Understanding Literary Terms by Intension

The question asks us to arrange the given literary terms based on their intension, in increasing order. Intension refers to the set of properties or characteristics that define a concept. An increase in intension means moving from a concept with fewer defining characteristics (more general) to a concept with more defining characteristics (more specific).

Let's analyze the intension of each term:

• D. Literary Work: This is the broadest category. It encompasses all forms of written artistic expression, including novels, poems, plays, essays, and prose. It has the least specific set of defining characteristics.
• A. Prose: This is a specific form of literary work characterized by its natural flow of speech and grammatical structure, as opposed to poetry or drama. It narrows down the scope from 'Literary Work' and thus has greater intension.
• B. Story: This term refers to a narrative, an account of events, real or imaginary. While often written in prose, a story is a specific type of content. It has more defining characteristics than just 'Prose' in general (it must convey a sequence of events).
• C. Short Story: This is a very specific type of story, typically brief and focused on a single plot, a limited number of characters, and a specific setting. It has the most defining characteristics among the given options and therefore the highest intension.

Ordering by Increasing Intension

Based on the analysis, the order from the least specific (lowest intension) to the most specific (highest intension) is:

1. Literary Work (D) - Broadest category.
2. Prose (A) - A specific form within literary works.
3. Story (B) - A narrative structure, often within prose.
4. Short Story (C) - A specific type of story defined by brevity.

Therefore, the correct order of increasing intension is D, A, B, C.

Final Answer Check

Comparing our derived order with the options provided:

The order D, A, B, C aligns with the concept of increasing intension, moving from the general category of 'Literary Work' to the more specific category of 'Short Story'.