What is the term for a hint about what will happen later in a text?

What is the term for a hint about what will happen later in a text?

• A. Foreshadowing
• B. Flashback
• C. Irony
• D. Alliteration

Answer: (A)

Foreshadowing is a hint or clue about what will happen later in a story. It helps prepare readers for upcoming events and builds anticipation by planting subtle details, symbols, or mood that pay off as the plot unfolds. This makes the future developments feel, in hindsight, earned and connected to what came before. It’s different from a flashback, which revisits past events; from irony, which involves a twist between expectation and reality; and from alliteration, which is simply a stylistic repetition of sounds. So, the term for a hint about what will happen later is foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing is a hint or clue about what will happen later in a story. It helps prepare readers for upcoming events and builds anticipation by planting subtle details, symbols, or mood that pay off as the plot unfolds. This makes the future developments feel, in hindsight, earned and connected to what came before. It’s different from a flashback, which revisits past events; from irony, which involves a twist between expectation and reality; and from alliteration, which is simply a stylistic repetition of sounds. So, the term for a hint about what will happen later is foreshadowing.