Reading Skills
The "voice" of a work; the narrator's perspective
What is point of view?
the character or force in conflict with a main character
What is antagonist?
The main argument made by the author. A strong one of these will be supported by reasons and
evidence.
What is a claim?
An implied meaning—it is the meaning the writer intends, which may not be the same thing as the literal or dictionary meaning of a word.
What is connotation?
Identify the type of figurative language: "John's answer to the problem was just a Band-Aid, not a solution."
What is a metaphor?
the abbreviation for author's purpose and what each letter stands for
What is PIE, to persuade, inform, or entertain?
the overall, worldly lesson that can be learned from the story; a repeated idea or lesson in a literary text and often deals with abstract questions, beliefs, or truths
What is theme?
The explicit meaning of a word or dictionary definition
What is a denotation?
This style is less personal and is used in such writing as an essay, research paper, or business letter. When writing in this style, the author chooses language that matches the audience
and purpose and avoids casual language.
What is a formal style/language?
Identify the type of figurative language: "Micaela and I are going to hang out and shoot the breeze before the movie since we arrived early to the theater."
What is an idiom?
the narrator is an observer, but can also zoom in on the thoughts and emotions of any character
What is third person omniscient?
a reference to something or someone famous or recognizable
What is an allusion?
This is something that proves the truth of something else. Informational texts may include
facts, opinions of experts, quotes, statistics, and definitions. In literary text, the character’s thoughts, words, or actions may be used as this.
What is textual evidence ?
Identify the figurative language: "The thunder clapped angrily in the distance."
What is personification?
how the author creates the passage and puts it together (ex. cause and effect, sequencing, problem-solution, etc.)
What is text structure or organizational structure?
A strategy used when writing constructed responses. Name the strategy and what each step stands for.
What is RACE?
R: Restate
A: Answer
C: Cite
E: Explain
When an author holds a strong opinion or belief about his or her topic, the writing may contain
forms of this. Within passages, this can appear as statements that favor one opinion or idea over another,sometimes creating an unfair or unsound argument by the author.
What is bias?
Name at least text features you need to consider and notice when reading an expository text.
What are graphics/figures, sidebars, subtitles, and bolded/italicized words/phrases?
Identify the figurative language: "Her hair was as soft as a spider web."
What is a simile?
a reflection of a writer's or speaker's attitude toward a subject of a poem, story, or other literary work
What is tone?
Label the five sections of the plot of a story in the correct order from beginning to end.
What is exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution or denouement.
To take the truth and exaggerate beyond belief.
What is hyperbole?
What is the difference between an autobiography and a biography?
What is an autobiography is a true story of a person's life written or told by that person and a biography is a true story of a person's life written or told by someone else?
Identify the figurative language: "Alice's aunt ate apples and acorns around August."
What is alliteration?