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Worksheets21 Literary Terms Review
Total questions: 85
Worksheet time: 4hrs 48mins
Where and when a story takes place.
climax
setting
characters
All of the events in the story leading up to the
climax. The tension in the story is building.
falling action
rising action
exposition
The turning point in the story. The tension is
at its highest point in the story.
conflict
climax
falling action
All of the events after the climax. The tension
of the story comes down.
conflict
falling action
rising action
How is the problem/conflict in the story
solved?
resolution
exposition
conflict
The problem in the story.
conflict
climax
exposition
People or animals that are in the story.
setting
characters
resolution
What is number 1 on the plot diagram?
resolution
falling action
exposition
What is number 3 on the plot diagram?
conflict
falling action
rising action
Conversation between two or more characters in a story.
dialogue
setting
exposition
What is the purpose of character foils?
To confuse the readers
To create conflict in the story
To provide comic relief
To highlight the qualities of a character
Which of the following is NOT a purpose of using character foils?
To develop complex characters
To enhance the plot
To create suspense
To confuse the readers
On the way to school, Nelson felt upset. He thought, "Why did I play video games all night instead of studying for my Algebra test?"
internal
external
Jack Juniper is the best fighter pilot in the Air Force. He can take down an enemy jet while doing a barrel roll. One day while Jack is escorting some friendly pilots to a military base, something that Jack has never seen before attacks the convoy... aliens! Can Jack outmaneuver the highly skilled alien pilots or is the mission doomed to failure?
Character vs. Self
Character vs. Technology
Character vs. Supernatural
Character vs. Nature
Jerome and his family are vacationing on an island in tropical paradise. The waters are clear, the skies are big, and the sand is clean. Suddenly, when a rumble shakes Jerome’s sister off of her beach chair, Jerome remembers that the island on which they are staying is one big volcano. Soon the mountain releases it wrath and the eruption threatens every person on the island.
Character vs. Self
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Nature
Erik is just a regular Viking warrior making a living off of raiding and plundering villages. Erik’s career has been going pretty well, until he attempts to raid the small hamlet of Resistia. In Resistia, a brave farmer named William leads the peasants and drives the Vikings out of Resistia in the most embarrassing of fashions. After vowing revenge, Erik and his men return with reinforcements and incendiary weapons.
Character vs. Self
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Nature
It's the year 3030 and society is completely dependent on computers and robots. A young boy named Domino is flying his hover board to school when all of the machines start acting up and attacking people due to a powerful computer virus. What will Domino do now that the machines that are supposed to help him have turned against him?
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Individual
Character vs. Supernatural
Character vs. Technology
Even when dad tried to lock the lid of the trash can, wild animals still got into it and left a mess strewn about. They even had a separate trash can for food that they shut tightly and stacked high, but it didn’t matter. Living near a forest was wonderful, except for the smell of trash that lingered from the animal’s midnight feasts!
Character vs. Supernatural
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Self
Quinn was on a trip to an amusement park with his best friend’s family. He was having a great day until the family headed toward the tallest rollercoaster in the park. Quinn hated rollercoasters. Ever since the time he went on one and got sick afterwards, he swore he would never do it again. However, he could see the excitement in his friend’s eyes and didn’t want to disappoint him.
Character vs. Character
Character vs. Society
Character vs. Technology
Character vs. Self
“What would you do if you could fly?" Mrs. V asks as she glances from the bird to me.
"Is that on the quiz?" I ask, grinning as I type.
"I think we've studied just about everything else." Mrs. V chuckles.
"I'd be scared to let go," I type.
"Afraid you'd fall?" she asks.
"No. Afraid it would feel so good, I'd just fly away.”
― Sharon M. Draper, Out of My Mind
First Person
Second Person
Third Person Limited
Third Person Omniscient
"Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank." Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Louis Sachar
First Person
Second Person
Third Person Limited
Third Person Omniscient
― Jacqueline Woodson, Peace, Locomotion
The author wants to give you information.
Entertain
Persuade
Inform
What is mood in literature?
The atmosphere or emotional tone of a piece of writing.
The main character's personality in a story.
The sequence of events in a novel.
The setting or location of a book.
What is tone in written texts?
The font style used in the text.
The number of paragraphs in the text.
The length of the text.
Author's attitude or feelings towards the subject matter.
A well developed, complex character is
round
flat
static
dynamic
In this story, Bryan is the main character’s brother. At the beginning of the story, he makes fun of the main character because of her hair cut. At the end of the story, he continues to make fun of the character. Bryan is most likely a
static character
dynamic character
protagonist
flat character
In this story, the bus driver’s name is Al. The reader knows his name, and that he drives the bus every day. Al doesn’t participate in the plot other than driving the bus. Al is likely a _________________ character.
Flat
Round
Dynamic
foil
What is theme?
the message about life that the author expresses
the time and location of a story- the setting
sequence of events- beginning, middle, end of a story
the main events summarized
What is a theme?
a story line- the plot and the conflict
the topic/subject of a story
a universal (big world) message about life
what the story is mostly about
What is the main idea of a story?
A one word topic about what a story is about
the message about life that an author expresses
the sequence of events in a story- beginning, middle, end
a general description of what the story is mostly about
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for theme?
message
moral
life lesson
main idea
Why can't trust be a theme?
There's nothing to learn from it.
Trust is a theme
It's only one word, which is a topic.
A story's theme might be difficult to figure out because:
Authors make it hard to figure it out
It has nothing to do with plot, characters, and other story elements
Some stories don't have themes
It is not explicitly(written) in the story
Microsoft's new Chief Executive Officer completes all of her work on an Apple Computer
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
As the teacher handed back our graded exams, the kid next to me muttered, “Great.”
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
In Star Wars, the audience knows that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father, but Luke doesn’t learn this until Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
A prisoner spends months digging an underground tunnel leading out of his cell. His plan is flawed, though, and he ends up emerging in the warden’s backyard, where he is promptly caught and returned to prison with additional time added to his sentence.
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
In The Truman Show, a 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey, the main character doesn’t realize he’s living inside a TV show, but everyone else around him, including the audience, knows the truth.
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
On a TV talk show, viewers are told the real reason why a guest has been brought onto the show. He mistakenly thinks he’s there to talk about his job at a coffeeshop, but he’s really there to be gifted a full college scholarship.
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
A police station was robbed.
Dramatic Irony
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Before their televised debate began, one politician sneered, “Good luck,” as her opponent crossed in front of her, walking toward the stage.
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
In the book Holes, the reader is told by a disappointed Stanley Yelnats that “there is no lake at Camp Green Lake.”
Situational Irony
Verbal Irony
Dramatic Irony
“I’m sorry, sir, but this flight has been delayed by three hours,” the airline clerk explained to my uncle. “Awesome,” he replied.
Situational Irony
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
What is the meaning of the allusion?
My brother is a regular Einstein! He always seems to know the answer!
His brother is unintelligent
His brother works hard
His brother is intelligent
His brother is lazy
What is the meaning of the allusion?
My friend was being a total Scrooge when I asked her to share her M&Ms.
Not wanting to share
Excited about sharing
Throwing them all away
Counting the M&Ms
What is the meaning of the allusion?
We do serious work in the classroom, it's not a Mickey Mouse Club in here!
We don't keep mice
We don't goof off
We love to eat cheese
We don't like working
What is the meaning of the allusion?
I felt like cupid had struck me with his arrow when I saw the adorable puppy!
I was in love with the puppy
I liked the puppy
I disliked the puppy
I talked to the puppy
The comic book superhero Spider-Man possesses a spidey sense that warns him of impending trouble.
What is the meaning of the allusion in the sentence below?
Luther picked up his pace on the trail as his spidey sense began to tingle.
sense of smell
sense of danger
sense of wonder
sense of pride
Which literary device compares two things using “like” or “as”?
simile
metaphor
alliteration
characterization
Which literary device makes a comparison by calling a person or object by the name of a different object?
inference
dramatic irony
symbolism
metaphor
Which literary device uses the same word or phrase multiple times?
Situational Irony
Metaphor
Repetition
Simile
Which literary device uses words, people, landmarks, or ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning?
Simile
Alliteration
Repetition
Symbolism
Which is an example of alliteration?
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
Happy
Excited
Laughing
Lovely
Outrageous
Sally sells shells by the seashore.
You are a real Einstein.
A scene in a story set in a time earlier than the main story.
Hyperbole
Connotation
Flashback
Foreshadowing
a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group
dialect
dialogue
jargon
slang
conversation between characters
jargon
dialogue
slang
diction
a writer's or speaker's choice of words
platitude
slang
diction
syntax
Jim: “We’s safe, Huck, we’s safe! Jump up and crack yo’ heels. Dat’s de good ole Cairo at las’, I jis knows it.”
Huck: “I’ll take the canoe and go see, Jim. It mightn’t be, you know.”
dialect
diction
syntax
cliche
“Now he is here,” I exclaimed. “For Heaven’s sake, hurry down! Do be quick; and stay among the trees till he is fairly in.”
diction
dialogue
platitude
cliche
What is informal diction?
casual, everyday language, usually with short words
fancy or formal language, usually with long sentences
fancy or formal language, but really short sentences.
casual, everyday language, usually with long sentences.
What is formal diction?
long sentences, with very descriptive and precise writing.
short sentences, with general ideas.
casual writing that has a happy tone.
writing that has a serious tone.
What word would you use to describe the tone of this passage?
The giving of human qualities to an animal or object.
Hyperbole
Simile
Euphemism
Personification
Words and phrases that appeal to readers five senses.
Imagery
Onomatopoeia
Conflict
Simile
The use of words whose sound suggest their meaning (ex. buzz, hiss, pop).
Onomatopoeia
Connotation
Metaphor
Characterization
