Definitions
What is setting?
The time and place in which a story takes place.
“The leaves danced in the breeze.”
Personification — leaves are given the human action of dancing.
Identify a possible conflict in a mystery story.
Person vs. person: A detective struggles to identify a murderer. Other possible answers include person vs. self, person vs. society, or person vs. nature.
Give an example of imagery.
“The warm, buttery smell of fresh bread filled the kitchen as golden sunlight streamed through the window.”
What is characterization?
The way an author develops and reveals a character’s personality, traits, feelings, and motivations
A narrator tells the story using “he” and “she” but reveals only one character’s thoughts.
Third-person limited point of view — the narrator uses third-person pronouns but reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
Explain how a raven could symbolize grief.
A raven could symbolize grief because its dark appearance and mysterious presence may represent sadness, death, and the narrator’s inability to move on from a loss.
Write a sentence containing personification.
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
What is the difference between theme and main idea?
The theme is the message or lesson about life that a story communicates. The main idea is what the text is mostly about.
A character expects a surprise party but arrives to find everyone has forgotten their birthday.
Situational irony — the outcome is the opposite of what the character expected.
Explain how a narrator’s point of view affects the reader’s understanding of events.
Point of view determines what information the reader receives. A first-person narrator may reveal personal thoughts and feelings but provide a limited or biased account. A third-person omniscient narrator can reveal the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
Create an example of irony and explain why it is ironic.
Example: A fire station catches fire. Explanation: This is situational irony because a place designed to respond to fires experiences one itself.