Novel Knowledge
What is a story's theme?
a story is the big idea the author wants readers to learn. It’s not the characters or the plot itself—it’s what the story is really about underneath.
What helps limit the narrator’s point of view in The City of Ember?
The narrator focuses on just two characters’ experiences, and those characters are children living in a very isolated society where important information has been lost to its people. Readers are told only what Lina and Doon know and think and feel as they try to discover the information that was lost.
Many folklores in different cultures are passed down through generations by _______________.
oral tradition.
What happens during a story's resolution?
The story's conflict has completely been resolved and has finally concluded.
Background knowledge is most useful for helping readers make ___________.
inferences
How do context clues help readers know which meaning of a word an author is using?
They hint at a word’s meaning, based on how it is used.
What makes The City of Ember science fiction instead of another genre?
It happens far in the future, and its setting includes details that are not scientifically possible today, such as a society living for hundreds of years without sunlight.
What is the theme of "The Boy and Girl in the Clouds?"
Determination and perseverance can sometimes give you better results than just pure strength.
What kinds of information appear in the exposition of a story?
details about the setting, introduces the story’s conflict, introduces the protagonists, etc.
________________ is different from other genres of fiction because it is set in a world with different rules or laws.
Science fiction
To completely understand a novel’s point of view, what should you ask yourself?
How much does the narrator know?
Knowing that plants can be grown using special kinds of lights and that electricity can be generated using moving water can both be used as _____________ for understanding the setting in The City of Ember.
background knowledge
In a few minutes, Measuring Worm was higher than Jack Rabbit had jumped. Soon he was farther up on the rock than the lion had been able to leap, and before long he had climbed out of sight.
True or False: This passage implies an idea rather than stating it directly
True.
How does the rising action in a novel help develop the novel’s themes?
It raises questions that the story will eventually answer.
Which synonym for the word smell has a positive connotation?
_____________ characterization is when the character displays what type of person they are through their sayings and actions.
Indirect
How does the author build suspense in The City of Ember?
She includes events that show how Ember’s systems are failing and She slowly reveals the discovery of an escape plan by Lina and Doon.
What are two ways a fairy tale’s theme is most often revealed?
In a stated moral at the end of the story and through events that imply an idea.
What happens during the climax of a story?
The story's events and suspense reaching its highest point.
Some ideas appear in many works of literature including folk tales, novels, and movies. In a language arts course, what are these ideas called? (hint: these ideas reappear in many types of literature, even if the stories may be different).
recurring themes
A _____ complication is a change in the nature of the conflict
A plot complication
Describe at least one way Lina and Doon are alike and one way they’re different.
Lina is more creative in her approach, relying on her imagination and brainstorming possibilities that she then tries out. Doon is more analytical. He analyzes each idea that Lina suggests, and he spends time trying to understand a problem before thinking of his own solutions. Both Lina and Doon are very persistent. They are determined to fix Ember’s problems and save its people, and they don’t give up even when they’re not sure what to do.
Both stories "The Little Girl and Boy in the Clouds" and "The Mouse, The Bird, and the Sausage" emphasize the value of individual differences. Explain how.
The main event in one story is a worm’s attempt to climb a mountain, one inch at a time. He succeeds because he is a worm and therefore was “built” to climb steep surfaces without falling off. The main event in the other story is a bird’s attempt to take on a chore that it is not equipped to perform, instead of one it can perform easily because of its particular abilities. The bird does not succeed and therefore brings tragedy on himself and on his friends.
Name each of the 5 plot elements in order.
Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
A _______ society is an imagined perfect world or society where everything works ideally, people live happily and peacefully, and the welfare of the community is more important than individual freedom.
utopian