Literary Text Analysis Flashcards

Read this passage: 'The old house creaked and groaned in the wind, its shutters banging like a warning.' What mood does this passage create?

Answer: Ominous and unsettling

Words like 'creaked,' 'groaned,' and 'warning' create a mood of unease and foreboding — the setting feels threatening.

An author writes: 'The sun was a golden coin dropped into the ocean at sunset.' What type of figurative language is this?

Answer: Metaphor

This is a metaphor — it directly equates the sun with 'a golden coin' without using 'like' or 'as.'

In a novel, a character named Hope always helps others, speaks positively, and is described wearing bright colors. The author naming her 'Hope' is an example of:

Answer: Symbolism and characterization through naming (nominative determinism/symbolic name)

When an author gives a character a name that reflects their personality or role, it is a form of symbolism — the name 'Hope' symbolizes the character's optimistic, helpful nature.

Which of the following BEST describes dramatic irony?

Answer: The audience knows something important that the character does not

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or reader knows something that the character does not, creating tension or humor from the difference in knowledge.

A student reads a poem about a soldier leaving for war. The poet uses the imagery of autumn — falling leaves, bare trees, and cold winds. What does this imagery most likely SYMBOLIZE?

Answer: Loss, endings, and the approach of darkness/death

Autumn imagery (falling leaves, bare trees, cold winds) traditionally symbolizes loss, endings, and the approach of winter/death — especially powerful in a poem about war.

An author reveals a character's internal conflict through the character's thoughts rather than through dialogue or action. What technique is this?

Answer: Stream of consciousness or interior monologue

When an author reveals a character's internal conflict through their thoughts, this is interior monologue — a technique showing the character's inner mental experience directly.