NJSLA Analyzing Literary Texts 3

Question 1

A poem about a thunderstorm describes the clouds as 'angry giants hurling lightning spears.' Which literary device is used?

Accepted Answer

Personification

Answer

Personification attributes human qualities or actions to non-human things, like calling clouds 'angry giants.'

Question 2

A student reads a passage where the author describes the same event from two different characters' perspectives in alternating chapters. What is the PRIMARY effect of this structural choice?

Accepted Answer

It reveals how the same event can be interpreted differently based on individual experience

Answer

Alternating perspectives highlights how personal background and bias shape each character's interpretation of events.

Question 3

In a novel, a minor character who appears only briefly but triggers the main character's quest for identity is best described as a:

Accepted Answer

Catalyst

Answer

A catalyst character sparks action or change in the protagonist without necessarily undergoing change themselves.

Question 4

The following lines appear in a poem: 'The wind whispered warnings / Through willow and weep.' Which device is most prominent?

Accepted Answer

Alliteration

Answer

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words, as with the 'w' sounds here.

Question 5

An author ends a chapter with the sentence: 'She tucked the old letter under her pillow and promised herself she would never read it.' How does this sentence most likely function?

Accepted Answer

It creates foreshadowing by hinting at future tension involving the letter

Answer

Foreshadowing plants hints early in the text about events or revelations that will occur later in the story.

NJSLA Exam Practice Test

NJSLA Exam Practice Test

NJSLA Analyzing Literary Texts 3