Yellow Words

Question 1

a word free from limitations or qualifications (“best,” “all,” “unique,” “perfect”)

Answer 1

absolute

Question 2

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

Answer 2

allusion

Question 3

a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Answer 3

analogy

Question 4

a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event

Answer 4

anecdote

Question 5

insincere or overly sentimental quality of writing/speech intended to evoke pity

Answer 5

bathos

Question 6

an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off

Answer 6

cliche

Question 7

the implied or associative meaning of a word

Answer 7

connotation

Question 8

literal meaning of a word

Answer 8

denotation

Question 9

language employing one or more figures of speech (simile, metaphor, imagery, etc.)

Answer 9

figurative language

Question 10

intentional exaggeration to create an effect (understatement is its opposite) both often used in irony

Answer 10

hyperbole

Question 11

a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition

Answer 11

hypothetical question

Question 12

the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses

Answer 12

imagery

Question 13

the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs

Answer 13

irony

Question 14

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

Answer 14

juxtaposition

Question 15

a direct comparison of two different things

Answer 15

metaphor

Question 16

the emotional atmosphere of a work. This is related to but different than tone which is the author’s treatment of a subject

Answer 16

mood

Question 17

a standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that reocurs

Answer 17

motif

Question 18

a character’s incentive or reason for behaving in a certain manner; that which impels a character to act

Answer 18

motivation

Question 19

an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth

Answer 19

paradox

Question 20

(archetype)–a person or group that bears the blame for another

Answer 20

scapegoat

Question 21

a comparison of two things using “like,” “as,” or other specifically comparative words “than”

Answer 21

simile

Question 22

the choices a writer makes; the combination of distinctive features of a literary work

Answer 22

style

Question 23

an object that is used to represent something else

Answer 23

symbol

Question 24

a central idea of a work

Answer 24

theme

Question 25

the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience

Answer 25

tone

Question 26

a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions

Answer 26

asyndeton

Question 27

a restatement of a text in a different form or in different words, often for the purpose of clarity

Answer 27

paraphrase

Question 28

the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural

Answer 28

polysyndeton

Question 29

the vantage point from which a story is told

Answer 29

point of view

Question 30

the one who tells the story; may be first person, third person, limited, omniscient, or objective

Answer 30

narrator

Question 31

narrator in poetry

Answer 31

speaker

Question 32

a narrator who presents the story as the main character, uses “I”

Answer 32

first person

Question 33

a narrator who presents the story as it is seen and understood by a single character and restricts information to what is seen, heard, thought, or felt by that one character (also called third person limited)

Answer 33

limited narrator

Question 34

the narrator’s voice is subsumed into a character’s perspective to the extent that the reader doesn’t notice that s/he is now getting information from a character in the story other than the narrator. This is much like third person limited; however, it often happens with an omniscient narrator who dips in and out of other character’s thoughts within a scene or segment of a book.

Answer 34

free indirect discourse

Question 35

a narrator who is able to know, see, and tell all, including the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters

Answer 35

omniscient narrator

Question 36

a narrator that moves the reader's attention through the story like a roving movie camera

Answer 36

objective narrator

Question 37

the point of highest interest in a literary work

Answer 37

climax

Question 38

process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions primarily through art

Answer 38

catharsis

Question 39

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

Answer 39

epiphany

Question 40

a character who embodies a single quality and who does not develop in the course of a story

Answer 40

flat character

Question 41

the presentation of material in such a way that the reader is prepared for what is to come later in the work

Answer 41

foreshadowing

Question 42

a traditional story presenting supernatural characters and episodes that help explain natural events

Answer 42

myth

Question 43

the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms

Answer 43

parallelism

Question 44

the action of a narrative or drama

Answer 44

plot

Question 45

the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax

Answer 45

resolution

Question 46

a character who demonstrates some complexity and who develops or changes in the course of a work

Answer 46

round character

Question 47

a change in the tone, meaning, or other aspect in a literary work

Answer 47

shift

Question 48

the time, place, and environment in which the book takes place–including the historical setting and the culture

Answer 48

setting

Question 49

the point in a work in which a very significant change occurs

Answer 49

turning point

Question 50

the primary position taken by a writer or speaker

Answer 50

thesis

Question 51

the subject treated in a paragraph or work

Answer 51

topic