Test your basic knowledge |

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. Type of diction; informal language used by a particular group among themselves






2. Type of diction; specialized language used in a particular profession or content area






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






4. A person - place - thing - or event used to represent something else (ex: scarlet 'A' representing the sin of adultery)






5. A figure of speech in which opposite ideas are combined (ex: wise fool)






6. An occurrence is the opposite of what was expected






7. A long speech by a character in a literary work






8. The feeling a literary work evokes in a reader - such as sadness - peace - or joy






9. The use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound it describes






10. The person who tells a story; may be a part of the story or an outside observer






11. A lesson about right and wrong conduct taught in a fable or parable






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






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






14. Four feet per line of poetry






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






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






17. The author's attitude toward his/her subject matter or audience; expressed through diction - punctuation - syntax - and figures of speech; (ex: humorous - serious - formal - distant - friendly)






18. A person portrayed in a literary work






19. An emphasis on themes - characters - settings - and customs of a particular geographical region






20. A question to which no answer is expected or the answer is obvious






21. A form of dramatic poetry in which a speaker addresses a silent listener






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






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






24. The flaw that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero; the word comes from the Greek word hybris meaning 'excessive pride'






25. The basic unit in the measurement of a line of metrical poetry; usually has one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllable;






26. Rhyme that occurs within a line of verse






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






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






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






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






31. The point of view/perspective of a story when it is told by one character who uses the pronouns I and me






32. A literary style in which the writer combines realistic characters - events - situations - and dialogue with elements that are magical - supernatural - or fantastic






33. Rhyming of word at the ends of line






34. 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






35. The repetition of final consonant sounds in words containing different vowels (ex: fresh cash - yard bird)






36. A word or phrase that is so overused that it has lost its expressive power






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






38. In drama - a long speech given by a character who is alone on stage; reveals the inner thoughts and emotions of that character






39. The recurrence of sounds - words - phrases - lines - or stanzas in a literary work or speech






40. A metrical foot; // (stressed - stressed)






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






42. The pattern of sound created by stressed and unstressed syllable - particularly in poetry






43. The perspective from which a story is told






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






45. The use of words to create pictures in the reader's mind






46. 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






47. A category or type of literature - defined by its style - form - and content (ex: poetry - drama - fiction - and nonfiction)






48. A literary technique in which the author uses clues to prepare readers for events that will occur later






49. A type of narrative nonfiction recounting a period in the writer's life






50. The repetition of the same stressed vowel sounds and any succeeding sounds in two or more words