English Literary Terms Quiz - Statistics

General Stats
  • This quiz has been taken 76 times
  • The average score is 10 of 60
Answer Stats
Definition Example Device % Correct
A direct comparison, where a text claims that one thing is something else. Hope is a flower. Metaphor
95%
An indirect comparison, where two things are compared with the words "like" or "as." Jeppy is like a pineapple. Simile
72%
The attribution of human qualities to a nonhuman entity. The trees cried out in pain. Personification / Anthropomorphism
56%
A heavily exaggerated description or statement. The COVID pandemic was the end of the world. Hyperbole
51%
Dialogue or a situation that is presented as the opposite of what it really is. The bed of nails was, of course, incredibly soft and inviting. Irony
42%
A reference to a different piece of art or literature. He was the reincarnation of Michelangelo's David. Allusion
33%
A story that is intended entirely to represent an abstract concept or idea. eg Animal Farm or Plato's Allegory of the Cave Allegory
32%
A sound device where the same sounds are repeated at the beginning of successive words. The quickly cut cake came out well. Alliteration
32%
The use of an object to represent a concept. A dove flew over the scarred and broken earth. Symbolism
32%
An argumentative comparison that draws attention to similarities between otherwise distinct things. This quiz is to the Nile River as text is to water. Analogy
30%
A reference toward later events in a work. Foreshadowing
30%
An interruption in a narrative that goes backward in time. Flashback
28%
The use of figurative language to describe something. The JetPunk menu bar is blue, studded with white text and a caricature of a fish. Imagery
28%
The placement of two contrasting ideas beside each other. The scruffy, dirty, and altogether typical peasant approached the throne of her wise and magnificent king. Juxtaposition
26%
A different form of irony, where the audience understands the true state of affairs but the characters remain unaware. Dramatic Irony
25%
The use of a word that sounds like the noise it describes. The gate closed with a clang. Onomatopoeia
25%
An apparently contradictory juxtaposition. They won, but in doing so they lost. Paradox
21%
The implications attached to a word. Connotation
19%
The literal meaning of a word. Denotation
19%
The repetition of ideas or images throughout a work. Motif
19%
The use of a word or phrase multiple times. Echo, echo, echo, echo, echo. Repetition
18%
The use of a part to represent a whole, or a whole to represent a part. All hands on deck! Synecdoche
18%
A long speech with no audience. Soliloquy
16%
The repetition of the same words at the beginning of consecutive clauses or lines. I came, I saw, I conquered. Anaphora
14%
Direct speech to an object or person that is not present in a literary work. Caesar, Caesar, why did you die two thousand years ago? Apostrophe
14%
A sound device where the same vowel sounds are repeated in the middle successive words. The seal creaked and yielded. Assonance
14%
A fancy word for word choice. Diction
12%
The use of line breaks that interrupt a sentence. The birds sang softly In the green-boughed tree. Enjambment
12%
A character who is portrayed as the opposite of another character. Foil
12%
The replacement of one noun with a different noun that is directly related to it. The pen is mightier than the sword. Metonymy
12%
The use of similar plot events that are completely unrelated. Parallelism
12%
Imagery that relates to the sense of sight. The sunset glazed the sky with a shimmering kaleidoscope of azure and orange. Visual Imagery
12%
A sound device where the same consonant sounds are repeated in the middle successive words. Grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt. Consonance
9%
Imagery that relates to the sense of touch. The sandpaper was coarse and dry. Tactile Imagery
9%
A metaphor that runs through an entire poem as the poem's central device. Conceit
7%
Imagery that relates to the sense of smell. The egg smelled sulfurous and rotten. Olfactory Imagery
7%
Imagery that relates to the sense of sound. The twig snapped sharply underfoot. Auditory Imagery
5%
A story that is told starting in the middle. In Media Res
5%
A three-part logical argument that involves deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion. All crows are black. That bird is a crow. Therefore, that bird is black. Syllogism
5%
The use of words or sentences that do not flow well, typically created with hard consonant sounds. Quickly, his luck ran out, and he was knocked against the granite wall. Cacophony
4%
Repetition of a phrase or sentence in the reverse order, but not necessarily exactly the same length. It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath. Chiasmus
4%
A story that is directly based on another piece of art. Two roads diverged in the busy city, and I—I took the one with slightly fewer cars. Ekphrasis
4%
The use of words or sentences that flow well and sound pleasant. The water ran across the velvet leaf. Euphony
4%
Imagery that relates to the sense of taste. The grapefruit was sour, and almost bittersweet. Gustatory Imagery
4%
The use of multiple words with the same root. Drifting along with the driftwood's drift. Polyptoton
4%
The repetition of conjunctions in quick succession. Here and there and everywhere. Polysyndeton
4%
The use of one verb to mean two different actions for two different objects. Weigh your anchor and your vows. Zeugma
4%
Repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses. The mountains look on Marathon—And Marathon looks on the sea... Anadiplosis
2%
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and end of a clause or sentence. Trust only in the capacity of man to trust. Epanalepsis
2%
Imagery that relates to motion. The tempest rushed through the trees, sending leaves flying. Kinesthetic Imagery
2%
Imagery that relates to internal emotion. Faced with this seemingly unending quiz, you struggle with melancholy and fatigue. Organic Imagery
2%
A general term for a literary device that emphasizes sound in writing. Sound Device
2%
Repetition of a word in a sentence in which each usage has a different meaning. To England I will steal, and there I will steal. Antanaclasis
0%
Repetition of a phrase or sentence in the reverse grammatical order. Go, will I? I will go. Antimetabole
0%
The repetition of the same words at the end of consecutive clauses or lines. Once there was nothing here. We saw opportunity here. Now we are here. Antistrophe
0%
The use of line breaks that do not interrupt a sentence. Suddenly the birds were silent. The tree was still and worn. End-Stopping
0%
Repetition for the purpose of emphasizing a point. O woe! O woeful, woeful, woeful day. Epimone
0%
The repetition of words in quick succession. Running, running, running away. Epizeuxis
0%
The repetition of the same words at the beginning and end of consecutive sentences or lines. Surely they will break forth in song. Surely the sailors will be drawn in by that siren song. Surely nothing will remain but song. Symploce
0%
A short, descriptive passage of prose with little to no plot advancement. Vignette
0%
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