Literary Terms These are terms that are frequently used in Literature to test students knowledge of texts and

ability to manipulate the information in order to respond to appropriately to questions. Compare: Look for similarities and differences, and comment on them. Contrast: Examine one thing against another in order to bring out differences. Criticize: Give your judgment about the merits of theories or opinions or about the reliability of facts, and support your own judgment by stating and discussing the evidence. Describe: Give a detailed or graphic account. Discuss: Investigate or examine by argument; sift and debate giving reasons for and against. Most discussions have an analysis phase where the problem is examined in sections and a solution phase, where conclusions are reached. Explain: Make plain, clarify, interpret, and account for by giving evidence. Illustrate: Make clear by the use of concrete examples from the text. Interpret: Explain with reasons the meaning of, make clear and explicit, usually giving your own judgment also.
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 Justify: Show adequate grounds for decisions or conclusions made. Outline: Give the features or general principles or a subject, omitting minor details and emphasizing structure and arrangement (eg. steps, procedure or causes). Relate: a) Narrate, tell the story. b) Show how things are connected to each other and to what extent they are alike or affect each other and how events develop and are linked. Review: Make a survey of, examine the subject critically. State: Present in brief, clear form Summarize: Give a concise account of a matter, omitting examples and details. Trace: Follow the development or history of a topic from some point of origin.

CXC English B Study Guide and Exercises

LAL 2006 RW, DC, MW, KS, CB