Themes & Messages
This is the central message, lesson, or moral of a story.
What is theme or central idea?
The author’s attitude toward the subject is known as this.
What is tone?
The words around a difficult word that help reveal its meaning are called this.
What is context clues?
The order in which a passage is organized—such as cause and effect or chronological—is called this.
What is text structure?
The struggle between opposing forces in a story is called this.
What is conflict?
When a question asks, “Which sentence best expresses the main theme?”, it’s testing your ability to identify what part of a story?
What is the author’s central message or lesson?
The overall feeling the reader gets from a passage is called this.
What is mood?
When you’re asked “What does the phrase huddled masses suggest?”, the question is testing this reading skill.
What is understanding connotation or figurative meaning?
When an author writes to inform, persuade, or entertain, they are showing this.
What is author’s purpose?
When a story hints at future events, the author is using this device.
What is Foreshadowing?
When a theme applies across different stories, cultures, or times, it’s called this type of theme.
What is a universal theme?
When a test asks you to choose two words that describe the speaker’s tone, you’re analyzing this.
What is the author’s word choice or diction?
Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as” is an example of this.
What is a simile?
A story that includes a clear introduction, rising action, climax, and resolution follows this structure.
What is plot structure?
When a character faces a problem within themselves, it’s this kind of conflict.
What is internal conflict? Or What is Character vs Self?
What is the main theme of “Once Upon a Time”?
What is fear or obsession?
In a question asking for the overall mood, you might support your answer with a sentence that shows this.
What is imagery or descriptive language?
When an author uses one image to represent a larger idea—like a door symbolizing opportunity—they are using this device.
What is symbolism?
What is cause and effect?
When something happens that’s the opposite of what you expect, it’s called this.
What is irony?
What is the central idea of "Once Upon A Time"?
What is the dangers of fear and paranoia? *Answers may vary*
When tone and mood don’t match—like cheerful words describing a tragic event—it creates this effect.
What is irony or contrast?
Which phrase best explains what the author means by the golden door
What is an entry to a place of great worth?
When an author uses repetition or contrast to highlight a key idea, they are using this writing strategy.
What is emphasis or rhetorical technique?
“The trusted coils they called ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ glistened in the sun.”
Based on this image, what symbol do the “Dragon’s Teeth” represent?
The coils symbolize fear and self-destruction