Literary Terms quiz - 10/20/14

Question 0

allegory

Answer 0

the device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning- in some for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. the meaning usually deals with moral truth or generalization about human existence

Question 1

ad hominen arguement

Answer 1

Latin meaning “to or against man;” an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, to feeling rather than intellect

Question 2

alliteration

Answer 2

the repetition of sounds, especially initial constant sounds in two or more neighboring words. Repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, and o supply musical sound

Question 3

allusion

Answer 3

brief reference to a person, event, or place or to a work of art

Question 4

anaphora

Answer 4

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines

Question 5

antimetabole

Answer 5

repetition of words in reverse order

Question 6

antithesis

Answer 6

opposition or contrast of ideas or words in a parallel construction

Question 7

archaic diction

Answer 7

old-fashioned or out dated choice of words

Question 8

asyndeton

Answer 8

omission of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses or words

Question 9

cumulative sentence

Answer 9

sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and hen builds and adds on

Question 10

hortative sentence

Answer 10

sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action

Question 11

imperative sentence

Answer 11

sentence used to command or enjoin

Question 12

inversion

Answer 12

inverted order of words in a sentence (variation of the subject-verb-object order)

Question 13

juxtaposition

Answer 13

placement of two things closely together to emphasize similarities or differences

Question 14

metaphor

Answer 14

figure of speech that compares two things without using like or as

Question 15

oxymoron

Answer 15

paradoxical juxtaposition of words that seem to contradict one another

Question 16

parallelism

Answer 16

similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words phrases or clauses

Question 17

periodic sentence

Answer 17

sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end

Question 18

personification

Answer 18

attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or idea

Question 19

rhetorical question

Answer 19

figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than for the purpose of getting and answer

Question 20

synecdoche

Answer 20

figure of speech that uses a part to represent the whole

Question 21

zeugma

Answer 21

use of two different words in a grammatically similar way that produces different often incongruous meanings

Question 22

ambiguity

Answer 22

multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional or word, phrase, or passage

Question 23

analogy

Answer 23

a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. can explain something unfamiliar by associating it with or pointing out its similarity to something more familiar. can also make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging

Question 24

antecedent

Answer 24

word, phrase or clause referred to a pronoun

Question 25

aphorism

Answer 25

terse statement of known authorship expressing general truth or moral principle. can be memorable summation of authors point (unknown authorship-folk proverb generally)

Question 26

apostrophe

Answer 26

figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary object. May add familiarity or emotional intensity (ex. love)

Question 27

atmosphere

Answer 27

emotional mood created by entirely of a literary work established partly by setting and authors choice of object. weather can be a factor. can foreshadow events

Question 28

clause

Answer 28

a grammatical unit that contains a subject and verb. an independent, or main, clause expresses a complete and can stand alone as a sentence. a dependent, or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause

Question 29

colloquial

Answer 29

use of slang/informalities in speech or writing. not for formal writing but gives familiar tone in conversation. includes local or regional dialects in writing

Question 30

connotation

Answer 30

the nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; implied, suggested meaning. May include ideas emotions or attitude

Question 31

denotation

Answer 31

strict literal definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color

Question 32

diction

Answer 32

authors style, word choice; combines syntax, figurative language, literary devices, etc

Question 33

didactic

Answer 33

from Greek, literally means “teaching”. these works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing especially the teaching of moral or ethnic principles

Question 34

extended metaphor

Answer 34

a metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently throughout a work

Question 35

euphemism

Answer 35

Greek “good speech”; more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts; may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness, or to add humor or ironic understatement