"RACES"
PLOT STRUCTURE
CHARACTER TRAITS
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
SYMBOLISM
100
What is the first step in RACES, where you rewrite part of the question in your own sentence?
Restate
100
What is the beginning of a story called, where you meet the characters and learn about the setting?
Exposition, Beginning
100
What is a single describing word that tells us about a character's personality or how they act? Think of words like 'friendly' or 'shy'."
adjective
100
What is it called when you compare two things using the words "like" or "as"?
Simile
100
What is it called when something in a story stands for a bigger idea or feeling?
symbolism
200
After you restate the question, what is the next step in RACES where you directly respond to what was asked?
Answer
200
What is the most exciting or important part of the story, where the main problem often gets decided?
Climax
200
A character's actions consistently show they care about others' feelings.
What character trait are they likely demonstrating?
empathy, compassion, kindness
200
What kind of figurative language gives human actions or feelings to things that are not human; For example, like a talking tree?
Personification
200
In stories of war or conflict; what might a dove often represent?
Peace
300
What is the final step in RACES, where you briefly go over your main points in a few sentences to finish your writing?
Summarize
300
The inciting incident is the event that kicks off the main conflict of the story. Where in the plot structure does the inciting incident typically occur?
Exposition, beginning
300
One way an author can show a character's traits is to tell you.
What is another way an author can show you the character's personality?
Through their:
actions or
dialogue (what they say) or
thoughts/feelings or
how other characters react to them
300
What is it called when you say something is much more than it really is, like "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"?
Hyperbole
300
If a character wears a lot of dark clothing, what might that symbolically suggest about their personality or mood? 
Sadness, mystery, or being serious
400
When you are asked to cite evidence in RACES, what should you always include to show where you found your information in the text?
Quotation marks and a "quote" from the text
400
In a typical story's plot structure, what is the order of the following five elements after the story begins: climax, rising action, falling action, resolution, and exposition?
Exposition
rising action
climax
falling action
resolution
400
In a story, a character might have a primary role, like the main hero, or a secondary role, like a friend who helps the hero.
What is the term for the main character of a story, whose journey the plot often follows?
Protagonist
400
When a person says they 'have butterflies in their stomach,' what does this idiom mean?
The person is nervous or anxious.
400
In literature, what could a long journey that a character takes symbolize?
A life change, growth, or the challenges they face
500
How do you restate the following question “According to the text, what was the main reason why the character, Maya, felt nervous on the first day of school?”
According to the text, Maya felt nervous on her first day of school because… OR The main reason why Maya felt nervous on the first day of school was...
500
The falling action shows the consequences of the climax. What is one key difference between the falling action and the resolution of a story?
Falling Action- shows how the conflict is resolved Resolution- shows the final outcome
500
Sometimes, an author creates a character whose main purpose is to be in opposition to the protagonist, creating conflict.
What is the term for this character?
Antagonist
500
Example: "The test was a piece of cake." This means that the test was very easy.
What type of figurative language is "a piece of cake"?
an idiom
500
What might a powerful storm often symbolize in a story, especially when it occurs during a time of great conflict for the characters?
Chaos, struggle, or a major turning point