V

Question 1

verbal irony

Answer 1

Saying the opposite of what one means, often for sarcasm or humor.

Example: “Oh, fantastic!” when something bad happens.

Question 2

verisimilitude

Answer 2

The appearance of being true or real; how believable a story seems.

Example: The realistic setting in Of Mice and Men contributes to its verisimilitude.

Question 3

vernacular

Answer 3

Everyday language spoken by ordinary people in a particular region or group.

Example: Using “y’all” in Southern U.S. dialogue.

Question 4

verse

Answer 4

Writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme.

Example: A line of poetry: “Roses are red, violets are blue…”

Question 5

vignette

Answer 5

A short, descriptive piece of writing that captures a moment or character.

Example: The House on Mango Street contains many vignettes.

Question 6

villanelle

Answer 6

A 19-line poem with five tercets and a final quatrain, using repeated lines and a fixed rhyme scheme (ABA).

Example: “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas.

Question 7

visual imagery

Answer 7

Descriptive language that appeals to the sense of sight.

Example: “The golden sun dipped behind the violet mountains.”

Question 8

voice

Answer 8

The distinctive style or personality of a writer or narrator.

Example: The sarcastic voice of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye.

Question 9

volta

Answer 9

A rhetorical shift or dramatic change in thought or emotion, especially in sonnets

Example: The turn in a sonnet where the theme or tone shifts, often in the 9th line.