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Test your basic knowledge |
Literary And Rhetorical Vocab
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Study First
Subject
:
english
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 return to an earlier time in a story or play in order to clarify present actions or circumstances
myth
paraphrase
caesura
flashback
2. An abbreviated synopsis of a longer work of scholarship or research
verbal irony
couplet
abstract
gerund
3. The use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning
onomatopoeia
narrative
classical - classicism
image
4. A figure of speech whose effectiveness has been worn out through overuse and excessive familiarity
caricature
exegesis
cliche
fantasy
5. Language or dialect of a particular country - Language of a clan or group - Plain everyday speech
maxim
middle english
deus ex machina
vernacular
6. A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows
adage
etymology
loose sentence
tone
7. A lyric poem usually marked by serious - respectful and exalted feelings toward the subject
ode
litotes
alliteration
split infinitives
8. The suggested or implied meaning of a word or phrase. contrast with denotation
connotation
rhyme
quatrain
periodic sentence
9. The grammar of meter and rhythm in poetry
carpe diem
prosody
aphorism
consonance
10. The depiction of people - things and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect
picaresque novel
invective
oxymoron
realism
11. A sentence that follows the customary word order of english sentences - ie subject verb object. the main idea of the sentence is presented first and is then followed by one or more subordinate clauses
genre
litotes
in medias res
loose sentence
12. A figure of speech that compares unlike objects - without using like or as
bard
metaphor
free verse
meter
13. A mode of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated - often implying ridicule or light sarcasm; a state of affairs or events that is the reverse of what might have been expected
colloquial
irony
frame
antagonist
14. deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient greek and roman culture; implies formality - objectivity - simplicity and restraint
roman a clef
classical - classicism
diction
middle english
15. A narrative told by a character involved in the story - using first person pronouns such as I and we
collocation/Idiom
fantasy
first person narrative
imperative sentence
16. One of the ancient greek goddesses presiding over the arts. the imaginary source of inspiration for an artist or writer
epithet
muse
pathos
subtext
17. The resolution that occurs at the end of a play or work of fiction
omniscient narrator
bathos
deouement
pulp fiction
18. Providing hints of things to come in a story or play
deus ex machina
foreshadowing
humanism
mock epic
19. A false name or alias used by writers
parable
title character
wit
pseudonym
20. Novels written for mass consumption - often emphasizing exciting and titillating plots
rhythm
subtext
belle-lettres
pulp fiction
21. A belief that emphasizes faith and optimism in human potential and creativity
infinitive
farce
humanism
bathos
22. A form of literature in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw and a set of forces that causes the hero considerable anguish
tone
light verse
litotes
tragedy
23. Faulty reasoning that inappropriately ascribes human feelings to nature or non-human objects
fable
pathetic fallacy
sentimental
maxim
24. A subordinate or minor collection of events in an novel or play - usually connected to the main plot
frame
burlesque
subplot
humanism
25. A circumstance in which the audience or reader knows more about a situation than a character
dramatic irony
syntax
pun
bildungsroman
26. In contrast to literal language - implies meanings
novel of manners
concrete language
sonnet
figurative language
27. The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events - including exposition - rising action - climax - falling action and resolution
annotation
colloquial
plot
interrogative sentence
28. The quickness of intellect and the power and talent for saying brilliant things that surprise and delight by their unexpectedness; the power to comment subtly and pointedly on the foibles of the passing scene
wit
anglo-saxon diction
rhetoric
rhetorical stance
29. A detailed analysis or interpretation of a work of literature
exegesis
antagonist
old english
melodrama
30. Two or more independent clauses
classic
compound sentence
ode
periodic sentence
31. A parody of traditional epic form
mock epic
middle english
metaphor
anachronism
32. A story in which a second meaning is to be read beneath the surface
rhyme
apollonian
allegory
sentimental
33. The language of a work and its style; words - often highly emotional - used to convince or sway an audience
loose sentence
rhyme scheme
diction
rhetoric
34. A narrative poem that tells of the adventures and exploits of a hero
allusion
epic
tone
bombast
35. A comparison that points out similarities between two dissimilar things
analogy
belle-lettres
melodrama
plot
36. A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness - although it may have a serious - scornful purpose
farce
belle-lettres
lyric poetry
pathetic fallacy
37. A humorous play on words - using similar sounding or identical words to suggest different meanings
metonymy
pun
novel of manners
pseudonym
38. A term that describes a line of poetry that ends with a natural pause often indicated by a mark of punctuation
diction
canon
end-stopped
omniscient narrator
39. Inflated - pretentious language used for trivial subjects
bildungsroman
connotation
eponymous
bombast
40. A statement that seems self-contradictory but is nevertheless true
moral
in medias res
harangue
paradox
41. The real or assumed personality used by a writer or speaker
periodic sentence
myth
burlesque
voice
42. A variety of poetry meant to entertain or amuse - but sometimes with a satirical thrust
adage
light verse
foreshadowing
tone
43. A figure of speech in which objects and animals are given human characteristics
interrogative sentence
personification
genre
pathos
44. The author's attitude toward the subject being written about. the characteristic emotion that pervades a work or part of a work--the spirit or quality that is the work's emotional essence
classic
stream of consciousness
invective
tone
45. A vagueness of meaning; a conscious lack of clarity meant to evoke multiple meanings and interpretations
ambiguity
farce
bibliography
quatrain
46. An adjective that follows a linking verb
balanced sentence
predicate adjective
naturalism
carpe diem
47. The correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number and of a pronoun with its antecedent in person - number - and gender
agreement
stanza
syntax
plot
48. A term used to describe literary forms such as novel - play and essay
genre
exposition
abstract
elliptical construction
49. A quick succession of images or impressions used to express an idea
omniscient narrator
montage
quatrain
allegory
50. A story containing unreal - imaginary features
fantasy
persona
apostrophe
assonance