Literary Terms: Characters, Plot, and Point of View

Vocabulary flashcards defining key literary devices, character types, plot elements, and narrative points of view.

Sympathetic character

A character the reader feels sorry for or understands.

Unsympathetic character

A character the reader dislikes or does not feel sorry for.

Antagonist

The character or force that opposes the protagonist.

Archetype

A common character type or pattern found in many stories.

Dynamic character

A character who changes significantly throughout the story.

Flat character

A character with only one or two main traits and little complexity.

Foil

A character whose differences highlight another character's qualities.

Protagonist

The main character of a story.

Round character

A complex character with many traits, feelings, and qualities.

Static character

A character who stays basically the same throughout the story.

Climax

Plot's moment of highest emotional intensity.

Crisis

Major turning point that affects the outcome.

Denouement

Last element of plot where complications are settled.

Exposition

Introduces setting, characters, and situation.

Falling action

Events that unfold after the crisis and lead to conclusion.

First-person POV

Narrator is a character and refers to himself as "I".

Inciting incident

Event that sets the conflict in motion.

Limited-omniscient POV

Narrator gets inside only one character's thoughts.

Omniscient POV

Third-person narrator who knows everything.

Rising action

Events that lead up to the crisis.

In medias res

Beginning in the middle of the action.

Situational irony

A type of irony where the outcome is different from what the characters expect.

Myth

A traditional story that explains the origin of the world, nature, and human life.

Beast fable

A fable in which animals are the main characters.

Plot

A series of events that moves toward a specific point.

Short story

A short prose composition that tells a fictional story.

Essay

A short prose composition that discusses topics and expresses the writer's thoughts.

Nostalgic

Remembering the past fondly.

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which is NOT one of the three traditional genres?

• Answer: Epic

• The three traditional genres are prose, poetry, and drama.

2. What are two purposes of literary genres?

• Answers:

  • They provide a reference point for readers and writers.

  • They organize previous natural developments in literature.

3. Which is NOT a characteristic of a folktale?

• Answer: Serious in tone

• Folktales are usually short, anonymous, passed down orally, and often entertaining.

4. Which is NOT required in a fairy tale?

• Answer: A practical, positive moral

• Fairy tales usually contain fantasy, an indefinite setting, and a broad picture of good and evil.

5. What is mythology?

• Answer: A culture's explanation of how the world came to be as it is.

6. Which are two major conventions of an epic?

• Answers:

  • Beginning in medias res

  • Including descriptive catalogues

• In medias res means beginning in the middle of the action.

7. What is the moral of "The Ant and the Grasshopper"?

• Answer: You should prepare for future events.

8. What type of irony does "The Lion-Makers" use?

• Answer: Situational irony

• The outcome is different from what the characters expect.

9. Which two genres does "The Tortoise and the Osprey" combine?

• Answers: Fable and Myth

10. Who is a foil to Tortoise?

• Answer: Tortoise's wife

• A foil is a character who contrasts with another character.

11. What is the poor but kind younger brother in "The Pumpkin Seeds"?

• Answer: An archetype

• An archetype is a typical character or pattern found in literature.

12. What does Zeus add to Pandora's basket to mitigate his revenge?

- Answer: Hope

13. Which idea does Hector NOT express in his conversation with Andromache?

- Answer: He believes that Troy will win the war.

14. Which two statements are true of Andromache?

- Answers:

• She has no family but Hector and her son.

• She does not want to submit to fate.

15. What frightens Astyanax?

- Answer: Hector's helmet

Part 2: Short Answer

16. Besides entertainment, what is the general purpose of folktales and epics within a culture's folklore?

- They provide a reference point for readers and writers.

17. What is a myth?

- A traditional story that explains the origin of the world, nature, and human life.

18. List two conventions of traditional epics.

• Beginning in medias res.

• Including descriptive catalogues.

19. Identify and define the particular type of fable in "The Ant and the Grasshopper."

- Beast fable: Animals are the main characters.

20. What happens because of Tortoise's plan in "The Tortoise and the Osprey," and what lesson does he learn?

- His shell cracks or breaks. He learns to be content with who he is.

21. What genre does "The Pumpkin Seeds" belong to? Give two supports.

• Fairy tale.

• It contains fantastical elements and an indefinite setting.

22. List two things the myth of Pandora attempts to explain.

• The origin of women.

• Why bad things happen to good people.

23. What does it mean for a character to be sympathetic or unsympathetic?

• Sympathetic: You feel sorry for the character.

• Unsympathetic: You do not feel sorry for the character.

24. List two folktales and their countries or cultures of origin.

• "The Lion-Makers" — Indian folktale.

• "The Pumpkin Seeds" — Korean folktale.

25. According to legend, what incident started the Trojan War?

- Paris took Helen and brought her to Troy.

Vocabulary	Definition
Sympathetic character	A character the reader feels sorry for or understands.
Unsympathetic character	A character the reader dislikes or does not feel sorry for.
Antagonist	The character or force that opposes the protagonist.
Archetype	A common character type or pattern found in many stories.
Dynamic character	A character who changes significantly throughout the story.
Flat character	A character with only one or two main traits and little complexity.
Foil	A character whose differences highlight another character's qualities.
Protagonist	The main character of a story.
Round character	A complex character with many traits, feelings, and qualities.
Static character	A character who stays basically the same throughout the story.

Quick Memory Tricks
UNIT 6 — ESSAY AND SHORT STORYPart 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which is NOT a characteristic of an essay?

• Answer: It demands precision in form and content.

• Essays are short prose compositions that discuss topics and express the writer's thoughts.

2. Informal and formal essays differ in all BUT which area?

• Answer: Subject

• They can discuss the same subject but differ in voice, structure, and tone.

3. Which is NOT a strength of short stories compared to novels?

• Answer: They are easier to write well.

4. What two types of irony are found in Benchley's "How to Get Things Done"?

• Answers: Verbal irony and situational irony

5. What point of view is "A Miserable Merry Christmas" written in?

• Answer: First-person point of view

6. Which two elements appear in Steffens's "A Miserable Merry Christmas"?

• Answers: Foreshadowing and situational irony

7. What is the tone of Engle's "An Old-Fashioned Iowa Christmas"?

• Answer: Nostalgic

• Nostalgic means remembering the past fondly.

8. "Why the Leaves Turn Color in the Fall" contains all BUT which literary device?

• Answer: Irony

9. What type of essay is Ackerman's "Why the Leaves Turn Color in the Fall"?

• Answer: Formal, scientific

10. When does the climax of "A Miserable Merry Christmas" occur?

• Answer: Lennie's pony is delivered to the house.

11. What does Blanche's name indicate in "The Sire de Maletroit's Door"?

• Answer: Purity or goodness

12. What does Stevenson's story primarily present a nineteenth-century Romantic view of?

• Answer: Love

13. What device does Doyle use to explain Helen Stoner's reasons for meeting Holmes?

• Answer: Flashback

14. Where does the crisis of Doyle's story occur?

• Answer: Holmes's fight with the snake

15. In "A Visit of Charity," Welty describes Addie as what?

• Answer: A lamb

16. What possession is especially prized by Jonathan in "Civil Peace"?

• Answer: A bicycle

17. What statement does Jonathan repeat in the face of obstacles?

• Answer: "Nothing puzzles God."

18. What technique does Achebe use to add realism to his characters?

• Answer: Dialect

Part 2: Short Answer

16. In literary terms, what is a short story?

- A short prose composition that tells a fictional story.

17. Name two ways Benchley's "How to Get Things Done" qualifies as an informal essay.

- It is humorous and uses a light tone.

18. In "An Old-Fashioned Iowa Christmas," Engle uses parallel sentences to list four areas of comparison. List two.

- Departure and arrival.

19. Define plot.

- A series of events that moves toward a specific point.

20. What point of view does Doyle use in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"? How does it help?

- First-person point of view through Watson. It helps create suspense because readers only know what Watson knows.

21. Explain how the title "A Visit of Charity" exemplifies irony.

- It seems like Marian is doing a charitable act, but she is really visiting to earn points for her activity.

22. What symbol appears at the end of Welty's story? What does it mean?

- The apple symbolizes selfishness and temptation, similar to Adam and Eve.

23. What are the source and significance of the title "Civil Peace"?

- The source is the Nigerian Civil War. The title is significant because the country is supposedly at peace, but life is still difficult and dangerous.

24. What is the theme of "Civil Peace"?

- Some attitudes and qualities can help people overcome tragedy.

25. According to legend, what incident started the Trojan War?

- Paris taking Helen and bringing her to Troy.

Part 3: Matching — Plot and Point of View

Memorize these definitions:

Term	Definition
A. Climax	Plot's moment of highest emotional intensity
B. Crisis	Major turning point that affects the outcome
C. Denouement	Last element of plot where complications are settled
D. Exposition	Introduces setting, characters, and situation
E. Falling action	Events that unfold after the crisis and lead to conclusion
F. First-person POV	Narrator is a character and refers to himself as "I"
G. Inciting incident	Event that sets the conflict in motion
H. Limited-omniscient POV	Narrator gets inside only one character's thoughts
I. Omniscient POV	Third-person narrator who knows everything
J. Rising action	Events that lead up to the crisis

Part 4: True or False

37. Generally speaking, essays are nonfictional. — True

38. Short stories contain the same basic elements as novels. — True

39. "How to Get Things Done" is written from the limited-omniscient point of view. — False

40. The title "A Miserable Merry Christmas" is an example of a pun. — False

41. Engle's "An Old-Fashioned Iowa Christmas" emphasizes imagery to convey its message. — True

42. All of the main characters in "The Sire de Maletroit's Door" are sympathetic. — False

43. In "A Visit of Charity," Marian's coat is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. — True