Literary Elements
What is characterization?
a. how an author shows what a character is like through actions, dialogue, thoughts, and descriptions
b. a struggle or problem between opposing forces
c. time and place where a story takes place
d. when an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning or idea
a. how an author shows what a character is like through actions, dialogue, thoughts, and descriptions
What is personification?
a. a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things
b. a direct comparison without using like or as, stating one thing is another
c. giving human characteristics, emotions, or actions to non-living objects, animals, or ideas
d. An extreme, intentional exaggeration used for emphasis or humor, not to be taken literally.
c. giving human characteristics, emotions, or actions to non-living objects, animals, or ideas
What is point-of-view?
a. When what happens is different from what is expected
b. The author’s attitude toward the subject or
audience, shown through word choice
c. When an object, person, or event represents a
deeper meaning or idea.
d. The perspective from which a story is told and who is telling the story
d. The perspective from which a story is told and who is telling the story
What is ethos?
a. persuading an audience using credibility or authority
b. persuading an audience using logic, facts, statistics, or evidence
c. persuading an audience by appealing to emotions
d. persuading an audience using opinions
a. persuading an audience using credibility or authority
At the beginning of a thriller novel, a character leaves for a weekend camping trip. As they close the front door, the camera lingers on a local newspaper on the table with the headline: "Local Wildlife Authorities Warn of Unexplained Predator Activity in the Valley."
Which literary element does this headline primarily represent?
A) Flashback
B) Theme
C) Foreshadowing
D) Personification
C) Foreshadowing
What is setting?
a. how an author shows what a character is like through actions, dialogue, thoughts, and descriptions
b. a struggle or problem between opposing forces
c. time and place where a story takes place
d. when an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning or idea
c. time and place where a story takes place
What is a metaphor?
a. a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things
b. a direct comparison without using like or as, stating one thing is another
c. giving human characteristics, emotions, or actions to non-living objects, animals, or ideas
d. An extreme, intentional exaggeration used for emphasis or humor, not to be taken literally.
b. a direct comparison without using like or as, stating one thing is another
What is irony?
a. When what happens is different from what is expected
b. The author’s attitude toward the subject or
audience, shown through word choice
c. When an object, person, or event represents a
deeper meaning or idea.
d. The perspective from which a story is told and who is telling the story
a. When what happens is different from what is expected
What is pathos?
a. persuading an audience using credibility or authority
b. persuading an audience using logic, facts, statistics, or evidence
c. persuading an audience by appealing to emotions
d. persuading an audience using opinions
c. persuading an audience by appealing to emotions
Which type of figurative language is used in the following sentence?
"The classroom was a zoo during the afternoon indoor recess."
A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole
B) Metaphor
What is conflict?
a. how an author shows what a character is like through actions, dialogue, thoughts, and descriptions
b. a struggle or problem between opposing forces
c. time and place where a story takes place
d. when an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning or idea
b. a struggle or problem between opposing forces
What is a simile?
a. a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things
b. a direct comparison without using like or as, stating one thing is another
c. giving human characteristics, emotions, or actions to non-living objects, animals, or ideas
d. An extreme, intentional exaggeration used for emphasis or humor, not to be taken literally.
a. a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things
What is symbolism?
a. When what happens is different from what is expected
b. The author’s attitude toward the subject or
audience, shown through word choice
c. When an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning or idea.
d. The perspective from which a story is told and who is telling the story
c. When an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning or idea.
What is logos?
a. persuading an audience using credibility or authority
b. persuading an audience using logic, facts, statistics, or evidence
c. persuading an audience by appealing to emotions
d. persuading an audience using opinions
b. persuading an audience using logic, facts, statistics, or evidence
Read the following two passages describing the same thunderstorm:
What aspect of author's craft differentiates Passage 2 from Passage 1?
A) A shift in the narrative point of view
B) The use of vivid imagery and figurative language
C) The introduction of a new plot conflict
D) A change in the historical setting
B) The use of vivid imagery and figurative language
What is foreshadowing?
a. the author's attitude toward the story's subject
b. sequence of events in a narrative
c. subtle hints or clues about what will happen later in the story
d. central moral or message of a narrative
c. subtle hints or clues about what will happen later in the story
What is a hyperbole?
a. a comparison using like or as to show similarities between two things
b. a direct comparison without using like or as, stating one thing is another
c. giving human characteristics, emotions, or actions to non-living objects, animals, or ideas
d. An extreme, intentional exaggeration used for emphasis or humor, not to be taken literally.
d. An extreme, intentional exaggeration used for emphasis or humor, not to be taken literally.
What is tone?
a. When what happens is different from what is expected
b. The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience, shown through word choice
c. When what happens is different from what is expected
d. The perspective from which a story is told and who is telling the story
b. The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience, shown through word choice
A car commercial features a young couple driving safely through a severe storm while the narrator states, "For twenty years, our engineers have won every major industry safety award to protect what matters most."
Which rhetorical appeal is primarily used in this advertisement?
A) Pathos
B) Logos
C) Ethos
D) Kairos
C) Ethos; focuses on the company's credibility, track record, and authority ("twenty years," "won every major industry safety award")
Scenario: The old floorboards groaned under his weight, and the wind whispered warnings through the cracked window pane.
Which option correctly identifies the primary device used above alongside three other accurate definitions?
A) Metaphor: A direct comparison stating one thing is another.
B) Personification: Giving human traits, actions, or emotions to non-human things.
C) Onomatopoeia: A word that mimics the actual sound it describes.
B) Personification: Giving human traits, actions, or emotions to non-human things.
Which conflict is being faced "a sailor lost at sea"?
a. internal
b. external
b. external
Which figurative language device is used in the sentence: "The autumn leaves danced across the driveway"?
A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Personification
D) Hyperbole
C) Personification
Which literary element is defined as the central, underlying message or universal truth that an author explores throughout a story?
A) Conflict
B) Setting
C) Tone
D) Theme
D) Theme
A charity brochure displays a photograph of a shivering, malnourished puppy in a cramped cage. Below the image, the text reads: "For just one dollar a day, you can rescue him from a life of neglect and give him the warmth he desperately begs for."
Which rhetorical appeal is primarily used in this brochure?
A) Ethos
B) Pathos
C) Logos
D) Chronos
B) Pathos; The brochure relies heavily on emotional manipulation ("shivering, malnourished puppy," "desperately begs") to trigger feelings of sadness, guilt, and pity in the reader
An author writes a short story about a fast-paced bank heist. To mimic the panic and urgency of the characters, the author uses exceptionally short, choppy sentences and omits descriptive adjectives.
Which stylistic element is the author manipulating to affect the story's mood?
A) Syntax (Sentence Structure)
B) Tone of Voice
C) Characterization
D) Alliteration
A) Syntax (Sentence Structure)