Phoenix Team's Suspense Unit

What was the author THINKING?

100

Two authors chose to tell their stories out of order, often beginning after some major event has happened. This builds suspense for the readers, making us wonder, "What the heck is going on? What's been going on up until this point? Why is the character in this situation? How did he get here?" Which two stories use this particular writing technique of telling the story out of order on purpose?

1. "The Mystery of the Man Who Evaporated" 2. "The Tell-Tale Heart"

200

Why would Poe begin "The Tell-Tale Heart" with a question? Read it below: True--Nervous!--Very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"

Answers may vary a bit, but basically, your group should have something about setting the scene for an unsettling, unreliable narrator; perhaps mentioning something about making the reader wonder who the narrator is talking to and why other people have called him "mad."

300

What part of this passage from "The Near Departed" by Richard Matheson is absolutely necessary for the reader to understand that the small man will most likely get away with his crime? Please write the exact section of the quote on your white board that answers this question. "'When did she die?' the mortician asked. The small man didn't seem to hear. He opened the door and stepped into the sunlight; putting on his Panama hat. He was halfway to his car when he replied, a faint smile on his lips, 'As soon as I get home.'"

"He was halfway to his car..." (This is the section because it shows he's FAR ENOUGH AWAY to have the mortician NOT hear him!)

400

Why would Shirley Jackson choose to narrate "The Lottery" in 3rd person instead of 1st person point of view?

Answers will vary, but basically, your group should have captured the point that 1st person would have given too much away too soon! 3rd person keeps us guessing what this lottery is for longer.

500

What reason might Roald Dahl have named his story "Lamb to the Slaughter?" There are multiple answers for this one!

1. Mary Maloney kills her hubby with a leg of lamb. 2. The "lamb" being "slaughtered" is her unsuspecting, somewhat "innocent" hubby. There might be other answers-- let's see them!

Devices

100

What is a red herring?

Something meant to throw the reader off track.

200

Which suspense device is best represented in this passage from Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"? "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones..."

Foreshadowing.

300

Creating an unreliable narrator, as Poe does in "The Tell-Tale Heart" or inserting the author's "voice" into the narration, as Hitchcock does in "The Mystery of the Man Who Evaporated" are two examples of this particular writing device: _____________________

Point of view.

400

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle decided to have _________________ narrate his Sherlock Holmes stories. 2. Explain why this choice of narrator makes the stories suspenseful.

1. Dr. John Watson. 2. Because John Watson doesn't know as much as Sherlock Holmes, the reader is held in suspense. Watson and the readers are both five steps behind, always trying to catch up and figure out what Holmes already knows!

500

What two stories immediately open with a lovely, calm, warm setting, which ends up feeling eerie once you know something more is going on beneath the surface later on?

"The Lottery" and "Lamb to the Slaughter."

Test Your SBAC Test-Taking & Test-Conquering Awesomeness

100

Choose the sentence (1-4) below that best represents the theme for "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs: "'It had a spell put on it by an old fakir...a very holy man. He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have three wishes from it.' His manner was so impressive that his hearers were conscious that their light laughter jarred somewhat."

Sentence #2 is the theme of the text.

200

(n) gullibility: Tendency to believe too readily or be easy tricked or cheated. Pick the word that most closely matches the definition above. "His father, smiling shamefacedly at his own credulity, held up the talisman, as his son, with a solemn face somewhat marred by a wink at his mother, sat down at the piano..."

Credulity.

300

Choose the sentence below that does not contain any errors in grammar, usage, or punctuation: A. The sergeant intended to throw the monkeys paw out, but didn't get around to it. B. Herbert the son is the one who encouraged his dad to make the wish to pay off the house. C. Mrs. White persuaded Mr. White to make the second wish, which he does. D. When the knocking starts, Mrs. White rushes to the door calling, "It's my boy; it's Herbert!"

D is correct. A: "monkey's paw" is missing the apostrophe s. B: "Herbert, the son, is the one..." (You need commas around the appositive.) C: The verb tense is not consistent. ("Persuaded" is past tense and "does" is present tense.)

400

What is the most likely meaning of the word "reproachful" in this sentence: "'A joke!' Harley Newcomb's tone was reproachful. 'My stories are NEVER jokes.'" A. accusing or critical B. lighthearted C. ironic D. cautious or wary

A.

500

The black box in "The Lottery" is a _______________ that represents the town's _________________. A. theme, inhumanity B. symbol, strict adherence to tradition C. theme, ironic action at the end D. symbol, civilized society

B.

Who Am I?

100

I'm the first person who brought up the monkey's paw in front of my family and got the sergeant to talk about it, although he didn't want to.

Mr. White.

200

I stole Pete Higgins' idea and passed it off as my own, which ended up getting me kidnapped.

Harley Newcomb.

300

I have an ironic name, and run the most important "civic activity" in town!

Mr. Summers.

400

I murdered John Straker.

Silver Blaze.

500

We were called to investigate a shriek in the middle of the night. You wouldn't BELIEVE what ended up happening! (We need the general name of these three and the story they're from.)

The police officers from "The Tell-Tale Heart."

Who Said That and In Which Text?

100

"'I expect you'll find the cash tied up in a big bag in the middle of your bed...and something horrible squatting up on top of the wardrobe watching you...'"

Herbert from "The Monkey's Paw."

200

"'It isn't fair...It isn't right!'"

Tessie Hutchinson from "The Lottery."

300

"'Everybody loved her. She's so beautiful. So young. She has to have the very best.'"

The small man in "The Near Departed."

400

"'It is not cold which makes me shiver.... It is fear.... It is terror.'"

Helen Stoner from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band."

500

"'...the band! The specked band!'" Which TWO characters said these famous words?

Julia Stoner (right before she died) and Sherlock Holmes (as he pointed out the deadly swamp adder that had just killed Dr. Roylott at the end of "The Adventure of Speckled Band").