Literary Elements
What is the setting of a story?
The time (historical period, time of day, season) and place (geographic location, environment)
This is a comparison using “like” or “as.”
Simile
What does it mean to make an inference?
Drawing a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning.
What are context clues?
Hints within a text that help you determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Why might an author use flashback in a story?
To provide background or explain a character's past.
This term describes the central struggle between opposing forces in a story.
Conflict
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Personification
What’s the difference between a theme and a central idea?
A theme is the overall topic of a text (1-2 words) and the central idea is the message or moral of the text.
“The boy was elated after hearing the great news.” What does “elated” most likely mean?
Extremely happy
What is tone, and how is it different from mood?
Tone is the author's attitude; mood is how the reader feels.
What is the difference between internal and external conflict?
internal conflict occurs within a character’s mind, while external conflict involves outside forces
The classroom was a zoo” is an example of this device.
Metaphor
How can you identify a central idea in a short story?
By examining characters' actions, conflicts, and outcomes.
Identify the meaning of “benevolent” in context: “The benevolent woman donated to charity.
Generous and kind.
How can foreshadowing affect a reader?
It builds suspense or prepares the reader for events.
Name and define two types of point of view
first-person (narrator is a character in the story) and third-person (narrator is outside the story)
Name two examples of figurative language besides simile and metaphor.
hyperbole, idiom, personification, alliteration, etc.)
Why is it important to cite textual evidence when writing about literature?
To support your claims with proof from the text.
Her tea was tepid, so she put it in the microwave.
What does "tepid" most likely mean?
lukewarm
How does an unreliable narrator affect a story?
The reader questions the truth and must read more critically.
In a coming-of-age novel, the main character undergoes a transformation. What literary term describes this character development?
Character arc
Which type of irony occurs when the audience knows something a character doesn’t?
Dramatic irony
You read a story about a character who loses everything but finds peace. What’s a possible theme?
Something like: "Material things don't guarantee peace"
Celestial bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars, have fascinated man through the centuries.
What does "Celestial mean?
“Celestial” objects are those in the sky or heavens.
Identify the literary device/author's craft technique being shown below:
"For if dreams die
life is a broken wing bird
that cannot fly."
Metaphor