Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

Which is the best definition of fiction?

• a. story that comes from the author's imagination
• b. a story that comes from real life
• c. a story in the newspaper
• d. a story that takes place in space

Which best describes nonfiction?

• a. a book with many chapters
• b. writing that focuses on one person or main idea
• a story with no dialogue or conversations between animals
• writing that is based on facts and true things that happened

You would find this image in a _____ book. 

• a. fiction
• b. nonfiction

Which of the following is most likely historical fiction?

• a. a short story about a prince and a talking frog
• b. a novel about a girl and her best friend
• c. a novel that takes place during the real event of the Civil War
• d. a short story about creatures on the planet Jupiter

Which beginning line of a book gives you a clue that it is fiction?

• a. "Last week, we learned about animals living in Asia."
• b. "Many years ago, King George wrote to his people."
• c. "Once upon a time, there lived a princess in a far-away land."
• d. "During the days of the dinosaurs, the T-Rex ruled."

Rebecca has written a story. Which sentence from the story shows that it is fiction?
I got Max when he was a kitten. He is black with a white spot on his chest. Max told me that he got his white spot by jumping through the snow. His spot makes him the cutest cat in the world!

• a. I got Max when he was a kitten.
• b. He is black with a white spot on his chest. 
• c. Max told me that he got his white spot by jumping through the snow.
• d. His spot makes him the cutest cat in the world!

Which book title is probably fiction?

• a. Around the Sun: Our Solar System
• b. Apollo 13: The First Trip to the Moon
• c. Space Food: What Astronauts Eat
• d. Lost on Mars: The Adventures of the Lee Family

Which book is probably nonfiction?

• a. A book about a boy and a dragon.
• b. A book about a robot that destroys the earth.
• c. A book about a girl who travels back through time.
• d. A book about the first teen to win a figure skating contest at the Olympics.

A biography is a book based on a person's ___________.

• a. fantasy
• b. real life
• c. best day
• d. favorite character

Mr. Thompson's fourth-grade class is writing stories about birds. Read a part of each story and choose the one that is the BEST example of fiction. 

• a. One day, my sister and I were walking through the woods and came upon a nest. I peered inside to see two tiny blue shells. "Aren't they beautiful?" asked my sister.
• b. Last night, I heard scratching on my window. I was scared, so I called my mom. My mom peered out the window. "Look, silly!" she said. "A bird has made a nest on your windowsill."
• c. "I wake up every morning to the sound of birds. Some of the birds chirp. Others sound like they are singing a song. They sound very happy, but I'm not. "Quiet!" I say. "I'm trying to sleep!"
• d. I was waiting for the bus one day when I heard a tiny voice. "Can you help us?" asked the voice. I looked up into a tree to see a beautiful red bird talking. "Our nest blew out of the tree in last week's storm."