Literary Terms and Analysis Quiz

Alliteration is:

• A. A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’

• B. Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

• C. Giving human qualities to objects

• D. A list using only commas

Sibilance is the repetition of which type of sound?

• A. ‘B’ and ‘P’ sounds

• B. ‘S’ or ‘Sh’ sounds

• C. ‘F’ and ‘V’ sounds

• D. Vowel sounds

Asyndeton is:

• A. A comparison without ‘like’ or ‘as’

• B. A list joined with conjunctions

• C. A list separated only by commas

• D. A repetition of vowel sounds

A superlative is:

• A. A comparison using “as”

• B. A word that expresses the highest degree of something (e.g. biggest, best)

• C. An exaggeration used for effect

• D. A question asked without expecting an answer

Which of the following is a metaphor?

• A. Her smile was like sunshine.

• B. The wind whispered through the trees.

• C. He was a lion in battle.

• D. She ran more quickly than a cheetah.

A simile is:

• A. A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’

• B. A word that sounds like what it describes

• C. A form of repetition

• D. A group of related words

Personification is:

• A. Repetition of a word at the start of a sentence

• B. Giving human qualities to non-human things

• C. A type of listing

• D. A comparison without “like” or “as”

Hyperbole is used to:

• A. Make something sound more realistic

• B. Exaggerate something for emphasis

• C. Describe the setting

• D. Build suspense

Which phrase is an example of a semantic field?

• A. “The sun smiled at the sky”

• B. “Wave, tide, current, salt, foam”

• C. “As tall as a skyscraper”

• D. “Snap, crackle, pop”

Fricatives are:

• A. Words that end with a vowel

• B. Repeated ‘f’ and ‘v’ sounds, often creating a soft or sharp effect

• C. A type of rhyme

• D. A poetic structure with three stanzas