What is the Horror Genre?

What is the central idea of paragraph 2?

• Scary stories are fun because the characters are in a world unlike the one we live in.

• Readers identify the setting in the story by recalling scenes from popular horror stories.

• Suspense is created by setting up scenes in which readers know bad things can take place.

• We are surprised by familiar characters because they often think and act in innocent ways.

One central idea of the selection is that horror —

• more enjoyable than other genres of fiction

• is more focused on suspense than most genres

• is not limited to stories that are about monsters

• is not as complicated as other kinds of literature

Read the sentence from a student’s analysis of “What Is the Horror Genre?”

Sharon A. Russell explains what the horror genre is and how it develop and change
over time.

Which of the following revisions changes the underlined phrase so that it correctly uses the past tense?

developed and changed

developed and changes

develops and changed

develops and changes

• Developed and Changed

• Developed and changes

• Develops and changed

• Develops and changes

Which two details support the author’s central idea that horror can be categorized by the source of the horror?

• We are not surprised to find old houses, abandoned castles, damp cellars, or dark forests as important elements in the horror story. (paragraph 3)

• . . . the ghosts turn out to be squirrels in the attic . . . (paragraph 4)

• horror has its greatest effect on us because we almost believe . . . that the events are possible. (paragraph 4)

• Dr. Frankenstein’s need for knowledge turns him into the kind of person who creates a monster. (paragraph 5)

• The vampire attacks the victim, but then the victim becomes a vampire and attacks others. (paragraph 5)

Read the sentence from paragraph 3.

Our advance knowledge creates suspense because we can anticipate what is going
to happen.

Which of the following is the best paraphrase of this sentence?

• Knowing the plot and thinking about the characters promotes suspense.

• The suspense is created when we know that the characters will be surprised.

• The plot promotes suspense by making us think about what is going to happen next.

• Using what we know and making predictions based on the circumstances creates suspense.