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A Guide to Literary Terms Trivia Quiz

This quiz is to see what you know about literary terms. Most of the information is from http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm. I hope you enjoy it.

A multiple-choice quiz by caitlynnl. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
caitlynnl

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
262,857

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
986

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Okay, your first word is alliteration. What does that mean? Hint

The enemy in the story

A successive line of literature with repetitious initial sounds

The main character of

When an actor says something to the audience that is not intended to be heard by the rest of the actors

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Question 2 of 10

2. What is a denouement? Hint

The climax

The resolution of the central complication

A dialogue between two characters

The opening chapter of a book

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Question 3 of 10

3. What is verbal irony? Hint

When a character voices their opinion as a shot in the dark and it turns about to be right

When a person says something and the absolute opposite happens

Sarcasm

When a minor character says something that turns out to be extremely important to the story

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Question 4 of 10

4. What is the definition of a metaphor? Hint

A comparison using the words "like" or "as"

A tale about the creation of the earth

A plot common in many stories

A comparison not using the words "like" or "as"

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of these is an example of personification? Hint

BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sky was a canvas

The paper was as white as snow

The wind whistled in the night air

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is a protagonist? Hint

A group of good characters in a story trying to fight off evil

The villain of a story

The main character of a story

A minor character in a story

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is a simile? Hint

A comparison not using "like or as"

A comparison using "like" or "as"

The moral of a story

When a character on stage says something not meant to be heard by the other characters

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Question 8 of 10

8. What is an elegy? Hint

Another word for a work of satire

A rhyming work expressing sadness

A work with an extremely comical nature

A story not written in chronological order so as to confuse the reader

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is a parable? Hint

A story used to express an important moral

A story set in the past

A story with no human characters

A work of fiction that many people believe to be non-fiction

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which of these pairs of words are examples of a slant rhyme? Hint

Vibe and tribe

Shack and wash

Shant and shack

Roll and wall

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Okay, your first word is alliteration. What does that mean?

Answer: A successive line of literature with repetitious initial sounds

A well known example would be "She sells sea shells by the sea shore". The repetition can either be inside the word or at the beginning of the word.

2. What is a denouement?

Answer: The resolution of the central complication

This word of French origin literally means the action of untying. It usually follows the climax of a story.

3. What is verbal irony?

Answer: Sarcasm

One example would be "That sock smells like roses" after it has been sitting in a gym locker for three months.

4. What is the definition of a metaphor?

Answer: A comparison not using the words "like" or "as"

An example might be "She was a tree standing graceful and tall." Metaphors are commonly found in poetry.

5. Which of these is an example of personification?

Answer: The wind whistled in the night air

Personification is giving human characteristics to nonhuman objects. We know that the wind did not actually whistle, but this example of personification is trying to get across the point that the wind made a sound that sounded similar to a human whistling.

6. What is a protagonist?

Answer: The main character of a story

For example, the protagonist in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is of course Harry Potter. A protagonist is also sometimes called the hero of the story.

7. What is a simile?

Answer: A comparison using "like" or "as"

An example might be "the frosting was as fluffy as clouds". Similes are used to make the reader understand and be able to visualize better what is being described by comparing it to something that is unrelated.

8. What is an elegy?

Answer: A rhyming work expressing sadness

They are usually written in the form of couplets for somebody who has died.

9. What is a parable?

Answer: A story used to express an important moral

Many well known parables are in the Bible.

10. Which of these pairs of words are examples of a slant rhyme?

Answer: Roll and wall

A slant rhyme is when only the ending consonant sounds rhyme, and not the whole word. They are also known as near rhymes or half rhymes.

Source: Author caitlynnl

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