Literary Terms Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is a quatrain?

An eight-line stanza

A four-line stanza (correct)

A six-line stanza

A two-line stanza

Which term describes a repeated line in a poem or song?

Stanza

Rhyme scheme

Sestet

Refrain (correct)

What does scansion analyze in poetry?

Character development

Themes and motifs

Meter and rhythm (correct)

Setting and atmosphere

The main character in a story is referred to as the:

Protagonist Signup and view all the answers

In poetic terms, what is a tercet?

A three-line stanza Signup and view all the answers

What defines a sonnet?

A poem with 14 lines Signup and view all the answers

What defines a first-person narrative?

A story told from the perspective of a character using 'I' or 'we.' Signup and view all the answers

Which literary device involves a part representing the whole?

Synecdoche Signup and view all the answers

The term 'volta' in poetry refers to:

The turn in the argument or theme of a sonnet Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to a character that contrasts with the protagonist?

Foil Signup and view all the answers

What is the key feature of free verse poetry?

It does not adhere to regular meter or rhyme. Signup and view all the answers

What is hubris commonly associated with in literature?

Excessive pride or self-confidence leading to downfall. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'in medias res'?

Beginning a story in the middle of the action. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of irony involves the audience knowing something that the characters do not?

Dramatic irony Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'hermeneutics' refer to?

The study of interpretation, especially of texts. Signup and view all the answers

What concept describes a recurring theme or element in a literary work?

Leitmotif Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of metafiction?

To self-consciously address the nature of fiction. Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes a narrative perspective where the narrator knows everything about the characters and events?

Omniscient narrator Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of metonymy?

'The crown' refers to the monarchy. Signup and view all the answers

What defines a novella?

A short novel or long short story. Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of the term 'pathos' in literature?

The quality that evokes pity or sadness. Signup and view all the answers

Which element is considered paratext?

The title of a literary work. Signup and view all the answers

Which poetic term refers to a line of verse with five metrical feet?

Pentameter Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of an oxymoron?

An open secret. Signup and view all the answers

Which metrical foot consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable?

Anapest Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used for a line with five metrical feet?

Pentameter Signup and view all the answers

In scansion, what mark is used to indicate a stressed syllable?

´ Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes a line structured with four trochees?

Trochaic Tetrameter Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'spondee' refer to in meter?

Two stressed syllables in succession Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is considered an irregular meter?

Substitution Signup and view all the answers

What is enjambment in poetry?

The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause Signup and view all the answers

Which pattern of rhythm describes the following sequence: ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´?

Iambic pentameter Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus when looking for natural speech patterns in poetry?

Stressed syllables on important words Signup and view all the answers

Which type of rhyme involves similar sounds but not identical ones, often providing a subtle effect?

Half Rhyme Signup and view all the answers

In which type of rhyme do the words appear visually similar but do not sound alike when pronounced?

Eye Rhyme Signup and view all the answers

What is defined as rhymes that occur within a single line of poetry?

Internal Rhyme Signup and view all the answers

What identifies a feminine rhyme?

Two or more syllables with the first syllable stressed Signup and view all the answers

Which example demonstrates masculine rhyme?

love and dove Signup and view all the answers

What is chain rhyme characterized by?

Rhymes linked across stanzas in a specific pattern Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes perfect rhyme?

Identical sounds from stressed vowel to end Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Literary Terms

First-person Narrative: A story told from the perspective of a character using "I" or "we."
Focalization: The perspective through which a narrative is presented.
Foil: A character contrasting with the protagonist to highlight their traits.
Foot: Basic unit of measurement in a line of poetry.
Foregrounding: Making a feature of the text prominent to draw attention; it will be relevant later.
Frame Narrative: A story containing other stories within it.
Free Indirect Style: A blend of third-person narration and a character's thoughts/feelings.
Free Verse: Poetry without regular rhyme or meter.
Genre: Category of literature with specific forms or styles.
Half-Rhyme: Rhyme where ending consonants match, but vowel sounds differ.
Heptameter: A line of verse with seven metrical feet.
Hermeneutics: The study of interpretation, especially of texts.
Heroic Couplet: Two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
Hexameter: A line of verse with six metrical feet.
Hubris: Excessive pride or self-confidence leading to downfall.
Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis or effect.
Iamb: A metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one (da-DUM).
In Medias Res: Beginning a story in the middle of the action.
Intentional Fallacy: The error of basing a text’s meaning on the author’s intention.
Internal Rhyme: Rhyming within a single line of verse.
Intertextuality: The relationship between different texts and their influences on each other.
Intrusive Narrator: A narrator interrupting the narrative to address the reader directly.
Irony: A contrast between appearance and reality.
- Verbal Irony: Saying one thing but meaning another.
- Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something the characters don’t.
- Situational Irony: The opposite of what’s expected happens
Leitmotif: A recurring theme or element in a literary work, often associated with a person or event.
Leonine Rhyme: A rhyme between words in the middle and end of a line.
Literal: The exact, primary meaning of words.
Literature: Written works with artistic or intellectual value.
Lyric: A short, expressive poem, often personal in nature.
Magic Realism: A genre where magical elements appear in an otherwise realistic setting.
Manifesto: A public declaration of principles or intentions, often political or artistic.
Masculine Rhyme: A rhyme on a single stressed syllable.
Metafiction: Fiction that self-consciously addresses the nature of fiction itself.
Metaphor: A figure of speech where something is described as if it were something else.
Metonymy: Substituting the name of one thing for something closely related (e.g., "the crown" for monarchy).
Meter: The rhythmic structure of a poem.
Monometer: A line of verse with one metrical foot.
Motif: A recurring element with symbolic significance in a story.
Muse: A source of inspiration, often personified as a goddess in mythology.
Narrative: A story or account of events.
Narrator: The voice or character telling the story.
Novel: A long fictional narrative with complex characters and plot.
Novella: A short novel or long short story.
Octameter: A line of verse with eight metrical feet.
Octave: An eight-line stanza or poem.
Oeuvre: The complete works of an author or artist.
Omniscient Narrator: A narrator who knows everything about all characters and events.
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds (e.g., "buzz," "sizzle").
Orature: Oral literature, stories passed down through speech.
Ottava Rima: An eight-line stanza with a specific rhyme scheme (ABABABCC).
Oxymoron: A figure of speech combining contradictory terms (e.g., "deafening silence").
Paratext: Elements that surround the main text, like titles, prefaces, or illustrations.
Parody: A humorous or satirical imitation of a serious work.
Pastoral: Literature that idealizes rural life and nature.
Pathetic Fallacy: Attributing human emotions to nature or inanimate objects.
Pathos: The quality in art or literature that evokes pity or sadness.
Pentameter: A line of verse with five metrical feet.
Peripeteia: A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in tragedy.
Persona: The voice or role a writer adopts in a text.
Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things.
Petrarchan: Refers to the sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, with an octave and a sestet.
Plot: The sequence of events in a narrative.
Poetic Diction: The use of elevated, formal language in poetry.
Poetry: A literary form that emphasizes rhythm, meter, and emotional intensity.
Point of View: The perspective from which a story is told.
Polemic: A strong argument or attack on a controversial issue.
Prolepsis: A flash-forward or anticipation of future events.
Prologue: An introductory section of a literary work.
Promotion: Raising a syllable to a higher metrical position.
Prose: Ordinary written or spoken language without metrical structure.
Protagonist: The main character in a story.
Quatrain: A four-line stanza or poem.
Refrain: A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song.
Rhetorical Question: A question asked for effect, not requiring an answer.
Rhyme: The repetition of similar sounds in poetry.
Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of rhymes in a poem.
Rhythm: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.
Satire: A genre that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize human vices.
Scansion: The analysis of a poem’s meter.
Sestet: A six-line stanza or the last six lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.
Short Story: A brief fictional narrative.
Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as."
Socratic: A method of dialogue or argument characterized by asking questions.
Sonnet: A 14-line poem, often in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme.
Stanza: A grouped set of lines in a poem.
Stock Character: A stereotypical character type.
Story: The events that make up a narrative.
Stress: The emphasis on a syllable in a word or line of poetry.
Style: The distinctive way an author uses language.
Symbol: An object or action representing something beyond its literal meaning.
Synaesthesia: Describing one sense in terms of another (e.g., "loud color").
Synecdoche: A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa.
Tenor: The subject of a metaphor.
Tercet: A three-line stanza or poem.
Terza Rima: A rhyme scheme using interlocking tercets (ABA BCB CDC).
Tetrameter: A line of verse with four metrical feet.
Theme: The central idea or message in a literary work.
Third-person Narrative: A story told using "he," "she," or "they."
Topos: A common literary theme or motif.
Tragedy: A serious drama where the protagonist meets disaster due to a flaw or fate.
Trimeter: A line of verse with three metrical feet.
Trochee: A metrical foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (DUM-da).
Unreliable Narrator: A narrator whose credibility is compromised.
Verse: A single line of poetry or a section of a poem.
Verse Form: The structure of a poem based on meter and rhyme scheme.
Villanelle: A 19-line poem with a specific repeating rhyme scheme (5 tercets plus 1 quatrain).
Volta: The turn or shift in a sonnet’s argument or theme.

Scansion Study Notes

Scansion: Analyzing a poem's metrical patterns.
Common Metrical Feet:
- Iamb (Iambic): ˘ ´ (unstressed-stressed)
- Trochee (Trochaic): ´ ˘ (stressed-unstressed)
- Anapest (Anapestic): ˘ ˘ ´ (unstressed-unstressed-stressed)
- Dactyl (Dactylic): ´ ˘ ˘ (stressed-unstressed-unstressed)
- Spondee (Spondaic): ´ ´ (stressed-stressed)
- Pyrrhic: ˘ ˘ (unstressed-unstressed)
Line Length:
- Monometer: One foot per line.
- Dimeter: Two feet per line.
- Trimeter: Three feet per line.
- Tetrameter: Four feet per line.
- Pentameter: Five feet per line (Most common in English, especially in sonnets).
- Hexameter: Six feet per line (Used in epic poetry).
- Heptameter: Seven feet per line.
- Octameter: Eight feet per line.
Steps for Scansion:
1. Identify the Foot Type: Break down words into syllables and determine if each syllable is stressed or unstressed.
2. Mark the Stress Pattern: Place a mark above each syllable (˘ for unstressed, ´ for stressed).
3. Divide the Line into Feet: Group syllables into metrical feet.
4. Count the Feet: Count how many feet are in the line to determine the meter.
Common Metrical Forms:
- Iambic Pentameter: Consists of five iambic feet per line: ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´
- Trochaic Tetrameter: Four trochees per line: ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘ ´ ˘
- Anapestic Trimeter: Three anapests per line: ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´ ˘ ˘ ´
Irregular Meters and Variations:
- Substitution: Using a different foot to vary the rhythm.
- Caesura: A pause within a line, usually marked by punctuation.
- Elision: Blending of syllables to fit the meter.
- Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause.

Rhyme Schemes

Perfect Rhyme (Exact Rhyme): Sounds of words are exactly alike from the stressed vowel to the end of the word.
Half Rhyme: Vowel sounds or consonant sounds are similar, but not identical.
Eye Rhyme (Visual Rhyme): Words that look like they should rhyme but don't sound alike when spoken.
Internal Rhyme: Rhymes that occur within a single line of poetry.
End Rhyme: Rhymes that occur at the ends of lines.
Masculine Rhyme: A rhyme that occurs on the final stressed syllable of words.
Feminine Rhyme: A rhyme that involves two or more syllables, where the first syllable is stressed and the following syllables are unstressed.
Chain Rhyme: Rhymes that are linked together from stanza to stanza, often using an ABA BCB CDC pattern (like in terza rima).

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Test your knowledge of essential literary terms with this engaging quiz. From narrative styles to poetic structures, explore the concepts that shape literature. Challenge yourself and see how well you understand these important literary devices!