Literary Terms Quiz

The reason an author writes about a specific topic, such as informing, persuading, entertaining, or expressing feelings.

A feeling of excitement or anticipation built within a story, often involving danger or uncertainty.

A struggle between opposing forces in a story.

The time and place where a story takes place, including historical setting, imaginary worlds, or cultural context.

A narrative where characters, events, and setting represent abstract concepts.

A figure of speech comparing unlike things directly, without using "like" or "as."

Something that stands for or represents something else.

A direct or indirect reference to something in literature, history, music, or pop culture.

The pattern of sounds and beats in a piece of writing, especially poetry.

Words that sound like the noise they represent.

A comparison using "like" or "as."

A situation where the outcome is the opposite of what is expected.

The emotional associations or feelings attached to a word, beyond its literal meaning.

The literal dictionary definition of a word.

The central idea or message of a story, often recurring and explored throughout the narrative.

The feeling or emotion created by the story for the reader.

"Topic" refers to the broad idea, while "subject" explores it in depth.

The repeated use of words or phrases for emphasis or effect.

The portrayal of a character in a story, including their personality, motivations, and relationships.

Vivid and descriptive language that creates sensory experiences for the reader.

Contrasting humility and excessive pride.

The speed and rhythm of a story, affecting how quickly events unfold.

Identity, poverty, dreams, struggles, injustice, hope, and determination.

The novel explores the difficulties in communication, especially between Junior and his mother.

A way for Junior to express his thoughts and feelings that he struggles to put into words.

Learn to use commas correctly in introductory phrases, with coordinating conjunctions, and for parenthetical phrases.

Identify the purpose and type of essay required (descriptive, compare/contrast, persuasive, etc.).

Create a strong thesis that clearly states the main argument of your essay.

Use primary and secondary sources effectively, citing them properly.

Maintain consistent verb tense throughout your essay.

Person, place, thing, or idea.

Words that replace nouns.

Show relationships between words.

Join words, phrases, or clauses.

Express sudden emotions.

Describe nouns or pronouns.

Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Show action or state of being.

Physical things.

Ideas, emotions, qualities.

"I" and "me."

"You" and "your."

"He," "she," "it," "they," and their.

The narrator knows everything about all characters and their thoughts.

Paragraphs should have a clear topic sentence and support the overall argument of the essay.

Vary sentence structure to avoid monotony and create a smoother flow.

Resilience, overcoming obstacles, perseverance, and hope.

Identify metaphors, similes, symbolism, repetition, and other literary devices.

Advocate for equality, justice, and civil rights.

Repetition (anaphora), parallelism, metaphors, and symbolism.

Understand how the giant wave symbolizes fear, destruction, and the power of nature.

Analyze Jerry's reasons for training himself to swim through the tunnel.