1.
antagonist
someone who offers opposition
2.
protagonist
the principal character in a work of fiction
3.
epilogue
a short speech by an actor at the end of a play
4.
legacy
a gift of personal property by will
5.
lore
knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
6.
time
the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past
7.
environment
the totality of surrounding conditions
8.
interview
the questioning of a person, often conducted by journalists
9.
plot
the series of events that give the story meaning
10.
etymology
a history of a word
11.
alibi
proof that someone accused of a crime could not have done it
12.
deductive reasoning
reasoning from the general to the particular
13.
evidence
knowledge on which to base belief
14.
inductive reasoning
reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
15.
inference
a conclusion you can draw based on known evidence
16.
investigator
someone who inquires carefully
17.
mystery
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
18.
problem solving
the thought processes involved in solving a problem
19.
red herring
something intended to distract attention from the main issue
20.
sleuth
a detective who follows a trail
21.
suspect
regard as untrustworthy
22.
victim
an unfortunate person who suffers from adverse circumstances
23.
witness
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
24.
idiom
expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from its words
25.
fly in the face of
go against
26.
fly off the handle
get very angry and fly into a rage
27.
flying colors
complete success
28.
imagery
the ability to form mental pictures of things or events
29.
meter
a basic unit of length (approximately 1.094 yards)
30.
metaphor
a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
31.
simile
a figure of speech expressing a resemblance between things
32.
alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each word
33.
onomatopoeia
using words that imitate the sound they denote
34.
memoir
an account of the author's personal experiences
35.
personification
attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas
36.
realism
the attribute of accepting the facts of life