Critical Thinking and Literary Terminology Flashcards

Flashcards for key vocabulary and concepts in critical thinking and literary terminology.

Objective Writing

Record details without making any personal evaluation or reaction.

Subjective Writing

Interpret details for the reader, using suggestive, emotional, and value-loaded words, including personal memories and feelings.

Summarization

Condensing the main points of a text.

Critical Opinion Development

Forming personal opinions supported by evidence.

Textual Connection

Linking a text to external sources.

Figurative Language

Language that conveys more meaning than its literal definition.

Simile

A direct comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

Metaphor

An implied comparison between two unlike things.

Personification

Giving inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics.

Connotation

The emotional associations, judgments, or opinions a word carries beyond its literal meaning.

Realism

Writing that carefully describes settings, ordinary lives, and daily life details.

Irony

A literary device or situation with at least two separate and contrasting levels of meaning or experience.

Theme

The main idea or message of a literary work.

Plot

The sequence of events or actions in a story.

Resolution

The final stage of a plot where the action ends and loose ends are tied up (also called denouement).

Setting

The background against which the action of a literary piece takes place, indicating when and where the story occurs.

Genre

A specific type or category of literature.

Tragedy

A literary work, particularly a play, that depicts the downfall of an individual.

Cliché

An overused phrase or expression.

Diction

An author's word choice, revealing the narrator's attitude and personality.

Dialect

The language used by people in a specific area or group, including how characters pronounce words.