GradeMap

Grade 9 · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 10

Literary Elements

Irony, motif, tone and mood

What your child practises

Recognizing devices such as irony, symbolism, motif, allusion and foils in short excerpts, and describing tone and mood.

Saskatchewan Curriculum outcome: CR9.6a, CR9.6b · literary elements in fiction and poetry

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    The fire station burned to the ground on the night of the town's biggest fire-safety fair.

    • Metaphor
    • Situational irony
    • Alliteration
    • Verbal irony
    Show answer

    Situational irony

    Hint: The opposite of what is expected happens: a fire station burns during a fire-safety event.

  2. Question 2

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    “What a lovely day for a picnic,” she muttered, as the storm clouds rolled in.

    • Personification
    • Verbal irony
    • Situational irony
    • Alliteration
    Show answer

    Verbal irony

    Hint: She says the opposite of what she means. That's verbal irony.

  3. Question 3

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    She was a real Cinderella at the dance, rushing off before midnight.

    • Simile
    • Foreshadowing
    • Hyperbole
    • Allusion
    Show answer

    Allusion

    Hint: A reference to a well-known story or character is an allusion.

  4. Question 4

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    The doctor caught the flu the week before the health conference.

    • Motif
    • Situational irony
    • Verbal irony
    • Alliteration
    Show answer

    Situational irony

    Hint: The outcome is the opposite of what you would expect from a doctor.

  5. Question 5

    Which literary device does this excerpt use?

    Throughout the book, a cracked watch appears each time the family argues.

    • Foil
    • Allusion
    • Motif
    • Hyperbole
    Show answer

    Motif

    Hint: A repeated image that supports a theme is a motif.

  6. Question 6

    What is the tone of this sentence?

    The report notes that the experiment was performed on three separate occasions and that the results were consistent.

    • formal and objective
    • playful and silly
    • angry
    • emotional and personal
    Show answer

    formal and objective

    Hint: It reports facts in a neutral, formal way with no personal feelings.

More Grade 9