World Literature Quiz for MIDTERMS

What does the term 'literature' derive from?

• Latin 'litterae'

• Italian 'letteratura'

• Greek 'litterae'

• French 'littérature'

According to Robert Frost, literature is described as what?

• A body of written works

• A performance in words

• An art that reflects imagination

• A scientific treatise

Which of the following is NOT a function of literature?

• To entertain

• To empower one in active engagement with the world

• To instruct

• To express oneself

What is one characteristic that makes a text literary?

• It must be lengthy

• It should be universally relatable

• It should be easy to read

• It must be written in prose

What literary device compares two dissimilar things using 'like' or 'as'?

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Hyperbole

Which of the following is an example of hyperbole?

• It was the first real day of summer, and by the time she came back indoors, she was as red as a tomato.

• The wind whispered through the trees.

• He was an onion; to understand him, she had to peel back the layers.

• I have a million things to do today.

What does 'euphemism' refer to?

• A deliberate exaggeration

• Assigning human attributes to nonhuman things

• A phrase that uses contradictory words

• A way to say something in an understated manner

Which literary device uses a smaller unit to signify a larger unit?

• Metonymy

• Antithesis

• Synecdoche

• Oxymoron

According to Derek Attridge, what is NOT a characteristic of literature?

• Inventive

• Singular

• Commonplace

• Otherness

What is the primary purpose of alliteration?

• To exaggerate for emphasis

• To compare two unlike things

• To create a memorable or melodic effect

• To assign human traits to nonhuman entities