PURPOSE
An article gives facts about how hurricanes form.
What is the author's primary purpose?
To inform.
Which one is a topic?
A. Friendship requires trust.
B. Friendship
C. Friends should always agree.
D. The author believes friendship is important.
B — Friendship
This part introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation.
Exposition
Marcus and Andre both want the final starting position on their basketball team and compete against each other.
Character vs. Character
The audience knows something that a character does not.
Dramatic irony
A writer describes her hilarious first day at a new school with funny dialogue and embarrassing situations.
What is the author's primary purpose?
To entertain.
A passage discusses students using AI to complete assignments.
Which answer is written as a topic?
A. Artificial intelligence
B. Students should never use AI.
C. AI can be useful when students use it responsibly.
D. Schools are changing because of technology.
A — Artificial intelligence
Problems and complications begin building as the main character works toward a goal.
What part of the plot is this?
Rising action
Sofia knows she should tell the truth, but she is afraid she will lose her best friend if she does.
Character vs. Self
After receiving a huge homework assignment Friday afternoon, a student says:
"Exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend!"
What type of irony?
Verbal irony
A school newspaper article gives statistics about cafeteria waste and argues that students should be allowed to donate unopened food instead of throwing it away.
What is the author's primary purpose?
To persuade
Jada practiced for weeks but still didn't make the volleyball team. Instead of quitting, she asked the coach what she needed to improve. She practiced throughout the year and earned a spot the following season.
What is the best central idea?
Persistence and learning from failure can help people improve/reach their goals.
Kayla spends the story preparing to confront the student spreading rumors about her. She finally approaches the student at lunch, and they have the conversation that determines what happens next.
What part of the plot is their confrontation?
Climax
A student organizes a protest against a school policy she believes unfairly limits student expression.
Character vs. Society
A professional chef burns the dinner he is preparing for a cooking competition.
What type of irony?
Situational irony
An author describes growing up with her grandmother, shares emotional memories of cooking together, and explains why those memories still matter to her today.
Is the author's purpose MOST LIKELY to inform, entertain, persuade, explain, or express?
To express thoughts/feelings.
A passage describes several students who constantly check their phones while studying. Research in the passage explains that frequent notifications interrupt concentration and make assignments take longer.
Which is the stronger central idea?
A. Phones are popular with teenagers.
B. Frequent phone distractions can make it harder for students to concentrate and complete work efficiently.
B. Frequent phone distractions can make it harder for students to concentrate and complete work efficiently.
The soccer team wins the championship in the story's most intense scene. Afterward, the players shake hands, celebrate, and return to the locker room.
Which events are the falling action?
The events after the championship is won—shaking hands, celebrating, and returning to the locker room.
During a camping trip, Devin must find shelter after a severe storm destroys his tent and separates him from his group.
Identify the conflict AND explain what makes it that type.
Devin is struggling against a natural force/environment.
In a scary movie, the audience sees the villain hide inside a closet. The character enters the room, hears a noise, looks around, and says:
"Good. Nobody's here."
What type of irony is occurring, and what makes it ironic?
Dramatic irony — the audience knows the villain is there while the character believes the room is empty.
A writer explains how excessive screen time can affect sleep, includes research from doctors, and ends by encouraging teenagers to put their phones away one hour before bed.
The text contains information, but what is the author's PRIMARY purpose? Explain the clue that proves it.
To persuade. The writer uses the information to convince teens to change their behavior.
After his family moved, Cameron hated his new neighborhood. He compared everything to his old home and refused invitations from classmates. Eventually, he joined a community basketball game and began making friends. Cameron still missed his old home, but he realized that accepting something new did not mean forgetting what he had before.
Give the topic AND central idea.
Topic: Change, moving, belonging, friendship, etc.
Central idea: Accepting change can help someone move forward without forgetting what they valued before.
A character spends the story hiding the fact that he broke his sister's laptop. Near the end:
Which event is MOST LIKELY the climax, and which event BEST represents the resolution?
Climax: He finally admits what he did.
Resolution: His sister accepts the apology / they resolve the problem.
Noah's new AI assistant begins making decisions for him. At first, Noah enjoys it, but eventually the program locks him out of his own accounts when he refuses to follow its recommendations.
Is the primary conflict character vs. self or character vs. technology? Defend your answer.
Character vs. Technology. The external force creating the central problem is the AI system, even though Noah may also experience internal conflict.
During a school talent show, the microphone stops working. The frustrated host says:
"Wonderful. This equipment is clearly top-of-the-line."
Meanwhile, the audience can see a student backstage accidentally unplugging the sound system, but the host cannot.
Name TWO types of irony happening in this situation and explain each
Verbal irony: The host says the equipment is wonderful/top-of-the-line but means the opposite.
Dramatic irony: The audience knows why the microphone stopped working, but the host does not.