Review Questions
Vocabulary Quiz 1
capers – plays carelessly
deity – divine or powerful status
descant – comment upon
dreadful – inspiring fear and awe
hearkens – follows or pursues emotionally
knave – rascal or traitor
lascivious – dealing with fleshly and sexual pleasures
lour’d – lowered
partake – take hold of, participate or share in, enjoy
rudely – unattractively
suppliant – one making a request
visaged – referring to facial expression
congeal’d – scabbed over, as with dried blood
corse – corpse
halberd – body armor
Vocabulary Quiz 2
heinous – evil; worthy of condemnation
interr’d – buried
invocate – to call forth
amendment – change, typically for the better
avouch – vouch for; back up; guarantee
begnaw – gnaw, or eat away
marr’d – (marred) ruined beyond recognition
obdurate – hardened against evil
prate – chatter
rancorous – filled with rage
surfeit – excess
upbraidings – chastisements
usurp – take without authority
whet – sharpen
relent – to give in or surrender
Vocabulary Quiz 3
scourge – punishment
vassal – someone in a subordinate social position
countermand – order contradicting a prior order
embassage – diplomatic mission
surmise – guess or estimate
dissemble – deceive
importune – petition
moiety – part or portion
parlous – now, means dangerous; here, means cunning
beseech – beg
bootless – useless
ere – before
strumpet – a woman prostitute
unsatiate – incapable of being satisfied
lineal – in reference to family line
Vocabulary Quiz 4
vehement – loud; emotional
zealous – highly enthusiastic
immured – buried
verge – emblem of office
rash-levied – quickly raised
copious – numerous
cozen’d – robbed or deprived
perpetual – unending
alacrity – swift dexterity
distain – tarnish
lour – lower
valiant – courageous
inter – bury
Terms and Definitions
Characterization - the methods, incidents, speech, etc., an author uses to reveal the people in the book. Characterization is depicted by what the person says, what others say, and by his or her actions.
Flashback - a scene that interrupts the ongoing action in a story to show an event that happened earlier. Example: The movie, Citizen Kane, tells its story almost exclusively through the memories of its characters, who all knew Kane before his death.
Flat or Static character - a one-dimensional character who lacks diversity and complexity; a character who is either all good or all bad and does not change. Because the character behaves in just one way, he or she is easy to comprehend. Example: Sherlock Holmes seems to be calm, deliberative, and in complete charge, regardless of the situation.
Foreshadowing - the use of hints or clues in a story to suggest what action is to come. Foreshadowing is frequently used to create interest and build suspense. Example: Two small and seemingly inconsequential car accidents predict and hint at th upcoming, important wreck in The Great Gatsby.
Irony - a perception of inconsistency, sometimes humorous, in which the significance and understanding of a statement or event is changed by its context. Example: The firehouse burned down.
Metaphor - a comparison of two things that are basically dissimilar in which one is described in terms of the other. Example: The moon, a haunting lantern, shone through the clouds.
Motif - a situation, incident, idea, or image that is repeated significantly in a literary work. Examples: In Hamlet, revenge is a frequently repeated idea. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden continually comments on the phoniness of people he meets.
Narrator - the one who tells the story. The narrator must not be confused with “author,” the one who writes the story. If the narrator is a character in the book, the proper term is “first-person narration.” Example: Moby Dick is narrated by Ishmael, a crewmember. If the narrator is not a character in the book, the correct term is “third-person narration.” Example: Sense and Sensibility.
Plot - the pattern of events in a literary work; what happens.
Simile - a comparison between two different things using either like or as. Examples: I am as hungry as a horse. The huge trees broke like twigs during the hurricane.
Theme - the central or dominant idea behind the story; the most important aspect that emerges from how the book treats its subject. Sometimes theme is easy to see, but, at other times, it may be more difficult. Theme is usually expressed indirectly, as an element the reader must figure out. It is a universal statement about humanity, rather than a simple statement dealing with plot or characters in the story. Themes are generally hinted at through different methods: a phrase or quotation that introduces the novel, a recurring element in the book, or an observation made that is reinforced through plot, dialogue, or characters. It must be emphasized that not all works of literature have themes in them. Example: In a story about a man who is diagnosed with cancer and, through medicine and will-power, returns to his former occupation, the theme might be: “Real courage is demonstrated through internal bravery and perseverance.” In a poem about a flower that grows, blooms, and dies, the theme might be: “Youth fades, and death comes to all.”
Tragic flaw - the main defect of the protagonist in a tragedy. Example: Hamlet’s failure to act causes his death.
Tragic hero - the main character in a tragedy; in order to fit the definition, the hero must have a tragic flaw, which causes his or her downfall. Examples: Hamlet’s main character weakness is his indecision; Lear’s is his pride.