Literary Terms Quiz

Question 1

The giving of reasons or support. Ex: giving an argument or reason that something is true.

Accepted Answer

justification

Question 2

A concrete object that represents an abstract concept, or something other than itself.

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symbol

Question 3

The arrangement of similarly constructed words, clauses, verses, or sentences.

Accepted Answer

parallelism

Question 4

A particular way of speaking/writing that demonstrates a writer's attitude toward the subject.

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tone

Question 5

Lack of interest

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apathy

Question 6

The explicit or direct meaning of a word or expression; the dictionary definition

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denotation

Question 7

A humorous expression that depends upon a double meaning; a play on words.

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pun

Question 8

A long poem, often about a heroic character.

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epic

Question 9

A form of writing that exposes the failings of something or someone to correct wrongdoing.

Accepted Answer

satire

Question 10

Belonging to an earlier time; is not in use any more.

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archaic

Question 11

A literary form; an oral or written composition in which only one person speaks.

Accepted Answer

monologue

Question 12

An introduction to a play or novel.

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prologue

Question 13

Contemptuous laughter or derision; may be an element of satire.

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ridicule

Question 14

Informal; suitable for everyday speech but not for formal writing.

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colloquial, slang, vernacular

Question 15

The art of speaking or writing.

Accepted Answer

rhetoric, rhetoric, rhetoric, rhetoric

Question 16

Exists in a physical state and is knowable through the senses. Ex: tree, Gurkarm, seagull.

Accepted Answer

concrete

Question 17

Comment made by a character in a play and supposedly not heard by others who are present.

Accepted Answer

aside

Question 18

A mythological, religious, historical, or literary reference in a text.

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allusion

Question 19

A literary genre; generally contains events, characters, settings that would not be possible.

Accepted Answer

fantasy

Question 20

A story with a second meaning that is partially hidden. An example is Animal Farm.

Accepted Answer

allegory

Question 21

When the outcome is the opposite of the expectation.

Accepted Answer

dramatic irony

Question 22

Special vocabulary for a particular group of people or activity.

Accepted Answer

jargon

Question 23

A narrative poem that often tells a story, usually with strong rhyme scheme. Were once songs.

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ballad

Question 24

Distinct difference between two things that should not be different, or should correspond.

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discrepancy

Question 25

A distorted representation to produce a comic or ridiculous effect.

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caricature

Question 26

A speech by a character who is alone on stage; gives internal thoughts of a character.

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soliloquy

Question 27

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Accepted Answer

blank verse

Question 28

Action that takes place before the story begins.

Accepted Answer

antecedent action

Question 29

A short, often simple story that teaches or explains a lesson - often religious or moral.

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parable

Question 30

A word, phrase, or passage that explains or modifies a thought.

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parenthetical statement

Question 31

Things that are unknowable through the senses; examples include love, justice, and honour.

Accepted Answer

abstract

Question 32

A question for which a reply is not expected or wanted; the question is asked for effect.

Accepted Answer

rhetorical question

Question 33

A short phrase that combines two contradictory terms. Ex: "the living dead".

Accepted Answer

oxymoron

Question 34

A lyric poem, often fourteen lines long and written in iambic pentameter.

Accepted Answer

sonnet

Question 35

When the stated words have the opposite intended meaning than their literal meaning.

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verbal irony

Question 36

Poetry written in variable rhythmic cadences. May be rhymed or unrhymed; rhymes are irregular.

Accepted Answer

free verse

Question 37

A contrast or opposition of ideas; a statement which uses contrasting ideas.

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antithesis

Question 38

A storytelling technique; something early in the story that hints at later events.

Accepted Answer

foreshadowing

Question 39

When the audience has knowledge that a character does not.

Accepted Answer

dramatic irony

Question 40

A comparison of two different things in order to draw similarities between them.

Accepted Answer

metaphor

Question 41

An alteration in appearance or character.

Accepted Answer

metamorphosis

Question 42

The deliberate contrast or placing together for effect.

Accepted Answer

juxtaposition

Question 43

Poem expressing lofty emotion; often celebrate events or are addressed to a person/place/thing.

Accepted Answer

ode

Question 44

A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for effect.

Accepted Answer

hyperbole

Question 45

In order of time

Accepted Answer

chronological

Question 46

A recurring theme, situation, incident, image, idea, or character type.

Accepted Answer

motif

Question 47

A final address to the audience - can be in the form of a last "chapter" or a dramatic speech.

Accepted Answer

epilogue

Question 48

A poem that expresses the internal thoughts of the writer.

Accepted Answer

lyric

Question 49

Implied or additional meaning that a word or phrase imparts. Such meaning is often subjective.

Accepted Answer

connotation

Question 50

Repetition of vowel sounds in a string of words, whether at the beginning or internal.

Accepted Answer

assonance

Question 51

Conversation-like thoughts of a character.

Accepted Answer

interior monologue

Question 52

A conclusion reached by logic or reasoning, or by examining all the available information.

Accepted Answer

deduction

Question 53

A comparison that is made to explain something unfamiliar by using something familiar that.

Accepted Answer

analogy

Question 54

Harsh sound or discordance; in poetry, a harsh jarring combination of sounds.

Accepted Answer

dissonance

Question 55

In a story, the atmosphere; a dominant emotional pattern in a story as perceived by the reader.

Accepted Answer

mood

Question 56

Written in regular, repeating rhythms (may be rhymed or unrhymed).

Accepted Answer

metrical poetry

Question 57

Another name for onomatopoeia.

Accepted Answer

imitative harmony

Question 58

A statement that is made that focuses an argument or a demonstration; a controlling idea.

Accepted Answer

Thesis

Question 59

A comparison between two different things to find similarities; uses like or as.

Accepted Answer

simile

Question 60

An apparently self-contradictory statement which nevertheless holds truth.

Accepted Answer

paradox

Literary Terms Quiz

Questions 60

Literary Terms Quiz

Questions 60