Name___________________________________________________
Literary Term Quiz Review Sheet
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Literary Terms:
idiom
hyperbole
metaphor
Block____________
simile paradox
oxymoron
Date______________
allusion
Part 1: Match the literary terms with their definitions.
1. _________ a direct comparison that does use like or as.
2. _________ a reference to a famous book, movie, person, event, or idea in order to build background knowledge for the reader.
3. _________ an extreme exaggeration.
4. _________ two contrasting or opposite words placed side by side for effect.
5. _________ a commonly used phrase or expression whose meaning does not match the definitions of the actual words.
6. _________ a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth
7. _________ a direct comparison that does not use like or as.
Part 2: Commonly used literary terms. Identify the literary term used in the examples below.
8. _____________________ It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
9. _____________________ Nobody goes to that restaurant; it's too crowded.
10. _____________________ I tried a thousand times.
11. _____________________ The baby is as cute as a button.
12. _____________________ Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except the
bare necessities'.
Part 3: Find the literary term in the passage below. Identify it. Explain what it means and then explain the effect of it. There may be more than
one literary term that applies to each passage.
Passage
Literary Term(s)
Meaning
Effect
Mom glares, looking genuinely stunned.
Allusion & Metaphor
Using an allusion and metaphor, Carver is
compared to two boxes of cereal: Cream of
Wheat and Grape Nuts.
This is the point at which Moby develops more respect
for Carver, his mom’s boyfriend. All this time, Moby saw
Carver as boring and flat like a box of Cream of Wheat.
Instead, he was like a box of Grape Nuts because he
effectively tricked Moby’s mom into dating him by
getting rid of her previous boyfriend. The Grape Nuts
reference alludes to the fact that Moby finds Carver
“crazy” in a humorous fashion.
“You were ruining my romance
intentionally.” Carver nods again.
All this time I thought he was Cream of
Wheat. No Way. This guy is Grape Nuts.
“Something’s up and you know what it is ,
young Calhoune...”
Then Virgil Byrnes was gone. The staff
didn’t leave Sarah Byrnes and me alone
long enough for any conversation after
that, and I have a feeling she would have
remained a statue (168).
Dale Thornton is still not a guy I want on
my bad side…
Ellerby leans back into his customized
bucket seat as I step out. “What if he kills
you?”
“What if he kills you?”
“If you are sure I’m dead, drive away
(183).