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Literary Terms Practice Quiz

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which literary term is defined as a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"?

a)

Allusion

b)

Alliteration

c)

Simile

d)

Symbolism

2.

What is the term for the use of words that imitate the sounds they describe, such as "buzz" or "hiss"?

a)

Onomatopoeia

b)

Irony

c)

Paradox

d)

Imagery

3.

In literature, what is the term for the use of exaggeration for emphasis or dramatic effect?

a)

Personification

b)

Metaphor

c)

Allusion

d)

Hyperbole

4.

Which literary term refers to the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words or phrases? For example "And, baby, now we’ve got bad blood" from Taylor Swift's Bad Blood.

a)

Alliteration

b)

Symbolism

c)

Parallelism

d)

Irony

5.

What is the term for a figure of speech in which contradictory ideas or concepts are combined to create a deeper meaning? For example, "It was the beginning of the end."

a)

Paradox

b)

Simile

c)

Imagery

d)

Allusion

6.

Which literary term is defined as the use of words or phrases that appeal to the five senses to create vivid mental pictures?

For example, "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with new spring life.  The delicious breath of rain was in the air.  In the street below a peddler was crying his wares.  The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves." - by Kate Chopin

a)

Imagery

b)

Personification

c)

Onomatopoeia

d)

Metaphor

7.

What is the term for a literary device in which words or phrases are used in a way that contradicts their literal meaning? For example, a character stepping out into a hurricane and saying, “What nice weather we're having!”

a)

Irony

b)

Alliteration

c)

Symbolism

d)

Simile

8.

What is the term for a comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"? For example, He is a couch potato.

(a)  

9.

Which literary term refers to the use of words or phrases to give human characteristics to non-human objects or ideas? For example, "The flowers danced in the wind."

a)

Personification

b)

Symbolism

c)

Onomatopoeia

d)

Alliteration

10.

What is the term for the use of a recurring object, idea, or dialogue in a literary work that comes to take on additional meaning beyond itself? For example, the sunflower seeds in Ghost.

a)

Symbolism

b)

Irony

c)

Paradox

d)

Imagery

11.

In literature, what is the term for a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art?

For example, this excerpt comes from To Kill a Mockingbird: "Are we poor, Atticus?"
Atticus nodded. "We are indeed."
Jem's nose wrinkled. "Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?"
"Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest."

"The crash" refers to the Stock Market Crash in 1929, a well known event in history.

a)

Allusion

b)

Simile

c)

Metaphor

d)

Hyperbole

12.

Which literary term refers to the use of words or phrases that have a deeper meaning beyond their literal interpretation?

a)

Symbolism

b)

Alliteration

c)

Parallelism

d)

Irony

13.

What is the term for a statement or situation that seems contradictory or absurd but may actually be true? For example, "less is more".

a)

Paradox

b)

Simile

c)

Imagery

d)

Allusion

14.

Which literary term refers to the repetition of similar grammatical structures or patterns in a sentence or paragraph? For example, all of the 5 sentences in a paragraph start with " I knew I was in trouble when..."

a)

Parallelism

b)

Personification

c)

Onomatopoeia

d)

Metaphor

15.

Which literary term is defined as a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as"?

For example, "And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in"

-from Candle in the Wind by Elton John

a)

Allusion

b)

Alliteration

c)

Simile

d)

Symbolism