Narrative Stucture

Narrative Structure

By Beverley Cornish

Multiple Choice

Mr. Holland walked up to the teller and handed her a paper slip. She punched a few numbers into the computer and ran the slip through a machine. It printed some numbers on the back of the slip. She put the slip in the drawer and handed him five $20 bills.

Where did this take place?

• On an airplane

• In a bank

• In a classroom

• At McDonalds

Multiple Choice

Mrs. Harrison walked quickly through the snow to get to the school building. She had to turn on the stove before the students began arriving. Today was going to be a cold day.

When did this story take place?

• In the present

• In the future

• In the past

• At a time that cannot be determined

Multiple Select

Read the sentence below. Choose the elements of setting.

"The moon was shining brightly as the fox slowly crept toward the chicken coop," said Roger.

• fox crept slowly

• Roger

• chicken coop

• moon was shining brightly

Multiple Select

Crack! The storm raged as the men scrambled around the deck, securing the equipment. The pirate captain wrestled with the wheel, peering into the darkness through his one eye without a patch. The mighty ocean tossed them to and fro. As the first mate stumbled towards him, his wooden leg made a pounding sound on the deck. The captain shouted to his men, "We must bring down the sails!"

Identify the parts of the setting that are given below.

• A stormy night

• On a boat

• The equipment

• In the past

Multiple Select

Why is setting important in a story?

Select all of the correct answers.

• It provides a backdrop for the characters.

• It impacts the conflict.

• It influences the characters and plot.

• It starts the story.

Multiple Choice

It is early in the morning. Johnny and his dad were camping and woke up to see the sunrise.  They look at its beautiful colors and eat breakfast.

How would this story be different if it was set in the night?

• They might be able to see stars instead of the beautiful sunrise.

• They would be indoors.

• They would not eat.

• They would read a book instead of camping.

Multiple Choice

Sue was driving her car along the icy Virginia street in the middle of winter.  Her car started to slide.  She tried to get control but couldn’t and crashed into a tree.

How would this story have been different if the story was set in Miami, Florida?

• No women driving in Miami, Florida crash into trees.

• There would not have been an accident as women do not drive in Miami, Florida.

• Sue would have been riding a horse rather than driving a car, so she would not have crashed.

• There would be no ice on the street for her car to slide on because it does not snow there.

Multiple Choice

Jake is Cassie's older brother.  One day they are walking home from school when a cold front rolls in and the temperature drops 20 degrees.  Jake is dressed more appropriately for the weather than Cassie.  He takes off his hooded sweatshirt and offers it to her.  She gratefully accepts. Jake is now colder, but he is happier.

What type of characterization does the author use in the passage above?

• Direct

• Indirect

Multiple Select

Jake is Cassie's older brother.  One day they are walking home from school when a cold front rolls in and the temperature drops 20 degrees.  Jake is dressed more appropriately for the weather than Cassie.  He takes off his hooded sweatshirt and offers it to her.  She gratefully accepts. Jake is now colder, but he is happier.

Which character traits did Jake display in the passage above?

• kind

• cold

• strong

• thoughtful

Multiple Choice

The teacher asked Khadija what the answer was to the problem on the board.  Shy as usual, Khadija wore a worried expression on her face for a moment and then put her head down on her desk.  After the teacher moved on to someone else, Khadija whispered to her friend that the answer was 26.  Khadija was right.

What type of characterization did the author use?

• Direct

• Indirect

Multiple Select

Kelvin found a wallet on the ground.  He opened up the wallet and saw an old woman's ID card.  Kelvin took the ID out of the wallet, walked to the woman's house, and returned the wallet to her.

What character traits does Kelvin demonstrate?

• nosy

• trustworthy

• honest

• athletic

Multiple Choice

Jason is an accountant who came to work at 7:00 a.m. and left at 3:00 p.m. every day. Although Jason had been mugged several times on his way to work, he continued to take the same isolated route.

What type of character is Jason?

• flat

• round

• static

• dynamic

Multiple Choice

Dianne is the mother of Alson, the main character in a story. The author does not tell the reader anything about Dianne other than the fact that she is a hairdresser.

What type of character is Dianne?

• flat

• round

• static

• dynamic

Multiple Choice

Arnold is thirty-nine years old and works his entire life at the Department of Finance. One day, he meets Julia, a woman from another culture. He goes against his former beliefs and falls in love with her. They spend a lot of time going to art shows, something he came to appreciate when she introduces him to it, but he continues to be a voracious reader and a swimmer.

What type of character is Arnold?

• flat

• round

• static

• dynamic

Multiple Choice

Paul was a quiet boy who was very reliant on his mother and older brother until he was in a car crash on the way home from a basketball game. He could not rouse his father when he regained consciousness. Paul checked his father's pulse and found that he was still alive, got his father's phone, called 911 and did the things that the dispatcher told him in order to keep his father alive.

What type of character was Paul?

• flat

• round

• static

• dynamic

Multiple Choice

“Once upon a time, there were three bears. There was a Daddy Bear, who was very big, a Mama Bear, who was middle-sized, and a Baby Bear, who was very small. They all lived together in a little cottage in the middle of the woods."

Which part of the story is this?

• exposition

• initiating event

• rising action

• climax

Multiple Choice

Goldilocks opened her eyes and screamed with terror at the sight of the three angry bears. She jumped out of bed then jumped out of the window and ran all the way home.

Goldilocks never sneaked into someone else's house ever again.

Which part of the story is this?

• falling action

• climax

• resolution

• rising action

Multiple Choice

Oscar wore a new pair of white sneakers to school. Jerome stepped on Oscar's shoes and refused to apologize. Oscar shoved Jerome and the two boys began to fight. Mr. Molina came by and broke up the fight. The boys were taken to the office where the principal suspended them both.

What is the initiating event in this story?

• Oscar wore a new pair of white sneakers to school.

• Jerome stepped on Oscar's shoes

• Jerome refused to apologize

• Oscar shoved Jerome.

Multiple Choice

Anabelle wanted to go to the movies with her friends. As she prepared to go, Anabelle found that she did not have enough money. She went into her mother's purse and took all of the money that was in it. Anabelle's mom came home and found that her money was gone and called the police.

What is the initiating event in this story?

• She went into her mother's purse and took all of the money that was in it.

• Anabelle found that she did not have enough money.

• Anabelle's mom called the police.

• Anabelle wanted to go to the movies with her friends.

Multiple Choice

Justin was jealous of his cousin Cassie when she was named valedictorian of her class. "Some people are just born smart," he told himself later as he watched TV on the couch. He had not been with Cassie all those times when she studied late into the night. Justin was also jealous when his cousin Victor was elected class president. "Some people are just more popular than others," Justin told himself as he played video games on the couch. He had not been with Victor while he tirelessly campaigned. Justin never noticed that Victor treated everyone he knew with kindness and respect. When Justin's cousin Matthew became the varsity quarterback, again Justin was envious. "Some people are just more athletic than others," he told himself as he played on his computer. Justin had not been with Matthew while he trained morning and night. Justin had never attended the long weekend practices with Matthew. "One day something lucky will happen to me too," Justin told himself as he snacked on junk food.

What is the theme of this passage?

 

• Anything worth achieving requires hard work.

• Jealousy between cousins is natural.

• Wait to get lucky

• Not everyone can achieve

Multiple Choice

Nicole was hesitant to lend Liz her tea set. Though the tea set was not worth much money, it had been in the family for a long time and was pretty much irreplaceable. But Liz was persistent and since they were dear friends, Nicole relented and agreed to lend her the tea set. As Nicole had feared, Liz did not handle the tea set with the same care as Nicole. Consequently Liz broke or damaged several of the pieces. When Nicole asked for her tea set, Liz stalled, "Uh... I forgot it at my cousin's house. I'll get it later this week. I'm so sorry." Liz figured that she could run to the store and replace the missing pieces. When she got around to doing so, Liz was disappointed to find that no stores carried the antique tea set. So Liz purchased a brand new tea set, much more expensive than the old set. She then threw out the rest of Nicole's old tea set to hide the evidence of her irresponsibility. When Liz presented Nicole with the new tea set, Nicole was extremely disappointed. Liz did not understand why. "Look, Nicole, my cousin lost your tea set. I mean, he's still looking for it but it's probably gone, but this tea set is much nicer." When Nicole did not accept the new tea set, Liz shook her head in disgust. Liz told herself, "Some people don't appreciate anything."

What is the theme of this story?

• Money is everything

• Respect other's valuables

• It's ok if you can replace it

• Don't value old thngs

Multiple Choice

Tommy wanted a skateboard badly. Sometimes he would stay after school just to watch the older boys do tricks on the stairs. Tommy thought that it looked like so much fun to grind down rails and kickflip over gaps. He imagined performing jaw-dropping tricks on the landmarks he passed on his way home. After months of saving money and begging his grandma, Tommy finally got a skateboard. With a beaming grin across his face, Tommy ran to his driveway and tried one of the tricks that he had imagined. As Tommy put his first foot on his skateboard, the skateboard slid out from under him and he fell on his butt. Tommy broke out into tears. That was the last time that Tommy rode a skateboard.

 

What is the theme of the passage?

• Some things are not as easy as they seem.

• You must hurt yourself to get good.

• Everyone needs a skateboard.

• Always cry if you fall

Multiple Choice

Kelly just wanted a cup of coffee, but the coffee machine in the office is on the fritz. This inconvenient situation turns into an epic battle as Kelly won't take "It's broke" for an answer. Join Kelly as she spends the better part of her workday fiddling with the coffee maker in a desperate attempt to get caffeinated.

What type of conflict is this?

• man vs. man

• man vs. society

• man vs. self

• man vs. technology

Multiple Choice

Kyle thought it was a little weird this morning when his neighbor tried to eat him, but it wasn't until about halfway through first period that he realized why: Kyle's community is under a full-scale zombie attack. Kyle escapes from the zombie principal's office to find help, but the school's former bullies are now zombies. Kyle is going to have to get creative to survive this one.

What type of conflict is this?

• individual vs. nature

• individual vs. individual

• individual vs. technology

• individual vs. supernatural

Multiple Choice

Ever since Ziggy lost his twin brother in a tragic car accident, Ziggy hasn't been the same. He has been dragging his feet through life with a glazed look in his eyes. His grades have dropped, he doesn't want to hang out with his friends or family anymore, and he barely leaves his bedroom. Ziggy's mother cannot bear to lose two sons, so she sends Ziggy to an intensive survival bootcamp program far away from home. Will Ziggy learn that life must go on?

What type of conflict is this?

• man vs. self

• man vs. man

• man vs. nature

• man vs. society

Multiple Choice

Jerome and his family are vacationing on an island in tropical paradise. The waters are clear, the skies are big, and sand is clean. Suddenly, when a rumble shakes Jerome's sister off of her beach chair, Jerome remembers that the island on which they are staying is one big volcano. Soon the mountain releases its wrath and the eruption threatens every person on the island. Will Jerome and his family ever make it back home?

What type of conflict is this?

• character vs. nature

• character vs. self

• character vs. character

• character vs. self