Mood & Tone, Theme, & Irony

In the movie "Toy Story," human characters are not aware that the toys speak and move but the audience is.

• Verbal Irony

• Situational Irony

• Dramatic Irony

• None of the above

What is situational irony?

• When what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

• When the audience knows something a character doesn't.

• When what happens is the opposite of what is expected.

What is an example of verbal irony?

• Chanting "you're an awesome athlete!" to an Olympian

• When the sun is shining and the birds are singing you say, " Nice weather we're having right?"

• Saying "Good job!" to someone who just rear ended a car

• All of the above

What is the tone of a story?

• The feeling the passage evokes from the reader

• The time and place of a story

• The author, narrator, or speakers attitude toward a subject

• The summary of events in the story

"We have some important news for you Mr. President. We have discovered a terrorist plot against the United States" said the CIA agent. The President closed the book, set it on the desk, and leaned forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Tell me everything you know."

What is the tone of the dialogue?

• Informal

• Optimistic

• Joyous

• Serious

Which words build suspense in the following passage?

Jessica walked slowly through the hallway. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” she yelled. Since the room was dark, she had to feel around for the doorknob to the dining room. As her hand closed around the cool brass knob, she gave it a firm twist to the right, opening the door to the dining hall with a satisfying bang. The long table was illuminated by a stream of moonlight from a large bay window to her right, allowing her to see enough to enter the room. She giggled with nervousness as she took a few steps forward, stopping short at the sight of something shadowy moving in the corner.

• room, doorknob, corner

• bang, shadowy, nervousness

• walked, feel steps

• walked, hallway

What mood is evoked from this passage?

Abshu wished that his own family could have

stayed together. There were four of them who ended up

in foster care: him, two younger sisters, and a baby

brother. He understood why his mother did what she

did, but he couldn't help wondering if there might have been a better way.

• Calm

• Passion

• Fear

• Sorrow

You can get clues about a story's theme from

• setting of the story

• way a character looks

• the mood a character

• lesson the character learns

A theme is the big idea in a story. It's the message about people or the world that the author is trying to get across. Themes are universal, which means they are true in all times and all places. They apply to many different types of people.

Read the following passage from a story.

Rohan triumphantly lifted the trophy above his head. Despite all the obstacles, he had won. Beneath his cheerful exterior, he felt a twinge of the constant pain he’d learned to live with. Almost unconsciously, Rohan removed one hand from the trophy and rubbed the thin red scar that snaked around his ankle. He thought back to the surgery and the weeks spent lying in his bed, unable to compete. The months of exercises to strengthen his leg. “Rohan!” he heard the crowd scream, as if in slow motion. A smile broke across Rohan’s face, shattering his thoughts. He returned his hand to his trophy, firmly grasping it.

Which of the following is most likely a theme of the story?

• Through determination, you can overcome big challenges.

• Some goals are too hard to achieve even if you try many times.

• You need the support of your family to overcome challenges.

• When you achieve a goal, you shouldn’t brag about it.

Wind whipped at Vanessa, Mo and Jaime's faces as they trudged up the mountain. "Do you have the ice samples?" Vanessa questioned Mo again."Why don't you carry them the rest of the way?" he responded irritably. Mo was digging into his backpack to retrieve the samples when suddenly, a gust of wind snatched them out of his hands, sending them tumbling down the mountain."

If we lose those, this was all for nothing!" Vanessa cried. The wind roared angrily, churning flakes of snow that had newly begun to fall. How far had the samples gone? The three scientists stared at each other in horrified silence."

I'll go back for them," Jaime spoke up quietly.

Vanessa and Mo looked at Jaime. He was the smallest and youngest of the group, barely strong enough to carry his large backpack.

"I'll go," he said louder.

Which sentence from the passage provides the best clue that a theme of the story is "Courage can be found in the people you least expect it"?

• "The wind roared angrily, churning flakes of snow that had newly begun to fall."

• "'Why don't you carry them the rest of the way?'" he responded irritably."

• "How far had the samples gone?"

• "He was the smallest and youngest of the group, barely strong enough to carry his large backpack."