Theme & Central Idea
Poetry
Fiction
The 5 Big Test-Taking Strategies
Nonfiction
Author's Purpose & Text Evidence
Terms to Know
100
Fill in the blanks below with "theme" and "central idea":
_______ is USUALLY found in fiction, while _______ is USUALLY found in nonfiction.
1. Theme
2. Central Idea
100
The narrator of a poem is called the ________.
Speaker
100
Which of the following is NOT an element of fiction?
Character, plot, conflict, claim, point of view, setting, style, theme
Claim
100
During the test, what is the first thing you should do?
Read the directions carefully!
100
What of the following is NOT a reason that authors use text features (such as bold, italics, captions, diagrams, and headings)?
a) To grab the reader's attention or highlight something important
b) To make the text longer or more difficult to understand
c) To organize sections of information and make the text easier to navigate
d) To help readers visualize what the text is explaining or clarify an idea
b) To make the text longer or more difficult to understand
100
What are the THREE types of author's purpose?
1. To inform or teach
2. To entertain
3. To persuade or convince
100
The person who tells the story is called a(n) ________.
Narrator
200
A _______ is more general and usually can be applied to real life, not just the text or story.
Theme
200
Read the excerpt from the poem below “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (1947) by Dylan Thomas. What is the poem's central message?
1 Do not go gentle into that good night,
2 Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
3 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
4 Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
5 Because their words had forked no lightning they
6 Do not go gentle into that good night.
The poem encourages people who are dying—the sick and the elderly—to fight bravely against death. It also celebrates the vibrancy (liveliness) and energy of human life, even though it is fragile and short.
200
This image is an example of a ___________.
Plot Map / Plot Diagram
200
Name 3 things you should do to help prepare for your EOG.
1. Get a good night's sleep.
2. Eat a nutritious breakfast
3. Get to school on time.
200
How is an essay organized?
Introduction (with thesis statement)
Body Paragraphs
Conclusion
200
What are the TWO ways you can use text evidence in your writing or explanations?
1. Quote (author's words)
2. Paraphrase (your own words)
200
________ means to express the author's words' meaning in different words, often to make it easier to understand.
Paraphrase
300
Which of the sentences below shows theme and which shows central idea or "The Lion King"?
_______ - A young lion cub rises up to defeat his evil uncle and reclaim the kingdom.
_______ - Everyone has to eventually leave childhood behind to face adult responsibilities.
1. Central Idea
2. Theme
300
Read the poem below "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. How does the speaker use TWO examples of imagery to support the central message that the reader should not give up on their dreams?
1 Hold fast to dreams
2 For if dreams die
3 Life is a broken-winged bird
4 That cannot fly.
5 Hold fast to dreams
6 For when dreams go
7 Life is a barren field
8 Frozen with snow.
The speaker tells the reader to hold on tightly to their dreams of the future because if they let their dreams die, life becomes a "broken-winged bird that cannot fly" (line 3), which is pretty depressing. In line 7, the speaker compares the loss of a dream to living in a cold and barren field where there's no life, no joy, and nothing grows.
300
At the end of the play "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," what conclusion do the aliens come to about humanity?
“We’ll go from one to the other and let them destroy themselves” (p. 17).
That humanity is its own worst enemy and can be destroyed by itself, without weapons (such as guns or bombs, often used in war).
300
True or False?
Use context clues to help you decipher unfamiliar words.
True
Read the sentence before and after the word to help define it. Replace the word with the definitions provided. If it makes sense, it’s probably the correct choice
300
List 5 nonfiction text features
bold text, bullet points, captions, diagrams, labels, glossary, graph, headings, illustrations, index, italics, map, photograph, table, table of contents, title, and title page.
300
Why is it important to use text evidence?
To support your reasoning, explanation, or claim/argument.
300
To give a brief statement of the main points of (something).
Summarize
400
Julia’s report card reflected poor grades. She felt she would get in trouble, so she hid her report card from her parents. When her parents discovered what her grades were, they grounded her for trying to hide the truth.
What is the theme of this paragraph?
The truth always comes out in the end
400
How many stanzas does the poem have?
2
400
A(n) ________ character is one who DOES NOT HAVE have any significant change in character, personality or perspective throughout a story, while a(n) _______ character DOES have a significant change in character, personality or perspective throughout a story
1. Static
2. Dynamic
400
What is ONE big thing should you annotate when reading a text?
1. Important information
400
What is the difference between nonfiction and fictional text?
Nonfiction text provides factual information and fiction text is made up stories.
400
Read the short passage below. What is the author's most important purpose for writing the selection?
A wave is any movement that carries energy. Some waves carry energy through water. Others carry energy through gases, like air, or solid materials. If you drop a rock into a pool of water, a wave, or ripple of energy, skims across the pool's surface. In the same way, an underwater earthquake can release energy into ocean water. Then it carries a giant wave, or tsunami, across the surface until it hits land. If you hear a clap of thunder, sound waves (or vibrations) have carried the crashing BOOM to your ears. Sound waves speed through the air at about 1,100 feet (335 meters) per second. Light also travels through the air in waves. They travel at more than 186,000 miles (300 million meters) per second. So the light waves from a flash of lightning reach your eyes before that clap of thunder reaches your ears! Electrons travel in waves, too. They move back and forth in a solid wire, sending waves of electricity so you can turn on a light during the storm!
To inform readers about different kinds of waves
400
A conclusion reached using evidence and reasoning that is not clearly (explicitly) stated to the reader is called a(n) ________.
Inference
500
True or false? The "central idea" is also known as the "topic" of the text.
False!
Central ideas are explained in a full sentence, while topics are usually one word (such as "Courage," "Kindness," "Acceptance," or "Honesty).
500
Read the poem below "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. How many lines are in the poem?
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
9
500
The terms "Round" and "Flat" describe a character's complexity, layers, or personality, while the terms "static" and "dynamic" describe a character's __________________________________.
development over time (throughout the story).
500
When should you use process of elimination?
ON EVERY QUESTION!
500
List THREE examples of nonfiction sources and THREE examples of fiction sources.
Biographies, newspapers and some magazines
Mysteries, science fiction, romance, fantasy
500
In nonfiction argumentative writing, writers make claims and support them with evidence. As a reader, it is important to pause while reading and ask this question: "____ ____?"
"So what?"
500
An important idea that is woven throughout a story.
Theme