wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Literary Terms Review

Total questions: 40

Worksheet time: 39mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

A reference to a well known person, place event, literary work, or work of art.

a)

Allegory

b)

Allusion

c)

Alliteration

d)

Analogy

2.

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are close together.

a)

allusion

b)

allegory

c)

alliteration

d)

analogy

3.

How a story makes the reader feel.

a)

imagery

b)

mood

c)

tone

d)

humor

4.

The use of words that imitate the sounds of what they describe.

a)

onomatopoeia

b)

hyperbole

c)

nonverbal

d)

splat!

5.

The struggle between opposing forces in a story.

a)

conclusion

b)

conflict

c)

climax

d)

connotation

6.

The method a writer uses to develop a character.

a)

characterization

b)

comedy

c)

caricature

d)

inference

7.

Which element of plot introduces the characters and the setting of the story?

a)

rising action

b)

inciting event

c)

resolution

d)

exposition

8.

What is imagery?

a)

The way the text makes the reader feel.

b)

The writer's attitude towards a subject.

c)

Hints the writer gives about what may happen.

d)

Language that appeals to the five senses.

9.

The contrast between what the character knows and the reader/audience knows...

a)

verbal irony

b)

situational irony

c)

dramatic irony

d)

none of the above

10.

When objects or abstract ideas are given human characteristics.

a)

personification

b)

pun

c)

metaphor

d)

oxymoron

11.

A feeling of uncertainty or excitement caused by wondering what will happen next in a story.

a)

Anxiety

b)

Flashback

c)

Suspense

d)

Foreshadowing

12.

The attitude the writer takes towards a subject or an audience is

a)

Mood

b)

Tone

c)

Perspective

d)

Point of view

13.
How the text makes the reader feel (Ex. Peaceful, eerie, humorous, sad)
a)
description
b)
mood
c)
analysis
d)
tone
14.
Uses "I" and is usually the main character in the story
a)
1st person point of view
b)
2nd person point of view
c)
3rd person point of view
d)
biography
15.
Extreme exaggeration (Ex. My backpack weighs a ton.)
a)
hyperbole
b)
imagery
c)
simile
d)
personficiation
16.
Text that comes from the story used to support your analysis
a)
denotative meaning
b)
connotative meaning
c)
text evidence
d)
summary
17.
Uses "you" and reader is a character in the story
a)
1st person point of view
b)
2nd person point of view
c)
3rd person point of view
d)
mood
18.
Author's attitude about their subject (Ex. Admiring, critical, nostalgic, sarcastic)
a)
text structure
b)
mood
c)
tone
d)
3rd person point of view
19.
Speaking of a nonhuman thing as if it has human feelings or actions (Ex. The wind moaned.)
a)
hyperbole
b)
idiom
c)
personification
d)
simile
20.
an object represents an idea (Ex. Rose represents beauty; Rain represents sadness)
a)
alliteration
b)
simile
c)
idiom
d)
symbolism
21.
Comparison of unlike things that states or implies that one thing is the other (Ex. It is an oven in here.)
a)
hyperbole
b)
metaphor
c)
personfication
d)
simile
22.
Narrator is not a character in the story and refers to all characters as "he" or "she"
a)
author
b)
1st person point of view
c)
2nd person point of view
d)
3rd person point of view
23.
foreshadowing
a)
a past event inserted into a story
b)
summary of past events
c)
clues or hints about future events to happen
d)
summary of future events
24.
A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance is an ...
a)
allusion
b)
analogy
c)
cliche
d)
idiom
25.
An idiom is ...
a)
a set expression or a phrase comprised of two or more words that is not interpreted literally and is understood to mean something quite different from what individual words of the phrase would imply
b)
a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words or a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated 
c)
a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect
d)
a situation in which there is a mixture of harsh and inharmonious sounds
26.
A figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words or a situation that ends up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated is called ...
a)
allusion
b)
paradox
c)
irony
d)
idiom
27.

An oxymoron is ...

a)

an imitation of a particular writer, artist or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect

b)

a statement that contains two contradictory words next to each other

c)

a ghost, or shadow of a person; but in modern times it simply refers to a person that is a look-alike of another person

d)

a figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect

28.

Which of the following is an example of a metaphor?

a)

Jim moved like a sloth around the classroom

b)

Bill was a snail as he made his way home from work.

c)

Tom moved so slowly, I almost fell asleep watching him.

d)

Will flew around the room as he cleaned and tidied.

29.

Which of the following is an example of a simile?

a)

Wendy is a tower of strength when it comes to helping her friends.

b)

Jaclyn watched her brother like hawk to make sure he finished homework.

c)

Peg said goodbye with a bittersweet smile as her family dropped her off.

d)

Jenny died laughing at the outfit her dad wore to Church last Sunday.

30.

Which of the following is an example of a hyperbole?

a)

Mary was so sad her favorite show was canceled, she could've drowned in her own years.

b)

Jenny was so excited for the last class of the day to be over, she was bouncing off the walls.

c)

Jack was so furious his brother stole he headphones, he thought his head would explode

d)

They're all examples of hyperbole.

31.

Which is an example of mood?

a)

The author wrote a scary ghost story about a haunted house.

b)

The student didn't like reading because he thought books were boring.

c)

I got goosebumps on my neck when I read the chapter about the Holocaust survivors.

d)

They were angry they had to read a chapter for homework last night!

32.

Which of the following are examples of personification?

a)

The sun peaked through the trees in the early morning hours

b)

I could've heard a pin drop when I walked into the cathedral.

c)

The beach was so beautiful on our last night, my mother almost cried.

d)

The two birds chatted with each other as they built their new nests.

33.

Which of the following IS NOT an example of an onomatopoeia?

a)

The car's engine hissed.

b)

The raindrops splashed on the ground.

c)

The smiles grew on their faces

d)

The chair creaked.

34.

Which of the following is NOT an example of alliteration?

a)

Adam ambled all around Annapolis and didn't ask for assistance.

b)

Becky bought a beautiful bouquet for her birthday.

c)

Lucy liked to lie by the lake in the summertime sun.

d)

Sarah and Sloane couldn't assimilate to their new school.

35.

Select ALL of the responses that are examples of imagery?

a)

The ocean air was salty on the tip of my tongue

b)

The smoke from the campfire burned by eyes

c)

My mouth watered when breathed in the scent of cookies

d)

Love is like a flower that blooms and grows.

e)

I could almost hear the sound of the train as a stared at the tracks

36.

Which of the following is not a popular symbol for luck?

a)

A four leaf clover

b)

A horse-shoe

c)

A rabbit's foot

d)

A flat tire

37.

Which of the following DOES NOT contain an example of an oxymoron?

a)

I saw a dark light at the end of the tunnel.

b)

The student was clearly confused about the dress code.

c)

The teacher has the original copy.

d)

The tall towers could be seen up ahead.

38.
When and where a story takes place is called the ___.
a)
setting
b)
resolution
c)
climax
d)
mood
39.

This literary term is similar to mood, but it's used to describe the author's attitude rather than the reader's emotions.

a)

foreshadowing

b)

exposition

c)

tone

d)

atmosphere

40.

The series of related events that make up a story

a)

plot

b)

setting

c)

theme

d)

point of view