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CSET English Reading Understanding Text

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. A statement or situation that seems to be contradictory but actually makes sense (ex: the more I learn - the less I know)






2. A narrator who gives a faulty or distorted account of the events in a story; a child as a narrator might misinterpret someone's actions






3. Type of diction; expressions usually accepted in informal situations






4. A wise saying - usually short and to the point; similar to epigram or maxim






5. A person portrayed in a literary work






6. A stanza made up of two rhyming lines that follow the same rhythmic pattern






7. A metrical foot; _/ (unstressed - stressed)






8. A brief statement commemorating a dead person - often inscribed on a gravestone






9. The struggle - internal or external - between opposing forces in a work of literature






10. A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis






11. A sudden intuitive recognition of the essence or meaning of something






12. Occurs at the ends of lines of poetry






13. The dominant mood or feeling of a literary work






14. One foot per line of poetry






15. Reversal of the usual word order for variety or emphasis (ex:A girl with a hat/In a dream I saw)






16. A philosophy that values human freedom and personal responsibility. Writers include: Jean - Paul Sartre - Kierkegaard - Camus - Nietzsche - Franz Kafka - and Simon de Beauvoir






17. A figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an absent person - inanimate object or idea






18. A figure of speech in which a comparison in implied but not stated (ex: The snow was a white blanket)






19. The larger - than - life central character in an epic (a long narrative poem about events of crucial importance to the history of a culture/nation)






20. A type of pun - or play on words - that results when the speaker gets two words mixed up (ex: We watched the flamingo dancers all day)






21. A literary work in which all or most of the characters - events and setting stand for ideas or generalization about life; have a moral or lesson






22. Writing or speech that tells a story






23. A significant word - phrase - idea - description - or other element repeated throughout a literary work and related to the theme






24. Language used for descriptive effect rather than literal meaning and including at least one figure of speech (metaphor - simile - personification)






25. Verse that tells a story






26. The narrator knows everything about the characters and events and reveals details that even the characters themselves could not reveal






27. The literary representation of a character's free - flowing thought processes - memories - and emotions; often does not use conventional sentence structure or rules of grammar






28. The central understanding about life as expressed in a work of literature; may be stated or expressed directly; usually implied or revealed gradually through events - dialogue - and outcome






29. The time and place in which the events of a literary work occur






30. The chief character in a literary work - usually one with admirable qualities






31. A person or force working against the protagonist - or central character - in a literary work






32. The point of view/perspective of a story when it is told by someone who stands outside the story






33. The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of one character






34. A short - witty verse or saying; similar to aphorism or maxim






35. Type of diction; language widely considered crude - disgusting - and offensive






36. A pair of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter that work together to make a point or express an idea






37. A rhythmical pattern in verse that is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables






38. Seven feet per line of poetry






39. The use of a series of words - phrases - or sentences that have similar grammatical form






40. A break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line - marked in prosody by a double vertical line (||)






41. Six feet per line of poetry






42. A metrical foot; /_ _ (stressed - unstressed - unstressed)






43. The sequence of events in a short story - novel - or drama






44. Poetry or lines of dramatic verse written in iambic pentameter






45. An author's choice of words - based on their effectiveness for the author's purpose






46. An interruption in the chronological sequence of a narrative to leap forward in time






47. A type of comedy with ridiculous characters - events - or situations






48. The assignment/application of human characteristics to animals - inanimate object - or gods (ex: Sponge Bob - Bugs Bunny)






49. The methods - direct and indirect - used by a writer to reveal a character's personality






50. A short saying that expresses a general ruth or gives practical advice - usually about behavior and morality; similar to adage or aphorism