Literary Element &
Layers of Meaning
Layers of Meaning
Name that Element:
The story entertains the reader by highlighting a mystery and resolving a conflict, which engages the reader through a compelling, relatable situation.
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
H. Author's purpose
Read this sentence from the story.
“…but found no explanation for the mysterious noise” (paragraph 1)
How does the phrase enhance the mood of the story?
a. It creates confusion by making the reader think nothing is wrong
b. It creates suspense by leaving the reader with unresolved information
c. It creates fear by creating terror at not knowing the source of the noise
d. It creates excitement by indicating to the reader that something fun will happen
b. It creates suspense by leaving the reader with unresolved information
From: “Hercules”
He is the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Alcmene, a mortal woman. Hercules is renowned for his incredible strength and his numerous heroic deeds, known as the "Labors of Hercules." These labors were tasks assigned to him by King Eurystheus as a form of penance for a crime he committed while under the influence of madness.
Name that Genre:
Classical, Mythical or Religious
Mythical
Hercules embodies many of the key elements and characteristics of the mythical genre, including divine lineage, heroic deeds, encounters with supernatural beings, symbolism, and a lasting legacy in cultural storytelling.
A text structure that explains similarities and differences between two or more things
A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
While it can be a time of excitement and possibility, it also brings uncertainties and decisions that will shape the trajectory of one's future.
What does the word trajectory mean as it is used in the sentence?
a. ambition
b. desire
c. path
d. stagnate
c. path
Name that Literary Element:
The protagonist, Melania, is depicted as a responsible individual who is proactive in trying to solve a mystery, and shows understanding when she discovers the source of the noise.
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(B) Characterization
Which literary element in paragraph 2 adds to the tension?
a. setting
b. tone
c. theme
d. plot
d. plot
From: “The Iliad” by Homer
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
Name that Genre:
Classical, Mythical or Religious
Classical
Homer's "The Iliad" is a model example of the classical genre, characterized by its grand scale, heroic themes, and elevated language.
A text structure that presents a problem or series of problems with suggestions on how to solve them
A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
The prevalence of smartphones in modern society is undeniable, with these devices becoming ever-present in both personal and professional spheres.
Keeping in mind that the affix pre- means “before” and the root val comes from the Latin word valere meaning “strong,” use context clues and apply knowledge of etymology to determine the meaning of the word prevalence as it is used in the sentence.
a. advantageous
b. appropriate
c. persuasiveness
d. protection
c. persuasiveness
Name that Literary Element:
The story is written in the third-person limited point of view, focusing primarily on Melaina's perspective. The reader gains insight into her thoughts, feelings, and actions as she experiences the events of the story.
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(D) Point of View
How does the author’s characterization of Melaina and Tom add to the tone of the story?
a. Tom’s sheepish behavior when he is caught helps create a tone of shyness
b. Melania’s intervention of Tom as he steals the vegetables helps create a tone of condemnation
c. Melaina’s understanding of Tom’s behavior helps create a tone of forgiveness
d. Tom’s inability to ask permission before taking the vegetables helps create a tone of
distrust
c. Melaina’s understanding of Tom’s behavior helps create a tone of forgiveness
Psalm 102:1–4, King James Version
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
Name that Genre:
Classical, Mythical or Religious
Religious
Psalm 102 exemplifies the religious genre through its expression of faith
A text structure that explains how or why something happened
A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(A) cause and effect text structure
At the crime scene, investigators carefully collected evidence, like irrefutable puzzle pieces, that told the story of what happened.
The Greek root word for irrefutable is "refutare," which means "to prove wrong" or "to refute."The prefix ir- means “not.” The suffix -able makes the word an adjective. Based on this information, which word best describes the meaning of the word irrefutable?
a. undeniable
b. unimaginable
c. unpredictable
d. unreliable
a. undeniable
Name that Literary Element:
The story takes place in and around Mealaina’s house and garden spanning over two nights which creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for the main character
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(C) Setting
What is the mood of paragraph 3?
a. suspenseful
b. joyous
c. energetic
d. somber
a. suspenseful
From The ‘Fault in Our Stars ‘ by John Green
I looked over at Augustus Waters, who looked back at me. You could almost see through his eyes they were so blue. “There will come a time,” I said, “when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this”—I gestured encompassingly—”will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.”
1. What key phrase appears in both texts?
a. the fault in our stars
b. masters of their fates
a. the fault in our stars
A text structure that details a subject’s characteristics
A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(D) description text structure
“It was a hot afternoon, and the railway carriage was correspondingly sultry, and the next stop was at Templecombe, nearly an hour ahead.”
Using Context clues, what is the meaning of sultry?
(a) an aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat
(b) smacking the cushions
(c) a housefly that refuses to be discouraged
(d) hot afternoon
(d) hot afternoon
Name that Literary Element:
The overall atmosphere of this story has a feeling of mystery, intrigue yet understanding.
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(G) Mood
What evidence from the paragraph adds to the mood?
a. “Melaina knew she had not imagined the mystery sound”
b. “The next night, the same sound happened”
c. “saw a figure . . . carrying a mesh bag and a small trowel”
d. “It was Tom from her math class at school”
c. “saw a figure . . . carrying a mesh bag and a small trowel”
A part of the text that is not the main body of the text, such as the table of contents, a header, or a visual element (such as a picture, a map, a chart, or a diagram)
(A) graphic feature
(B) print feature
(C) informational text
(D) text feature
(D) text feature
A text structure that presents steps in a process
(A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(F) sequence text structure
“An aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat, and the further corner seat on the opposite side was occupied by a bachelor who was a stranger to their party, but the small girls and the small boy emphatically occupied the compartment.”
Using Context clues, what is the meaning of party?
(a) an aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat
(b) smacking the cushions
(c) a housefly that refuses to be discouraged
(d) hot afternoon
(a) an aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat
Name that Literary Element:
The story revolves around a young girl’s discovery of a mysterious noise in her garden that she only hears at night; her subsequent investigation leads to a shocking discovery
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(A) Plot
Read this sentence from the story.
“It was a low rustling followed by what sounded like scraping a fork across a floor.” (paragraph 1)
Which word could replace “rustling” in this sentence without changing the overall meaning of the sentence?
a. annoying
b. exasperating
c. swishing
d. vying
c. swishing
A visual element such as a photograph, a drawing, a map, a chart, a graph, or a diagram
(A) graphic feature
(B) print feature
(C) informational text
(D) text feature
(A) graphic feature
A text structure that presents facts, events, or details in the order in which they occurred in time
(A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(B) chronological text structure
“Both the aunt and the children were conversational in a limited, persistent way, reminding one of the attentions of a housefly that refuses to be discouraged.”
Using Context clues, what is the meaning of persistent?
(a) an aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat
(b) smacking the cushions
(c) a housefly that refuses to be discouraged
(d) hot afternoon
(c) a housefly that refuses to be discouraged
Name that Literary Element:
The moral of this story focuses on resourcefulness, understanding, and friendship
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(E) Theme
The prefix com- means “with or together.” The root -pel is spelled similarly to other words like expel, which means “to drive out” or repel, which means “to drive back.”
Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word compelled as it is used in the sentence above?
a. forced to act fast
b. forced to go against
c. forced to run towards
d. forced to go along with
d. forced to go along with
Writing that presents information or ideas about real people, places, things, or events
(A) graphic feature
(B) print feature
(C) informational text
(D) text feature
(C) informational text
The order or pattern a writer uses to organize information
A) cause and effect text structure
(B) chronological text structure
(C) compare and contrast text structure
(D) description text structure
(E) problem and solution text structure
(F) sequence text structure
(G) text structure
(G) text structure
“‘Don’t, Cyril, don’t,’ exclaimed the aunt, as the small boy began smacking the cushions of the seat, producing a cloud of dust at each slap.
Using Context clues, what is the meaning of slap?
(a) an aunt belonging to the children occupied one corner seat
(b) smacking the cushions
(c) a housefly that refuses to be discouraged
(d) hot afternoon
(b) smacking the cushions
Name that Literary Element:
The author expresses a sense of uncertainty, fear and eventual understanding in this story.
(A) Plot (B) Characterization (C) Setting (D)Point of View (E) Theme (F) Tone (G) Mood (H) Author’s Purpose
(F) Tone
“....were committed to the cause of the radical idealists in Philadelphia.” (paragraph 2)
The root "ideal" comes from the Greek word "idein," which refers to a standard of perfection, excellence, or desirability. The suffix -ist denotes a person who adheres to a particular belief, ideology, or practice.
Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word idealist as it is used in the sentence above?
a. people who fight for democracy
b. people who are guided by beliefs
c. people who believe in subordination
d. people who rebel against the government
b. people who are guided by beliefs
A text element such as a title, a heading, or a boldface term
(A) graphic feature
(B) print feature
(C) informational text
(D) text feature
(B) print feature
Consider the word merciless. If mercy means “kindness,” then how does the addition of the suffix -less change the meaning?
a. It does not change the meaning
b. It changes the meaning to “being aggressive”
c. It changes the meaning to “being only somewhat kind”
d. It changes the meaning to “a lack of kindness or compassion”
d. It changes the meaning to “a lack of kindness or compassion”
“Furthermore, a good night's sleep is integral to cognitive functions, including attention, problem-solving, and creativity..”
Which word could replace “integral” in this sentence without changing the overall meaning of the text?
A. appreciative
B. considering
C. essential
D. outstanding
C. essential