Literary Terms with Examples QUIZ

Which of the following are examples of personification?

• The sun peaked through the trees in the early morning hours

• I could've heard a pin drop when I walked into the cathedral.

• The beach was so beautiful on our last night, my mother almost cried.

• The two birds chatted with each other as they built their new nests.

Which of the following is an example of a metaphor?

• Jim moved like a sloth around the classroom

• Bill was a snail as he made his way home from work.

• Tom moved so slowly, I almost fell asleep watching him.

• Will flew around the room as he cleaned and tidied.

Which of the following is an example of a simile?

• Wendy is a tower of strength when it comes to helping her friends.

• Jaclyn watched her brother like hawk to make sure he finished homework.

• Peg said goodbye with a bittersweet smile as her family dropped her off.

• Jenny died laughing at the outfit her dad wore to Church last Sunday.

Which of the following is an example of a hyperbole?

• Mary was so sad her favorite show was canceled, she could've drowned in her own years.

• Jenny was so excited for the last class of the day to be over, she was bouncing off the walls.

• Jack was so furious his brother stole he headphones, he thought his head would explode

• They're all examples of hyperbole.

Which is an example of mood?

• The author wrote a scary ghost story about a haunted house.

• The student didn't like reading because he thought books were boring.

• I got goosebumps on my neck when I read the chapter about the Holocaust survivors.

• They were angry they had to read a chapter for homework last night!

Which of the following is not a popular symbol for luck?

• A four leaf clover

• A horse-shoe

• A rabbit's foot

• A flat tire

Which of the following is an example of simile?

• A tension of opposites, a pull of a rubber band

• Love is like a wrestling match

• Love is a wrestling match

• She sells sea shells by the seashore.

Irony is defined as a literary device in which words are used to express a contradiction between appearance and reality. What are the three types of irony?

• Dramatic

• Socratic

• Situational

• Hyperbolic

• Verbal

An allusion is defined as an indirect reference to some piece of common knowledge (usually literary or historical). Think of it as an easter egg for the audience. Which of the following is an example of an allusion? Hint: more than one may be correct.

• My friend is getting an A++ in physics right now. He's a regular Einstein!

• My friend Edgar is like a volcano. He's always ready to burst out in anger.

• Ever since Mark and Sally started dating, they've been way too much like Romeo and Juliet.

• Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death.

What is it called when an author/playwright hints at what will happen later? E.g., the open chorus telling us Romeo and Juliet die?

• Pun

• Hyperbole

• Foreshadowing

• Oxymoron

• Allusion