Fiction Review

Fiction Review

Plot Elements

• When analyzing a literary plot, ask yourself questions like —

  - At what point does the rising action begin? What incident introduces the main conflict in the story?

  
  

  - What is the climax of the story? How did the protagonist, or main character, get to this point? What must happen to break the tension?

  
  

  - How is the conflict resolved? What events tie up any loose ends?

  
  

• Plot refers to the events that occur in a story. Authors arrange these events in a logical manner so that readers can see how they connect together. The structure of a story can change depending on how the author chooses to organize events.

Multiple Choice

What is the conflict in the story?

• The library's printer has run out of ink, so Luan and Jared can't print their report.

• Jared has not contributed anything to the report due tomorrow.

• Luan can't find the printouts he needs for the report.

• Luan and Jared's report is not where it should be on the computer.

Multiple Choice

What is the main conflict in the story?

• Aliyah and her older sister, Soumya, no longer get along well.

• Aliyah has to go to the emergency room, but has no way to get there.

• Aliyah is tired of taking ballet lessons because she has to wait for a ride home

• Soumya and Aliyah do not have enough time to spend together.

Multiple Choice

What is the resolution of the story?

• Aliyah’s foot feels better when Soumya helps get her to the car and kisses her hand.

• Soumya and Aliyah get along better when Soumya helps Aliyah with her hurt foot.

• Soumya remembers when Aliyah was a baby in a pink blanket ten years ago.

• Aliyah goes to the emergency room to get her hurt foot looked at by a doctor.

Multiple Choice

The setting at the beginning of the story is outside of Aliyah’s ballet studio. What influence does the setting have on the story’s plot?

• It is outside of the ballet studio that Aliyah fell and hurt her foot while waiting for her sister, Soumya, to pick her up.

• It was at the ballet studio that Aliyah hurt her foot, and because she was at the ballet studio, she had to wait for her sister Soumya to pick her up.

• Because the ballet studio was so far from their home, it took Soumya a very long time to come and pick Aliyah up.

Multiple Choice

The climax of the passage happens when __________.

• Cheyenne assures her parents that she knows what to do.

• Cheyenne sees that Celie has spilled yogurt on the carpet.

• Cheyenne says goodbye to her parents in the driveway.

• Celie sits on the floor, sobbing.

Multiple Choice

What is the conflict in the story?

• Celie and Cheyenne’s parents have left the house for the day.

• Although Celie makes a mess, she does not want to clean it.

• Cheyenne cannot make Celie feel better about making a mess.

• For Cheyenne, babysitting is harder than she expected it to be.

Setting

Multiple Select

Which descriptions describe settings in the story?

• wearing a cotton frock and slippers

• in the city, where Shruti is from

• n Kanpur, where Shruti's grandparents live

• during the hot summer, when there is no school

• in the paddy fields in early morning

Multiple Choice

How does the cultural setting of the story affect the plot?

• Because the girls in Kanpur dress and act differently, Shruti changes the way she dresses and acts to fit in with the others.

• Shruti refuses to change how she dresses and acts in Kanpur, so she is always rejected and alone.

• Because she is from the city, everyone wants to talk to Shruti to learn about what life is like there.

Characters

Characters are the people who populate a story. Characters will have different personalities and motivations that will affect how they interact with other characters and react to events in a story.

Their internal and external responses can change a situation, create or help resolve a conflict, and add tension to a scene.

Internal responses — A character's internal responses refer to his or her feelings, desires, thoughts, and motivations.

External responses — A character's external responses refer to his or her actions and decisions.

Multiple Choice

The change of setting in paragraph 4 tells the reader that...

• the parents have waited a long time.

• the brothers are not going back.

• the brothers have returned home.

• the parents are visiting their sons.

Multiple Choice

How do Mongoo and Bataar look at fish differently?

• Bataar will not eat fish, but fish is Mongoo's favorite food.

• Bataar sees fish as food, but Mongoo sees them as living creatures she does not want to eat.

• Bataar sees fish as fun to play with, but Mongoo thinks they smell.

• Bataar enjoys fishing, but Mongoo finds fishing a boring and tedious chore.

Multiple Choice

How did Mongoo change from the beginning to the end of the story?

• At the beginning, she was angry with her brother, but at the end, she understood that he was right.

• At the beginning, she was upset, but at the end, she felt better and stronger.

• At the beginning, she did not want to eat fish, but at the end, she liked eating fish.

• At the beginning, she was feeling very sad, but at the end, she was just angry.

Multiple Choice

Which word best describes how Bataar feels throughout most of the story?

• Spiteful

• Furious

• Cautious

• Regretful