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






2. A literary technique that records a character's memories - opinions - and emotions






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






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






5. A specific kind of figurative language such as - simile - personification - metaphor - or hyperbole






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






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






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






9. A narrative song or poem






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






11. Four feet per line of poetry






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






13. The pattern formed by end rhyme in a stanza or poem; indicated by the assignment of a different letter of the alphabet to each new rhyme






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






15. 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)






16. The central character in a literary work - around whom the action revolves






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






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






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






20. A literary movement and philosophical attitude important during the mid -19th century in New England; emphasized reliance on intuition and conscience - focused on protesting materialism and Puritan ethic. Hallmarks of the movement: individualism - fr






21. 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)






22. 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






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






24. 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






25. Verse that tells a story






26. A figure of speech that uses exaggeration for emphasis






27. The reader or the playgoer has information unknown to characters in the play






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






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






30. 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)






31. Type of diction; old fashioned words no longer in common use






32. 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)






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






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






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






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






37. Conversation between characters in a literary work






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






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






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






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






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






43. Rhyming of word at the ends of line






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






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






46. A figure of speech that uses the word 'like' or 'as' to compare two unlike things






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






48. The suggested or implied meaning associated with a word beyond its dictionary definition; can be positive - neutral - or negative






49. An occurrence is the opposite of what was expected






50. The continuation of a sentence from one line of a poem to another to complete meaning and grammatical structure (aka - a run - on)