GMAS Literary Terms

literary texts

• the category of a text, such as fiction or nonfiction
• the actual meaning of a word or phrase
• to come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text
• passages that are stories, dramas, or poems

inference

• to come to a reasonable conclusion based on evidence found in the text
• where and when a story take place (including the time of day, the season, or the location)
• an overview of a passage that captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions
• writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally

theme

• a text's lesson or message
• when a writer describes an object as if it were a person
• passages that are stories, dramas, or poems
• a speech in a literary text or drama in which a character tells the audience how he or she feels by talking to herself or himself; can help the audience gain understanding of a character's inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations

central idea

• the end of the story
• sections of a poem
• the most important point or idea that the author is making in a passage; also known as the main idea
• the actual meaning of a word or phrase

objective summary

• a factual description of situations, occasions, or events that actually occurred in the past
• an overview of a passage that captures the main points but does not give every detail and does not include opinions
• a meaning beyond the explicit meaning of a word; meanings inferred from certain words (example: "Childlike" connotes innocence.)

plot

• a comparison using "like" or "as"
• the way an author develops a character over the course of a passage
• the specific order of a series of events that form a story
• a factual description of situations, occasions, or events that actually occurred in the past

characterization

• the use of the same sound to start several words in a row
• the actual meaning of a word or phrase
• the way an author develops a character over the course of a passage

setting

• analyzing the differences between two things
• where and when a story take place (including the time of day, the season, or the location)
• a speech in a literary text or drama in which a character tells the audience how he or she feels by talking to herself or himself; can help the audience gain understanding of a character's inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations
• problem

resolution

• a comparison using "like" or "as"
• a text's lesson or message
• the end of the story
• the most important point or idea that the author is making in a passage; also known as the main idea

conflict

• problem
• a quirky expression or saying that is specific to a language (example: I'm on cloud nine.)
• the specific order of a series of events that form a story
• an exaggeration beyond belief