A literary, historical, mythological, or Biblical reference.
What is allusion?
100
Attacking a an opponent rather than issues or arguments. Ex: Donald Trump has called Hilary Clinton, "Crooked Hilary."
What is ad hominem?
100
The literal, dictionary meaning of words.
What is denotation?
100
A personal story of an experience; usually in chronological order.
What is narration?
100
When a speaker poses a question to bring attention to an idea, not to elicit a specific response.
What is a rhetorical question?
200
A more pleasant, less harsh manner of saying something. Ex: She passed away v. she died.
What is a euphemism?
200
Presenting only one side of an argument. Ex: An advertisement for a supplement might brag that it will help you lose weight, but it won't say you need to exercise and reduce food intake as well.
What is card stacking?
200
The associative meaning of words.
What is connotation?
200
The clear evocation of people, places, or objects using varied details.
What is description?
200
The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words in a story, essay, or poem.
What is voice or speaker?
300
An entire work that functions on a symbolic level such as The Crucible.
What is allegory?
300
Telling a half truth to obscure the full truth. Ex: The witches in Macbeth tell him that he cannot be hurt by anyone "born of woman," but he is killed by MacDuff, who was born by Caesarean section.
What is equivocation?
300
Common, ordinary work choice.
What is colloquial language?
300
Writing that explains including cause and effect, comparison / contrast, and analysis.
What is exposition?
300
The use of a quotation at the beginning of an essay or story in order to hint at or foreshadow the theme.
What is an epigraph?
400
Repetition of an image throughout a literary work. Ex: the blue piano music in Streetcar or blood in Macbeth.
What is a motif?
400
Confusing chronology with causation; "after this, therefore this." Ex: I drank bottled water and then got sick. The water must have made me sick.
What is false causality or post-hoc / ergo propter hoc?
400
The language and idiosyncratic word choices of a specific area, region, or group of people.
What is dialect?
400
Writing that seeks to bring about change by asserting an opinion. Depends more on pathos.
What is persuasion?
400
A play on words that has comic effect or relief. Example, Hamlet tells the grave diggers "Tomorrow you will find me a grave man."
What is a pun?
500
A comic imitation of another work. Ex: The Simpson's funny version of "The Raven" by Poe.
What is a parody?
500
Reducing an argument to ridiculous choices. Ex: We can either stop driving cars or destroy the earth.
What is Either / Or or Reductio ad Absurdum?
500
Educated, sophisticated language employing many syllables.
What is polysyllabic?
500
Writing that sets forth a claim and seeks to arrive at a truth through academic discourse. Depends more on logos.
What is argumentation?
500
A comparison of two unlikely things that is drawn out in a piece of literature, often poetry.