Literary Analysis Flashcards
6 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Literary Analysis flashcards as text
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
Answer: A simile uses 'like' or 'as' for comparison; a metaphor states one thing is another
Similes make explicit comparisons using 'like' or 'as' ('brave as a lion'), while metaphors make implicit comparisons ('he is a lion in battle').
What is dramatic irony?
Answer: When the audience knows something that a character does not
Dramatic irony creates tension or humor when the audience possesses knowledge that characters lack, making their words or actions take on additional meaning.
What is an allegory?
Answer: A narrative where characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral concepts
Allegories use narrative elements symbolically to convey deeper meanings, as in Orwell's Animal Farm representing political corruption.
What is the difference between first-person and third-person narration?
Answer: First-person uses 'I/we'; third-person uses 'he/she/they' with varying levels of omniscience
First-person narration is told from a character's perspective using 'I,' while third-person uses 'he/she/they' and may be limited to one character's thoughts or omniscient.
What is a tragic flaw (hamartia)?
Answer: A character deficiency that leads to the protagonist's downfall in a tragedy
Hamartia is the fatal flaw or error in judgment (pride, ambition, jealousy) that causes a tragic hero's downfall, central to Aristotle's theory of tragedy.
What are the primary types of literary conflict?
Answer: Person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, person vs. self
Literary conflicts include external (person vs. person, nature, society, technology) and internal (person vs. self), driving the plot and character development.