Literary Terms—Exam Prep

Read the definitions carefully and find examples in the story of each term.

1) The SETTING is the time and place of a story. What is the time and place of the story?

2) A THEME is the general meaning or message in a piece of writing. Themes can be things like forbidden love, family relationships, growing up/coming of age, finding one’s identity, etc. What do you think the themes are in this story?

3) PLOT is the story line in a piece of writing. What is the general story line or plot of the story? Write a summary of the plot. Use the plot line chart to describe the general story line.

4) SYMBOLS are when one thing (like a heart) stands for something greater or more abstract (like love). Other examples are books symbolizing knowledge or doves symbolizing peace. What are some symbols in this story?

5) The PROTAGONIST is the hero or heroine in the story and the ANTAGONIST is the enemy or the villain. Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist in this story?

6) The TONE of the story is the attitude on the part of a character, narrator or author, usually via word choice and acts as the “voice” of the story. Is the attitude formal, informal, businesslike, explanatory, descriptive, demanding, conversational, sarcastic, witty, or something else?

7) MOOD is the feeling or atmosphere in a story. Is the mood romantic, dark, scary, serious, joyful, light-hearted, mysterious, humorous, or something else?

8) FORESHADOWING is a hint or clue to something that comes later in the story. Usually it is something suspenseful or challenging. Give one example of foreshadowing in the story.

9) DICTION is the style of language or words in the story. Is it formal English or everyday English? Is there slang or use of another language? Is it easy to understand or full of difficult words?

10) The CLIMAX of the story is the highest point of action before the action begins to dip down. What is the climax of the story?

11) The RESOLUTION is the final point of the story where the conflict is resolved or the story is concluded (ended). What happens at the end of the story? Are any problems solved? Does it end happily?