Which term describes referring forwards to a portion of a text that has not yet been mentioned?

Which term describes referring forwards to a portion of a text that has not yet been mentioned?

• A. Cataphoric reference
• B. Exophoric reference
• C. Endophoric reference
• D. Elision

Answer: (A)

Cataphoric reference is a forward-looking reference inside the text: the referent is pointed to by something that will be named later. For example, in “Before she spoke, Sarah checked her notes,” the pronoun she points ahead to Sarah, who is mentioned after it. This forward linking is the hallmark of cataphora. In contrast, endophoric references refer to something within the text generally, with anaphora specifically referring back to something already mentioned, exophora pointing to something in the real world or broader context outside the text, and elision meaning omission of a word. So the term that describes referring forwards to a portion of a text that has not yet been mentioned is cataphoric reference.

Cataphoric reference is a forward-looking reference inside the text: the referent is pointed to by something that will be named later. For example, in “Before she spoke, Sarah checked her notes,” the pronoun she points ahead to Sarah, who is mentioned after it. This forward linking is the hallmark of cataphora. In contrast, endophoric references refer to something within the text generally, with anaphora specifically referring back to something already mentioned, exophora pointing to something in the real world or broader context outside the text, and elision meaning omission of a word. So the term that describes referring forwards to a portion of a text that has not yet been mentioned is cataphoric reference.