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. Eight feet per line of poetry






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






3. The outcome - or resolution - of the plot






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






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






6. Comparison of two things that are alike in some ways






7. 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






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






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






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






11. A figure of speech in which a part is used for a whole or a whole is used for its parts (ex: All hands on deck)






12. Type of diction; language that shows disrespect for others or something sacred






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






14. Verse that tells a story






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






16. The literal - or dictionary - meaning of a word






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






18. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another that is related (ex: the crown=the king of a country)






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






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






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






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






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






24. A narrative song or poem






25. The point of highest emotional intensity or suspense in a literary work






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






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






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






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






30. Poetry in which characters are revealed through dialogue - monologue - and description






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






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






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






34. Rhyming of word at the ends of line






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






36. Reference to a well - known person - place - or situation from history/art/music/work of literature






37. The repetition of a line or phrase in a poem at regular intervals - usually at the end of each stanza






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






39. A movement in early twentieth - century (1900s) poetry - which regarded the image as the essence of poetry






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






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






42. The perspective from which a story is told






43. The writer says one thing but means something else






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






45. Rhyme that occurs within a line of verse






46. A narrative in which situations and characters are invented by the author






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






48. A person portrayed in a literary work






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






50. The repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds in stressed syllables that end with different consonant sounds