6th GRADE STUDY GUIDE FOR FINAL EXAM
Study these terms in preparation for your final reading exam.
LITERARY TERMS
SETTING – time and place of the action
PLOT – the sequence of events that happen in a literary work
CONFLICT – the problem or struggle within a story
RISING ACTION – events that lead up to the climax
CLIMAX – the high point of interest within a story where the conflict reaches its most intense point
RESOLUTION – how the conflict (or struggle) is resolved
POINT OF VIEW – the way in which the author tells the story. The principle points of view are first person (the narrator is a major or minor character in the story who reports the events) and third person (the narrator is an anonymous person outside the story)
CHARACTERIZATION – the way an author introduces a character; usually through the means of physical appearance, dialogue, thoughts & feelings, actions/reactions, thoughts of other characters
CENTRAL IDEA – what a passage is all about stated in a broad sentence; also called
the “main idea.”
THEME – an idea or a truth about life that a work of literature reveals
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE –the main reason or reasons why an author writes about a particular topic. An author's purpose can be to persuade or convince, inform or entertain the readers.
TONE- the writer’s attitude toward his or her topic. Tone is conveyed by a writer’s word
choice and phrasing and gives added meaning to what is said. Tone can be described
with adjectives such as sincere, passionate, scolding, serious, humorous, etc.
MOOD – the overall feeling a reader gets from reading a piece of literature; can often be described in one or two adjectives, such as dreamy or scary; the setting can greatly affect the mood.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
ANALOGY – a likeness between two things that are not alike in other ways
FLASHBACK – an interruption in the present action of a plot to show events that happened at an earlier time.
FORESHADOWING -- hints or clues about what will happen later in a story
HYPERBOLE -- extreme exaggeration
IMAGERY -- words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses
IRONY -- a contrast between expectation and reality; the opposite of what is expected
METAPHOR -- direct comparison of unlike objects in which one is said to be another
ONOMATOPOEIA -- a word that imitates the sound(s) it represents
PERSONIFICATION -- giving human characteristics to nonhuman things
SIMILE -- comparison of unlike items using like or as
SYMBOL -- a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something beyond itself