Setting, Mood & Conflict

Which of the following might describe the complete setting of a story?

• a child trying to reach the end of a rainbow

• an amusement park

• a high school in 1956 during the Civil Rights Movement

• two students arguing during a basketball game

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Setting can give clues about a story’s ________.

• plot

• characters

• mood

• all of the above

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Setting can shape other elements of a story such as mood.

Read the following passage:

Edythe had been excited to go to the beach but when she got there and saw how crowded it was, she became annoyed. The sun twinkled in the sky, a warm yellow globe. The sound of the ocean drummed in her ears and the sand itched her ankles and feet. Beside her, Edythe's sister slurped loudly on an ice cream cone. “Could you not?” Edythe asked.

Which detail about the setting tells us that Edythe is annoyed?

• “The sound of the ocean drummed in her ears and the sand itched her ankles and feet.”

• “The sun twinkled in the sky, a warm yellow globe.”

• “Edythe had been excited to go to the beach...”

• “Beside Edythe, her sister slurped loudly on an ice cream cone.”

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which of the following settings suggest a tense and nervous mood?

• A city playground full of laughing, playing children and parents.

• A long line of people waiting to buy concert tickets that are almost sold out.

• A stream running through a quiet, peaceful forest.

• An empty mall parking lot early on a Sunday morning.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which description of a setting would best create a mood of loneliness for a story?

• “The sun was bright, and the breeze was warm in the park. In the distance, there was the pleasant noise of children laughing.”

• “The restaurant was packed. The waitress balanced three dishes on her arm and moved carefully around the large, round tables. Everyone’s plates were full.”

• “At the amusement park, the ticket counter hadn’t opened yet. It was still too early. But the warm smell of hot dogs and pretzels was already filling the air with the promise of fun.”

• “The sky was gray that cool November afternoon in the empty playground. The swings were rusted. The wood was rotted. There was silence except for the wind blowing through the dead leaves.”

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Read the following passage:

As Keely hurried down the street, the wind swept the snow along the sidewalk and hid her footsteps, so that it looked as if no one had passed. Above her, the cold, silent skyscrapers of the city loomed. The whole block was eerily silent in the snowstorm, and she pulled her coat tightly around her. Keely had only moved here a few months before. She came because she wanted to be a singer. But right now, she was frightened.

Which detail from the passage indicate the setting?

• “Above her, the cold, silent skyscrapers of the city loomed.”

• “Keely had only moved here a few months before.”

• “But right now, she was frightened.”

• “She came because she wanted to be a singer.”

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Read the following passage from Alice in Wonderland:

Once in the wood, she was anxious to get back to her right size again, and then to get into that lovely garden. But how? Peeping over a mushroom, she beheld a large blue caterpillar sitting on the top with its arms folded...

Which detail from the text provides a clue to the place where this passage takes place?

• “Once in the wood…"

• “A large blue caterpillar..”

• “...get back to her right size again...”

• “...with its arms folded”

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which option is the most likely setting for a story with the theme “man vs. nature?”

• A nursing home

• A middle school

• A forest

• A lawyer’s office

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Good readers often use clues in the setting to make inferences about the plot and characters. In the passage below, what can you infer about Jesse using clues from the setting?

One summer day, Jesse the Bright slept alone in his room in the castle at Reddington. The light of morning seeped slowly through his curtains. Jesse blinked against the day, smiling as his dream came to a peaceful conclusion.

• Jesse is a mean person.

• Jesse is a prince or king.

• Jesse has an older sister.

• The setting doesn’t give us any clues about Jesse.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

If the passage below were set at Bri’s birthday party, what could you infer?

Bri laughed loudly. “I can’t believe you did that!” she said, smiling.

• Bri might have received an unexpected present.

• Bri might be a very selfish character.

• Bri might be mad at her best friend.

• Bri might be talking to her uncle.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3