RLA STAAR Vocabulary

the conclusion or final outcome of a story that in some capacity resolves all problems and conflicts; however, not all stories have clear resolutions

• Resolution

• Protagonist

• Flashback

a stage in the writing process when a text is examined holistically and changes are made to improve the focus, content, organization, sentence structure, and word choice in order to clarify the intended message, create flow, and more successfully engage the audience

• Revising

• Resolution

• Protagonist

the element of plot structure that develops the conflict through a series of events to build interest and/or suspense and leads up to the climax

• Rising action

• Revising

• Resolution

a subtle comparison in which the author describes a person or thing using words that are not meant to be taken literally (e.g., time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations). An extended metaphor is a metaphor in which the comparison is carried through several lines or even the entire literary work.

• Metaphor

• Figurative Language

• Dialogue

the atmosphere or feeling created by the writer in a literary work or passage; mood can be expressed through imagery, word choice, setting, voice, and theme. For example, the mood evoked in Edgar Allan Poe's work is gloomy and dark.

• Mood

• Meter

• Metaphor

the central or universal idea of a literary work that often relates to morals and/or values and speaks to the human experience/ condition

• Theme

• Structural elements

• Stage directions

an author's unique articulation or expression of language created by stylistic elements such as syntax, diction, and figurative language

• Voice

• Theme

• Structural elements

a particular inclination, feeling, or opinion about a subject that is often preconceived or unreasoned

• Bias

• Argumentative text

• Text/print feature

an intentional and extreme exaggeration for emphasis or effect (e.g., this book weighs a ton)

• Hyperbole

• Graphic features

• Faulty reasoning

a technique that an author or speaker uses to influence or persuade an audience

• Rhetorical device

• Preposition

• Logical fallacy