Misc.

Narrative Techniques and Concepts

Figurative Language
and Poetry

Argumentative & Expository Concepts

Test-Day Tips & Strategies

100

Which sentence is written in the active voice?

A. I ran to the movie theater.

B. He is known as "the master."

C. The prize was received by the contestants.

D. That sight has been seen by many children.

To get full points, you must explain how/why you know it's in active voice.

A. I ran to the movie theater.

100

Define connotation and denotation.

Connotation (Emotional Associations)

Words carry emotional weight beyond their literal meaning
Example: "thin" vs. "gaunt" vs. "slender" — each word creates a different feeling about a character's appearance
Negative connotations create dark, somber moods; positive connotations create uplifting moods

Denotation: literal definition

100

Why might a writer use vivid sensory imagery (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) in a text instead of simply stating what happens? Give at least two things and explain them.

Writers use imagery to:

Engage readers emotionally — vivid descriptions make readers feel the story, not just understand it
Create atmosphere & mood — sensory details establish the emotional tone (dark, peaceful, tense, etc.)
Show rather than tell — "The acrid smoke filled her lungs" is more powerful than "She smelled smoke"
Develop theme — repeated sensory details reinforce central ideas
Make scenes memorable — readers remember vivid images more than abstract descriptions

100

Name the rhetorical appeals and define them.

Then, pretend you're asking your boss for a raise. Give a quick or idea for each appeal that you could use to convince your boss.

ethos, logos, pathos

credibility, logic, emotion

100

True or false: You should read all the possible answer choices before picking the first one you think sounds right.

true

200

Which choice demonstrates passive voice?

A. The waiter apologized to the angry customer.

B. A delivery truck just pulled up to the dock.

C. The chipped glass was replaced with a new one.

D. Every day, mechanics check planes before they depart.

To get full points, you must also explain why/how you know it's passive.

C. The chipped glass was replaced with a new one.

200

Explain why a writer might include foreshadowing in their narrative piece.

Why Writers Use Foreshadowing

Main Purposes

Build Suspense & Tension

Hints at coming events keep readers curious and engaged
Makes readers wonder "what will happen?"

Create Deeper Meaning

Clues reward careful readers who notice patterns
Encourages rereading and analysis

Make Endings Feel Earned

When a major event happens, it feels inevitable, not random
Readers think "I should have seen that coming!"

Control Pacing

Slows down or speeds up tension strategically
Keeps readers turning pages

Develop Theme

Hints reinforce the story's central message or ideas

Example

Early mention of a broken ladder → later someone falls from it → feels intentional, not coincidental

Reader Impact: Satisfaction, engagement, and investment in the story's outcome

200

Answer both: What is a stanza of a poem? What is the meter and rhythm of a poem?

Stanza: grouping and arrangement of lines

Meter and rhythm: the beat and flow of lines

200

Why Should You Use Library Databases

Authority
Library databases have information from authorized sources. The sources are reviewed, published in scholarly journals, books, magazines, and newspapers.
Search engines in a website often have unknown authors and are difficult to vet professionally.
Searchability
Library databases can be searched using a variety of methods to result in specific results. You can use keywords, subject, author, publication, date, or more.
Websites found using search engines are too wide and much less targeted.
Organization
Databases offer search catalogs for different needs, making it easier to target the information that you need.
The web is an umbrella for millions of pages on different subjects. Finding relevant information is time consuming and difficult to navigate.
Citation
Library databases provide the information needed for a works cited page and many databases even have built in citation generators.
With Internet engines, it is often difficult or impossible to find the information needed to generate a complete citation for a web site.

Which subheading informs the reader why a library database is more reliable than an Internet search engine?

A. Authority

B. Searchability

C. Organization

D. Citation

A. Authority

200

you should always make sure you have _________ from the text to support your answer.

Evidence!

300

To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.

Douglass includes a lengthy list separated by commas and semicolons, establishing a grammatical pattern. Identify the rhetorical strategy being used.

A. Onomatopoeia

B. Hyperbole

C. Parallelism

D. Logos

C. Parallelism

300

Explain "theme" and give ways that a writer might develop or show the theme of their text.

Theme

Definition: The central idea or message of a story—what the author wants readers to understand about life, human nature, or the world.

How Writers Develop Theme

Through Characters

Character choices and growth reveal the theme
Example: A character learning to trust others develops a theme about friendship

Through Plot Events

What happens to characters shows the theme
Example: A character facing consequences for lying develops a theme about honesty

Through Symbolism

Objects or settings represent deeper meanings
Example: A broken mirror symbolizes shattered identity

Through Dialogue

Characters' conversations reveal central ideas
Example: Characters debating right and wrong develops a theme about morality

Through Setting

The time and place reinforce the theme
Example: A dark, isolated setting emphasizes themes of loneliness

Through Conflict

How characters struggle and resolve conflicts shows the theme
Example: Overcoming prejudice develops a theme about acceptance

Key Point: Writers don't usually state the theme directly—readers discover it by analyzing how all these elements work together.

300

Poetic Techniques

Give 3 examples of what could be considered a "sound technique."

Hint: Think about what techniques & figurative language terms you know that affect the way the text SOUNDS when you read it.

Sound techniques create musicality, mood, and emphasis, enhancing how a text is heard rather than just read.

Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
Rhyme

300

Douglass includes a lengthy list separated by commas and semicolons, establishing a grammatical pattern. Identify the rhetorical strategy being used.

A. Onomatopoeia

B. Hyperbole

C. Parallelism

D. Logos

C. Parallelism

300

What should you do if you start to spend too long or get stuck on a question?

flag it, move on, and come back to it later

400

What is a semicolon, and how does it work in a sentence?

Definition: A punctuation mark (;) that connects two related independent clauses without using a conjunction (and, but, or).

Impact on Readers

Creates a sophisticated, measured tone — feels more formal and thoughtful
Shows close relationship between ideas — suggests the two clauses are equally important and connected
Slows down pacing — creates a pause that feels deliberate and reflective
Emphasizes connection — stronger than a period, less abrupt than a comma

400

Explain point of view and define each one.

Then, explain the impact of each one on the reader.

Points of View

First Person (I, we)

The narrator is a character in the story
Readers see only what that character sees and knows
Creates intimacy and personal connection
Example: "I walked into the room and noticed something strange."

Second Person (you)

Narrator addresses the reader directly as "you"
Rare in literature; more common in instructions or interactive fiction
Creates direct engagement with the reader
Example: "You enter the dark hallway. What do you do?"

Third Person Limited

Narrator is outside the story; focuses on one character's thoughts and feelings
Readers know only what that one character knows
Creates closeness while maintaining distance
Example: "She walked into the room and wondered what was wrong."

Third Person Omniscient

Narrator is outside the story; knows everything about all characters
Readers see multiple characters' thoughts and feelings
Creates a broader, more objective perspective
Example: "She walked in nervously. He watched from the corner, amused."

400

Why might a writer use figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole) instead of literal, straightforward language? Give at least three ideas and explain them.

Writers use figurative language to:

Create vivid, memorable images — "Her heart was a drum" is more striking than "Her heart beat fast"
Express complex emotions — figurative language captures feelings that literal words cannot
Engage readers' imagination — readers actively interpret meaning rather than passively receiving it
Develop tone and mood — the type of figurative language shapes how readers feel
Reinforce theme — repeated figurative language patterns emphasize central ideas

400

Like the rest of America's citizens, you should do your part to protect nature.

This sentence from the passage is an example of

A. persuasion

B. entertainment

C. clearly-stated fact

D. technical directions

persuasion

400

It's Day One of the EOC, the writing day. There is something you should ALWAYS look over and check before you consider your writing complete. What is it?

Writer's Checklist

500

You come across a word you don't know. What should you do?

1. Use context clues

Look at surrounding words and sentences for hints about meaning
Example: "The ancient artifact was fragile and delicate" — context suggests it's something breakable

2. Break down the word

Look for prefixes, suffixes, or root words you recognize
Example: "un-" + "happy" = unhappy

3. Read on

Sometimes meaning becomes clear as you continue reading

Key Point: Don't stop reading! Try to figure it out from context first—this helps you understand how words work in literature.

500

What might dialogue reveal within a story? Give at least three things and explain them.

Character Personality & Voice

How characters speak shows who they are
Example: Formal speech vs. slang reveals education, background, age

Relationships Between Characters

How characters interact shows power dynamics and closeness
Example: Arguing reveals conflict; inside jokes reveal intimacy

Character Emotions & Motivations

What characters say and how they say it shows what they feel and want
Example: Hesitation or defensiveness reveals guilt or fear

Conflict & Tension

Disagreements in dialogue drive the plot forward
Example: Arguments reveal opposing goals or values

Theme & Central Ideas

Characters' conversations can express the story's main message
Example: A debate about sacrifice develops a theme about duty

Plot Information

Dialogue delivers backstory, clues, or important details naturally
Example: Characters explaining what happened moves the story along

Social Context

Dialect, slang, or formal language reveal time period, location, or social class
Example: Regional accents or historical language grounds the story in a specific world

Key Point: Dialogue shows rather than tells—it reveals character and meaning through conversation.

500

Explain how diction and syntax can contribute to the mood or tone of a text.

Diction (Word Choice)

Creates mood through:

Formal vs. informal words — "departed" (serious) vs. "left" (casual)
Positive vs. negative words — "glowing" feels happy; "gloomy" feels sad
Specific vs. vague words — "crimson sunset" feels vivid and dramatic; "red sky" feels plain

Syntax (Sentence Structure)

Creates mood through:

Short sentences — Feel tense and urgent: "She ran. He chased. Danger loomed."
Long sentences — Feel calm and reflective: "As she walked through the garden, she thought about her past."
Punctuation — Exclamation marks = excitement; ellipses = suspense; dashes = emphasis

Together They Create

Example 1: Negative words + short, choppy sentences = scary, urgent mood

"The shadow crept. It lurked. Fear gripped her."

Example 2: Positive words + long, flowing sentences = peaceful, happy mood

"The warm sun gently lit the meadow as she smiled."

500

Which sentence contains an example of faulty logic?

A. But reality is not like that, and thus reality shows aren’t either.

B. I hope you’ll continue to support me once you see me on the tv screen.

C. So, Mom, I know you don’t understand my happiness at entering what you call “a world of pain,” but it’s my choice.

D. My mom should be excited about me getting on a reality show because I’m now going to be on a reality show.

The sentence, If for no other reason, my mom should be excited about me getting on a reality show because I’m now going to be on a reality show, is a good example of the logical flaw of circular reasoning—justifying an argument using the argument itself as justification.

500

It's Day Two or Three of the EOC, the days with multiple choice questions.

You click forward to the next question, and a new text appears.

What is the first thing you should do when you see a new text come up? (including what could be reading, a video, or a picture)

Look over the questions for keywords and things you need to watch out for specifically while you read or watch.