Keystone Exams: Literature

The author's method of structuring a text; the way a text is structured from beginning to end.

The position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the outlook from which the events are depicted

A word that is similar in meaning to another word.

Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections

A character that symbolically embodies well-known meanings and basic human experiences, regardless of time period

A device in literature where an object represents an idea

A comparison of two unlike things in which a word (like, as) is used

Traits that mark a word as reportorial, analytical, informative or argumentative (facts, data, charts, graphics)

A narrative device, often used at the beginning, that provides necessary background information

A personal view, attitude, or appraisal

Presents action that occurred before current time of the story. (Ex. dreams, recollections)

The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences.

The voice used by an author to tell a story or poem. The voice is often a created identity

A person, animal, or thing telling the story or giving an account of something.

An extended speech spoken by one speaker, either to others or as if alone

The fluency, rhythm, and liveliness in a text that make it unique to the author.

The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests in addition to its dictionary meaning

The overall structure or shape of a work that frequently follows an established design. May refer to meter, lines, rhyme

The use of a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or usual meaning

The part of the story that is characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot's conflicts

The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another

The rhyming pattern, meter, grammar, and imagery used by a poet to convey meaning.

A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions

A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in text.

Groups of letters placed before a word to alter its meaning

A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings.

To make understandable, plain, or clear

Clearly expressed or fully stated in the actual text

Elements of literature that emphasize sound (ex. assonance, consonance, alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia)

Though unexpressed in the actual text, meaning that may be understood by the reader

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities

A judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement; a conclusion based on facts

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture

The written text of a play; includes dialogue between characters; work to be performed on stage, radio, or TV

A person, animal, or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work

The structure of a story. The sequence in which the author arranges events in a story.

The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison (like, as) are used

The emotions of a work derived from literary devices such as dialogue and literary elements such as setting

A dramatic speech, revealing inner thoughts and feelings, spoken aloud by one character while alone on the stage

Text that aims to present ideas and evoke an emotional experience in the reader through the use of meter, imagery, words

Specific word choices in a text that strongly support the tone, mood, or meaning of the text

The attitude of the author toward the audience, characters, subject, or the work itself

The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic

An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form

An exaggeration or overstatement

A word that is the opposite in meaning to another word

A variety of a language distinct from the standard variety of pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary

An author's choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning

Support provided to mark an assertion as reasonable

Text that is not fictional; its emphasis is factual

The generally accepted importance or value of a work to represent human experience regardless of culture or time period

Traits that mark a work as imaginative or narrative disclosure (ex. plot, theme, symbol)

The author's intent either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, persuade, or convince

Various sentence structures, styles, and lengths that can enhance the rhythm of or add emphasis to a piece of text

A playwright's written instructions provided in the text of a play about the setting or how actors should move and act

To make a judgement or decision based on reasoning rather than direct or implicit statement

A written account of another person's life

A literary organizational form that presents the order in which tasks are to be performed

Distinguish, tell apart, and recognize differences between two or more items.

The "personal" point of view; relates events as they are perceived by a single character

Text that includes literary elements and devices usually associated with fiction to report on people, places, or events

Any visual cues on a page of text that offer additional information to guide the reader's comprehension

A piece of information provided objectively, presented as true

Tool used by the author to enliven and provide voice to the text (ex. dialogue, alliteration)

The center of interest or attention

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

A major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work; may be stated or implied

This point of view presents the events of the story from outside of any single character's perception

Examples could be: name-calling, bandwagon, red herring, emotional appeal, testimonial, repetition, generalization

The part of the story where the plot becomes increasingly complicated.

To capture all of the most important parts of the original text, but to express them in a shorter space.

The position or claim the author establishes; supported with valid evidence, reasoning, and opposing viewpoints

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

Groups of letters placed after a word to alter its meaning or change it into a different kind of word

The author's choices regarding language, sentence structure, voice, and tone in order to communicate with the reader

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is the most intense

Nonfiction written primarily to convey factual information (ex. textbook, newspaper, report, directions, brochure)

An organizational device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation or later development

Information aimed at positively or negatively influencing the opinions or behaviors or large numbers of people

A recurring subject, theme, or idea in a literary work

The author's central thought; the chief topic of a text expressed or implied in a word or phrase.

A conclusion drawn from specific information that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person

Points of information in a text that strongly support the meaning or tell the story.

Words that have several meanings depending upon how they are used in a sentence

Descriptive or figurative language in a literary work; the use of language to create sensory impressions

Any story that is the product of imagination rather than of fact. Characters and events are a creation of the author.

An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event

A trend or pattern of shared beliefs or practices that mark an approach to literature (ex. Realism, Naturalism)

To give reasons through an explanation to convey and represent the meaning or understanding of a text

The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words

The portion of the story following the climax in which the conflict is resolved.

A conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; specifically the speech of characters

A literary approach that ridicules or examines human vice or weakness

A prefix or a suffix

The time and place in which a story unfolds

Examine and judge carefully. To judge or determine the significance, worth or quality of something; to assess

Words and phrases that help the reader reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word

An essential technique used in literature (ex. characterization, setting, plot, theme)

The genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage

A category used to classify literary works, usually by form, technique or content