Emotional feeling based on surroundings

Setting tells you where and when a story occurs. Setting includes two things: time and place. Time includes the time period. It can also include elapsed time, or how much time passes for the characters. The place is where a story happens, including details about what that space looks, sounds or smells like or what it is like to live there. 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?

“A large blue caterpillar..”

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

How do you know what the setting of a story is? Sometimes, a narrator will tell you where and when the story occurs right away. Often, though, you’ll have to look for clues to determine the setting. Try to find words or phrases that tell you what it looks like or sounds like where the characters are. Characters can also give clues about the setting. Be sure that your inferences about the setting are backed up by evidence from the text. Read the following passage: As Maribelle 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. Maribelle 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.”

“Maribelle had only moved here a few months before.”

“But right now, she was frightened.”

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

Setting can symbolize, or stand for, other elements of a story. For example, when setting changes, a character might change. Setting can also symbolize what a character is feeling in a particular scene. Setting can also help us understand the choices that characters make. Read the following passage: Gilberto had been excited to go to the beach but when he got there and saw how crowded it was, he became annoyed. The sun twinkled in the sky, a warm yellow globe. The sound of the ocean drummed in his ears and the sand itched his ankles and feet. Beside him, his sister slurped loudly on an ice cream cone. “Could you not?” Gilberto asked. Which detail about the setting tells us that Gilberto is annoyed?

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

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

“Beside him, his sister slurped loudly on an ice cream cone.”

“Gilberto had been excited to go to the beach...”

Which questions about a story will the setting answer?

Where and when does the story take place?

What is the author’s attitude toward the characters?

Who are the people the story is about?

Why and when did the author write the story?

What is plot in a short story?

the events that happen in order in a story

Who is the antagonist in a story?

the character or characters working against the main character

Who is the Protagonist in a story?

The character against the main character

How is a short story different from a novel?

They have conflicts that are introduced and resolved quickly.

They have characters that are more developed than in novels.

Two of the answers here are correct.

Short Stories Elements

Quiz

•

English

•

7th Grade

•

Practice Problem

•

Medium

•

CCSS

RL.6.3, RL.2.10, RL.5.4

+21

Standards-aligned

Christina Macdonald

Used 46+ times

FREE Resource

27 questions

Show all answers

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

Exposition

Setting and background info

Turning point

The end

Events after the climax

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Inciting Incident

Setting and background

Turning point where protagonist makes a tough decision

Point in the story that grabs your attention

Events after the climax

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Rising Action

Events leading to the climax

Events after the climax

Setting and background

Point that hooks the reader's attention

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Climax

Events leading to the resolution

Point that grabs the reader's attention

Turning point where the protagonist makes a tough decision

All conflicts are resolved and the story is over

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Falling action

Events leading to the climax

Events leading to the resolution

The turning point where the protagonist makes a tough choice

Setting and background information

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Resolution

Setting and background

Turning point in the story

Grabs the reader's attention

The end of the story; conflict usually resolved

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

The climax MUST involve which character's decision making?

Protagonist

Antagonist

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.9

Access all questions and much more by creating a free account

Create resources

Host any resource

Get auto-graded reports

Continue with Google

Continue with Email

Continue with Classlink

Continue with Clever

or continue with

Microsoft

Apple

Others

Already have an account?

Similar Resources on Wayground

25 questions

Revisão - 7º ano - Primeiro Trimestre

Quiz

•

7th Grade

23 questions

Succeed in A2 Key- Reading vocab- Test 1

Quiz

•

6th - 8th Grade

22 questions

ภาษาอังกฤษ ป.6-ม.3

Quiz

•

6th - 9th Grade

22 questions

Diagnostisch S.O. U3 Engels

Quiz

•

7th Grade

22 questions

E OW1 U1 Irregular verbs part1 (be - keep)

Quiz

•

7th Grade

23 questions

RACE

Quiz

•

6th - 8th Grade

22 questions

Timezone 3 - Unit 12 - Reading - Vocabulary

Quiz

•

6th - 8th Grade

22 questions

Talking about work

Quiz

•

6th - 8th Grade

Popular Resources on Wayground

15 questions

Fractions on a Number Line

Quiz

•

3rd Grade

20 questions

Equivalent Fractions

Quiz

•

3rd Grade

25 questions

Multiplication Facts

Quiz

•

5th Grade

$fractions$

22 questions

fractions

Quiz

•

3rd Grade

20 questions

Main Idea and Details

Quiz

•

5th Grade

20 questions

Context Clues

Quiz

•

6th Grade

15 questions

Equivalent Fractions

Quiz

•

4th Grade

20 questions

Figurative Language Review

Quiz

•

6th Grade

Discover more resources for English

5 questions

Legends, Leaders, & Changemakers: Maya Angelou

Interactive video

•

6th - 8th Grade

20 questions

Ethos, Pathos, Logos Practice

Quiz

•

6th - 7th Grade

20 questions

Main Idea and Supporting Details

Quiz

•

7th Grade

15 questions

Main Idea and Supporting Details.

Quiz

•

4th - 11th Grade

12 questions

Final Figurative Language Review

Lesson

•

6th - 8th Grade

20 questions

Context Clues Practice

Quiz

•

7th Grade

5 questions

Text Structures

Lesson

•

6th - 8th Grade

19 questions

Figurative Language Review

Quiz

•

7th Grade

Short Stories Elements

27 questions

Exposition

Inciting Incident

Rising Action

Climax

Falling action

Resolution

The climax MUST involve which character's decision making?

Setting

Atmosphere

Access all questions and much more by creating a free account

Similar Resources on Wayground

Popular Resources on Wayground

Discover more resources for English