English III Honors Exam

Purpose

The author's reason or intention for writing a particular text.

Intended Audience

The specific group of people a writer anticipates will read their work.

Style

The way a writer expresses their ideas, encompassing choices in word selection, sentence structure, and tone.

Theme

The main idea of a text.

Plain Style

Writing that is simple, direct, and free from fancy language.

Allegory

A narrative form that uses plot, setting, or character to stand for a larger moral lesson or real-world commentary.

Tall Tale

A narrative depicting wild adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes.

Primary Source

Immediate, firsthand information on a topic.

Secondary Source

A source created later by someone who did not directly experience or participate in the events being described.

Symbol

An object, person, place, or idea that represents something else, usually a larger concept.

Foreshadowing

A literary device where an author hints at events that will occur later in the story.

Flashback

A scene that takes the reader back in time from the current point in the story.

Suspense

A literary device that keeps the readers' interest alive throughout the work.

Atmosphere

The feeling or mood created by a writer through descriptive language, setting, and narrative.

Dynamic Character

A character who undergoes significant transformation between the beginning and end of the story.

Static Character

A character that does not change throughout the story.

Round Character

A character with depth or a complex personality.

Flat Character

A two-dimensional character that is uncomplicated and does not change throughout the work.

Protagonist

The main character, often the hero of a story.

Antagonist

A character, force, or idea that opposes the protagonist.

Archetype

A symbol, pattern, plot, or character template that appears in multiple stories across cultures.

Mood

The emotional feeling created for the reader by a work of literature.

Unity of Effect

Determining the desired effect on the reader.

Motif

Any recurring feature or theme in a story.

Historical Context

The social, economic, political, and religious events that influenced the writing of a text.

Setting

The time and place in which a story takes place.

Creation Myth

A supernatural story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity and the universe.

Tone

The attitude a writer takes towards a subject, character, or audience.

3rd Person Omniscient Point of View

A narrative perspective where the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

3rd Person Limited Point of View

A narrative perspective involving the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

First Person Point of View

A narrative perspective where the story is told by one character at a time.

Exposition

An element of literature that introduces key background information of a narrative.

Turning Point

A moment in the plot when a character must make a significant decision.

Climax

The turning point or highest point of tension in a narrative.

Denouement/Resolution

The final part of a narrative where the plot is resolved and the story concludes.

Verbal Irony

A means of portraying humor, where what is said is different from what is meant.

Situational Irony

When the outcome is completely different from what was expected.

Dramatic Irony

A situation where the audience understands more about the events than the characters do.

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces.

Framed Story

A storytelling technique where a main narrative sets the stage for one or more secondary stories.

Colonial Period

The historical period focused on in American literature leading up to the Revolutionary War.

Puritans

A religious group that believed in strict moral behavior and the necessity of education for biblical understanding.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims to create self-government in the colonies.

John Smith

An English explorer who led the Jamestown colony.

Elect

The term used by Puritans for those chosen by God for salvation.

Simple Worship Service

A type of service focused on Bible reading, sermons, and prayers without distractions.

Old Money vs. New Money

A theme explored in literature contrasting established wealth with newly acquired wealth.

Romantic Period

A literary movement emphasizing individualism, emotion, and nature.

Transcendentalist

A believer in the philosophy that highlights individual intuition and the inherent goodness in people and nature.

Gothic Literature

A branch of literature focusing on elements of mystery, horror, and the supernatural.

Naturalism

A literary movement suggesting that people are influenced by forces beyond their control.

Realism

A literary movement focusing on depicting everyday life accurately.

Modern Period

A literary period characterized by disillusionment with traditional values and experimentation with forms and styles.

Jazz Age

The term coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald to describe the 1920s in America.

Sigmund Freud

The father of psychoanalysis, focusing on the unconscious mind.

The Great Gatsby

A novel that explores the decline of the American Dream during the 1920s.

Nick Carraway

The reliable but limited narrator of The Great Gatsby.

Jay Gatsby

The central character in The Great Gatsby who embodies the American Dream.

Myrtle Wilson

Tom's mistress in The Great Gatsby, who desires wealth and status.

Dr. T. J. Eckleburg

A symbol of moral decay represented by a billboard in The Great Gatsby.

Dan Cody

The wealthy mentor of Gatsby, representing the allure of wealth.