Theme
What is the main message or lesson that a story repeatedly shows through its events and characters?
Theme (the main message or lesson of the story)
Which text structure organizes events in the order they happened?
Chronological / Sequence (events listed in the order they happened).
What does it mean to make an inference when reading?
Making an inference means using clues from the text plus your own knowledge to draw a conclusion that the author doesn’t state directly.
What is a stanza in a poem?
A stanza is a grouped set of lines in a poem (like a paragraph in prose).
What does "character development" mean in a story?
Character development is how a character changes or grows over the course of a story.
Identify the theme: A story shows a child who learns that telling the truth helps solve problems after getting caught in lies. What theme is suggested?
Honesty / telling the truth (the story suggests that telling the truth helps solve problems).
What text structure uses cause and effect to explain why something happened?
Cause and effect (explains why something happened).
If a character slams the door and won’t answer, what can you infer about their feelings?
You can infer the character is angry, upset, or frustrated.
Define rhyme scheme in one sentence.
Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhymes in a stanza or poem (e.g., ABAB).
Name one detail an author might use to show character development
One detail: dialogue (what the character says) — it can show changes in beliefs or feelings. (Other acceptable answers: actions, thoughts, reactions, choices.)
Name two ways an author may develop a theme across a story
Examples: symbolism; character choices; repetition of events; dialogue
Identify the structure: A passage lists pros and cons of keeping pets. Which structure is that?
Compare and contrast (listing pros and cons shows similarities and differences).
Read this: "Sam's homework was still on the table and his backpack wasn't by the door." What inference can you make about Sam?
Inference: Sam probably did not leave for school yet or forgot his backpack; he may have left homework out because he didn’t finish it.
Identify whether this line break use is enjambment or end-stopped: a sentence continues across the line break without punctuation.
Enjambment — the sentence continues across the line break without punctuation.
If a shy character becomes brave by the end of the story, what word describes that change?
transformation, growth, or change (acceptable: "growth" or "development").
Read this brief scenario: a character keeps choosing kindness despite others being mean; later their kindness leads to community change. Explain how that scenario supports a theme about courage or compassion (1–2 sentences).
Example answer: The character’s repeated kindness despite meanness shows compassion as a theme because their actions eventually change others and improve the community.
Given a short paragraph that begins: "Because the storm knocked out power, families used candles and flashlights..." Name the likely text structure and explain your choice in one sentence.
Cause and effect — the storm (cause) knocked out power, so families used candles and flashlights (effect).
A character smiles but avoids eye contact while apologizing. Infer two possible emotions or intentions and explain using text clues
Possible emotions/intentions: (1) Embarrassment — avoiding eye contact suggests discomfort while the smile tries to smooth things over. (2) Guilt — the smile may be nervous while they feel sorry; the avoidance shows they’re not fully comfortable. Both inferences use the clues: smile + avoided eye contact + apology.
Read two lines of a short poem and name one literary device you see (e.g., imagery, simile, alliteration) and explain its effect in one sentence.
Example: If the lines include "The river glints like silver / as the sun slides down the hill," device = simile or imagery. Effect: It creates a vivid visual image of the river and sun so readers can picture the scene.
Provide a brief (2–3 sentence) explanation of how a character's choices over time reveal their traits, using a hypothetical example (e.g., choosing to help others despite fear).
A shy student who volunteers to read aloud after practicing shows growth; their choice to face fear and act differently reveals courage and development over time.
Compare theme and moral: give a clear difference between them in one sentence, and provide one example of each from familiar stories (e.g., "The Tortoise and the Hare").
Difference and examples: A theme is the story’s central idea (e.g., "perseverance helps you reach goals"). A moral is an explicit lesson meant to teach right behavior (e.g., "Slow and steady wins the race" from The Tortoise and the Hare).
Describe how signal words (transition words) can help a reader identify a text's structure; list two example signal words and the structures they often indicate.
Signal words guide readers to structure. Examples: "because" or "as a result" → cause/effect; "first," "next," "finally" → sequence.
Give a short inference (1–2 sentences) about a setting described: "The room smelled of disinfectant, metal carts clicked, and nurses moved quickly between doors." What place is this likely, and which clues support your inference?
Likely place: a hospital. Clues: disinfectant smell, nurses, metal carts, quick movement between doors indicate a medical setting.
Given a 4-line stanza with an ABAB rhyme scheme, explain how rhyme and meter can contribute to the mood of the poem (1–2 sentences).
Rhyme and meter shape the poem’s mood: a regular meter and gentle rhyme (e.g., ABAB with steady beats) can create a calm or soothing mood, while irregular meter or quick rhymes can make the poem feel energetic or unsettling.
Analyze a short arc: A character starts selfish, faces consequences, learns empathy, and then helps others. Identify the turning point and explain why it changes the character (2–3 sentences).
Turning point: the moment of consequence (e.g., when the character faces the results of selfish behavior). Explanation: That event forces self-reflection and shows the character the harm of their actions, prompting empathy and a change in priorities that leads them to help others