Characterization
Harry Potter is the central character whose actions drive the plot. What is the literary term for this role?
What is a protagonist?
Taylor Swift’s song lyrics often use poetic, emotional word choices. What literary term describes an author’s word choice?
What is diction?
Avengers: Endgame opens after “the snap” has already destroyed half the universe. What term means starting a story in the middle of the action?
What is in media res?
If the word “home” literally means “a place where one lives,” what is this literal definition called?
What is denotation?
In Minions, what is the favorite snack of the little yellow creatures?
What are bananas?
In The Hunger Games, President Snow constantly creates obstacles and tries to destroy Katniss’s goals. What role does he play in the story?
What is an antagonist?
Cinder is told from an outside narrator but only reveals Cinder’s thoughts and feelings. What POV is this?
What is third person limited?
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the book briefly shows events that will happen in the next year to build suspense. What is this narrative device called, where the story jumps ahead in time?
What is a flashforward?
Which literary device is in this tongue twister: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”?
What is alliteration?
In The Mandalorian, what is the real name of “Baby Yoda”?
Who is Grogu?
In Mean Girls, the "Plastics" have a strict dress code (like wearing pink on Wednesdays). What literary concept describes these shared expectations of behavior in their group?
What are cultural or social norms?
Yoda says, “Much to learn, you still have.” This is an example of unusual sentence structure. What’s the term for sentence structure?
What is syntax?
In The Notebook, an elderly man reads a love story from his notebook to a woman in a nursing home. What type of narrative structure is this called, where one story is nested inside another?
What is a frame narrative?
When your friend says, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” what device are they using?
What is hyperbole?
Which fast food chain is famous for its square-shaped burgers?
What is Wendy's?
In Finding Nemo, Marlin must face his fear of the ocean to rescue his son. What kind of conflict is this?
What is internal conflict?
The narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events uses dry humor and sarcasm even during tragic moments. What term describes the narrator’s attitude toward the subject?
What is tone?
When Katniss volunteers as tribute in The Hunger Games, what is the name for this central conflict setup that drives the plot?
What is the dramatic situation?
Calling someone a “snake” suggests sneakiness beyond its literal meaning. What is this implied meaning called?
What is connotation?
In Finding Nemo, what kind of animal is Dory who keeps forgetting everything?
What is a blue tang fish?
In The Office, Jim’s chill, sarcastic nature highlights Dwight’s uptight and rule-following behavior. What is Jim acting as here?
What is a foil?
In Joker, Arthur tells parts of his story that later seem imagined. What is this narrator called?
What is an unreliable narrator?
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before includes Lara Jean’s love letters as part of the story. What is the term for a story told through letters or documents?
What is an epistolary novel?
When a character says “This plan is our Trojan Horse,” what literary device is being used?
What is an allusion?
Which fruit is nicknamed the “king of fruits” and smells so strong some hotels ban it?
What is durian?