Which word describes a story or picture that reveals a hidden meaning, typically moral or political?

Which word describes a story or picture that reveals a hidden meaning, typically moral or political?

• A. Parable
• B. Sage
• C. Conundrum
• D. Allegory

Answer: (D)

Allegory is a narrative technique that reveals a hidden meaning by using symbolic characters, settings, and events to represent larger ideas, often with moral or political implications. The surface story is a vehicle for a deeper message, so readers or viewers interpret what the symbols stand for beyond what’s directly shown. That fits the description of a story or picture that carries a hidden meaning, typically moral or political. For example, a work might use animals and events on a farm to critique real-world power dynamics, without stating the critique outright. A parable also conveys a lesson, but its moral is usually explicit and the tale is often shorter and more straightforward. A conundrum is a puzzle to solve, not a narrative conveying a deeper political or moral message. A sage refers to a wise person, not a storytelling device.

Allegory is a narrative technique that reveals a hidden meaning by using symbolic characters, settings, and events to represent larger ideas, often with moral or political implications. The surface story is a vehicle for a deeper message, so readers or viewers interpret what the symbols stand for beyond what’s directly shown. That fits the description of a story or picture that carries a hidden meaning, typically moral or political. For example, a work might use animals and events on a farm to critique real-world power dynamics, without stating the critique outright. A parable also conveys a lesson, but its moral is usually explicit and the tale is often shorter and more straightforward. A conundrum is a puzzle to solve, not a narrative conveying a deeper political or moral message. A sage refers to a wise person, not a storytelling device.