In literary criticism, a casual reference to a figure or an event is regarded as a/an_______

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the term used when a writer makes a brief, casual reference to a person, figure, or event (real, historical, mythical, or biblical) without explaining it in detail.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things or ideas. Example: "The wind whispered through the trees."
• Metonymy: replacing a thing's name with something closely associated with it. Example: "The crown" for the monarchy, or "the pen is mightier than the sword."
• Metaphor: a direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as." Example: "Time is a thief."
• Allusion: an indirect or passing reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of literature, the Bible, history, or mythology. The writer expects the reader to recognise it without further explanation. Example: calling a wise judge "a Solomon," or saying "he met his Waterloo."

Step 3: Apply to the question The key phrase is "a casual reference to a figure or an event." That is the definition of an allusion. Personification, metonymy, and metaphor are all figures of speech that deal with comparison or substitution, not with referring to outside figures or events.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is D. allusion.

Exam tip: Link the words, because "allusion" sounds like "alluding to" something, which means hinting at it. When you see "reference to a person, event, or text," think allusion. Don't confuse it with "illusion," which means a false appearance.