story that is universal in nature

ex: the theme of ‘cinderella’ is that appearances can be deceiving

Question 3

tone

Answer 3

author/speaker’s attitude towards what they are writing

ex: the narrator of ‘hanging fire’ talks with an anxious tone

Question 4

connotation

Answer 4

the implied meaning of words

ex: blue is a color, but used to connote sadness; ‘she’s so blue’ can mean someone is sad

Question 5

denotation

Answer 5

the dictionary definition of a word

ex: blue is a color and taken literally; ‘she’s so blue’ means someone is literally blue

Question 6

point of view

Answer 6

perspective from which the story is told. focuses on the experiences of the person telling the story
ex: 1st person, 3rd person

Question 7

direct characterization

Answer 7

the traits/description of a character, told upfront

ex: jane is a rude person

Question 8

indirect characterization

Answer 8

the traits/description of a character told through the characters thoughts, actions, and dialogue
ex: jane doesn’t bother to hold the door for the elderly man behind her

Question 9

lyric poem

Answer 9

expresses personal emotion

ex: the text ‘hanging fire’

Question 10

narrative poem

Answer 10

tells a story

ex: the text ‘translating grandfather’s house’

Question 11

dialogue

Answer 11

conversation among/between characters

ex: “i love french toast!” he exclaimed

Question 12

dramatic irony

Answer 12

a situation in which the audience knows more than the characters
ex: in romeo and juliet, the audience knows juliet is only sleeping, while romeo believes her dead

Question 13

character’s motivations

Answer 13

the reason a character takes a certain action
ex: internal motivations are linked to emotion, such as love or jealousy. external motivations are factors in the setting, such as war or poverty

Question 14

central idea

Answer 14

main point the author is making
ex: the central idea for ‘cinderella’ can be that people who show kindness even without receiving it back are rewarded in the end

Question 15

supporting details

Answer 15

details that support the central idea

ex: in ‘cinderella’, cinderella continues to show compassion even after being abused by her siblings

Question 16

author’s style

Answer 16

the author’s way of using language

ex: word choice, author’s use of diction and structure, etc