Figurative Language
In the sentence, “The classroom was a freezer during the exam,” identify the figurative device and explain what it suggests about the setting.
What is a metaphor, and it suggests the room was extremely cold or felt unwelcoming?
During which part of the plot do we usually learn how the main conflict will probably be resolved, even though the story is not finished?
What is the climax?
A main character is brave, selfless, and always tries to do the right thing. Name this type of character.
What is a hero?
Use “sanctuary” in a sentence that shows it as a safe place rather than a place of worship.
What is, for example, “The library became her sanctuary when home felt too noisy”?
Name one feature that helps you recognize a passage as fiction, using an example from the Three Little Pigs excerpt.
What is the “Once upon a time” opening and talking pigs, which show it is made up?
A writer describes a city as “a lion waking from its sleep.” Name the device and explain how it shapes the reader’s image of the city.
What is personification, and it makes the city seem powerful, alive, and potentially dangerous?
A story ends with the main problem solved, but one character’s fate is never revealed. Name the type of ending and explain why.
What is an unresolved or indeterminate ending, because some loose ends are left?
A central character constantly lies and hurts others, but is still the one whose story we follow. Name this role and explain.
What is a villainous protagonist or tragic protagonist, because the main character behaves harmfully but is still central to the story?
Give a situation in which technology is “proliferating,” and explain why that word is appropriate
What is, for example, “Smartphones are proliferating in schools because more and more students have them each year”?
Name one feature that helps you recognize the Educated excerpt as nonfiction
What is the realistic first-person memory and mention of the author’s family and Bible reading, which sound like real life?
“She’s clearly ‘thrilled’ to be doing homework on Friday night,” said with an eye-roll. Identify the specific type of irony and explain why.
What is verbal irony, because she says the opposite of what she really feels?
A book ends with the villain defeated, the couple together, and every question answered. Which type of ending is this, and how would you defend that label?
What is an expository happy ending, because all loose ends are clearly explained and it ends positively?
A character wants to protect the city by controlling everyone’s freedom. Explain why this character might be seen as an anti‑villain.
What is an anti‑villain, because they have heroic or sympathetic motives (protection) but still oppose the protagonist’s freedom?
Rewrite this sentence with a form of “elude”: “The meaning of the poem still escapes me.”
What is “The meaning of the poem continues to elude me”?
Explain how the narrator in Educated shows that the “strongest memory” might not be literally true.
What is that she admits it was “something I imagined” from a detailed story, not an actual event?
In a story, a storm always appears when the character is confused or upset. What device is this and what might the storm symbolize?
What is symbolism, and the storm may symbolize inner conflict or emotional turmoil?
Name two ways that setting can increase the tension in a horror story and connect each to one aspect of setting (time, place, or environment).
What is, for example, using an isolated house (place) and a stormy night (time/environment) to make characters more vulnerable and create suspense?
A flood destroys the hero’s home and forces them to go on a journey. What type of antagonist is the flood, and why?
What is a force antagonist, because it is a non-personal obstacle like nature that creates conflict?
Explain the difference between “squalid” living conditions and simply “small” living conditions, using one detail for each.
What is that “squalid” suggests filth and neglect (trash, insects), while “small” only refers to size?
Give one question you could ask to test whether a text is memoir (nonfiction) instead of a fictional story.
What is, for example, “Does the author use their real name and describe events from their actual life?”
A text repeats the long “ee” sound in “He creeps between the trees to see.” Name the device and explain how focusing on sound (and not letters) distinguishes it from alliteration.
What is assonance, and it repeats vowel sounds, unlike alliteration which repeats starting consonant sounds?
A story takes place in a very strict society where breaking rules is harshly punished. Explain one way this environment could shape the protagonist’s decisions and the theme.
What is that the protagonist may fear taking risks or rebel against the system, helping develop a theme about freedom, control, or injustice?
Describe a character who could be both a sympathetic antagonist and a conflict‑creator, using one brief example of their motives and actions.
What is, for example, a strict teacher who blocks the protagonist’s plans to help them succeed, making them understandable but still in conflict?
In one or two sentences, show you understand “inscrutable” by describing an inscrutable character in a story.
What is, for example, “His inscrutable expression made it impossible to tell if he was angry or amused”?
A text about a real person’s life changes the order of events and adds dialogue. Explain how it can still be nonfiction and what readers should be careful about.
What is that it can be a memoir using creative techniques, but readers should remember some details may be rearranged or reconstructed?