PLOT DETECTIVES
What part of a plot introduces the characters, setting, and starting situation?
Exposition.
What literary technique gives clues about what may happen later in a story?
Foreshadowing.
What point of view uses words such as 'I,' 'me,' and 'my' when a character tells the story?
First-person point of view.
Whom does Squeaky regularly look after and protect in Raymond’s Run?
Her brother, Raymond.
Why is Lemon Brown’s 'treasure' valuable to him even though it is not worth much money?
The harmonica and newspaper clippings connect him to his son Jesse and represent family love, memory, and pride.
What part of the plot develops complications and increases tension before the turning point?
Rising action.
What is a flashback?
A return to an event or moment from before the story’s present action.
What point of view is used in The Treasure of Lemon Brown, and whose perspective does it mainly follow?
Third-person limited; Greg’s perspective.
Why does Greg begin to see his father differently after talking with Lemon Brown?
Lemon Brown’s memories of his son show Greg that a father’s concern and love can have lasting value.
In Rules of the Game, what can chess symbolize beyond the board game?
Strategy, power, self-control, and the struggle between Waverly and her mother.
In Raymond’s Run, what does Squeaky notice during the May Day race that begins to change her priorities?
Raymond can run well, too. She begins to imagine coaching him rather than focusing only on her own victory. or she recognizes Raymond’s running ability.
What mood is created by Ronald Adams’s repeated sightings of the hitchhiker in The Hitchhiker?
An eerie, frightening, or anxious mood. The mysterious figure appears in seemingly impossible places, increasing the reader’s suspense.
Why should readers be cautious about accepting Squeaky’s early opinion of Gretchen in Raymond’s Run?
Squeaky is a first-person narrator and sees Gretchen as a rival; her judgments reflect her own feelings rather than an objective view.
As Waverly becomes a successful chess player, what conflict grows between her and her mother?
Waverly wants independence and recognition, while her mother publicly expresses family pride and expects respect and obedience.
In Fahrenheit 451, what larger idea does the Mechanical Hound represent?
Technology used for surveillance, intimidation, punishment, and social control.
Give a cause-and-effect chain that explains why the kidnapping plan fails in The Ransom of Red Chief.
Johnny makes life miserable for Sam and Bill, so the kidnappers become desperate to return him and eventually pay his father.
How is making an inference different from making a prediction?
An inference is a conclusion drawn from clues and evidence, even when something is not directly stated. A prediction is an evidence-based guess about what will happen next.
In Flowers for Algernon, how do changes in Charlie’s own progress reports reveal his development?
His spelling, grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, and reflections become more sophisticated as his intelligence increases; later, his writing becomes simpler again as his abilities decline.
What motivates Montag to seek out Faber even though doing so is dangerous?
He wants to understand books, think more deeply, and find an alternative to the empty, controlled society around him.
In Flowers for Algernon, what does Algernon’s decline suggest to the reader about Charlie’s situation?
Charlie’s gains may also be temporary, and he may experience a similar decline. Algernon foreshadows Charlie’s fate.
Someone says, 'The last event must always be the climax.' Explain why that rule is wrong.
The climax is the decisive turning point of the central conflict; the final event may instead be the resolution, aftermath, or an unresolved cliffhanger.
In The Treasure of Lemon Brown, Greg remembers his father’s earlier warning. What does that flashback help the reader understand?
It explains Greg’s frustration about school and basketball, and why he is upset before meeting Lemon Brown.
What makes the narrator of The Tell-Tale Heart unreliable? Give one contradiction between what he claims and what he does.
He claims to be rational and sane, yet behaves obsessively, murders the old man, and describes disturbing perceptions. His claims conflict with his actions.
Squeaky and Waverly are both determined. How do their character developments differ?
Squeaky becomes more open to others’ abilities and potential friendship, while Waverly’s growing independence creates sharper conflict with her mother.
How do the parlor walls in Fahrenheit 451 support a warning about society?
They symbolize passive entertainment that distracts people from thought, meaningful relationships, and questioning the world around them.