9th Lit.FALL FINALStudy Guide

FICTION

CHARACTERIZATION

• Direct – the author tells you directly about the person: “Steve was tall, with long, brown hair. He was friendly and outgoing and loved to wear t-shirts with silly slogans on them.”

• Indirect: the reader must infer what the character is like by analyzing details (such as what they say): “Steve had to bend down to enter the cabin, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He had a smile on his face and looked amused when others would stop to stare at his shirt.”

Question 1

• William sits mostly silent and fails to support his opinion. He mutters his replies to the colonel.

1. Is this direct or indirect characterization?

• William was stubborn and would not explain himself. His speech was reflective of his attitude – uncooperative.

2. Is this direct or indirect characterization?

ANSWER

1. INDIRECT

2. DIRECT

CHARACTERIZATION• Protagonist – main character• Antagonist – character who goes against the main character• Round Character – character has many personality traits

(like real people do)• Flat character – character has only one or two personality

traits (the clown, the trouble • maker)• Dynamic Character – the character changes and grows

(develops) by the end of the • story• Static Character – character remains the same – never

really develops

QUESTION 2

Agnes, with whom the controversy began and around whom it continues to swirl, seems at first glance colorless, almost invisible. But if I think hard enough, I can remember every detail of her face and the way she moved. I’m not sure why she had such a great influence on me, but she did.

If Agnes turns out to be the main character in the story, which word pair will

most likely describe her best?A. flat and dynamicB. round and dynamicC. round and staticD. dynamic and static

ANSWER

B) Round and Dynamic

MOTIVATION

•Motivation – the reasons behind (WHY) a character thinks what he does, feels the way he does, and acts the way he does…

Question 3

• John’s father yelled at him all of the time; he felt he could never do anything right. When his father found out that he had lost the important papers, he would be in big trouble. John decided he needed to run away.

What is John's motivation for running away?

a) fearb) anger

Answer

A) Fear

Cause and Effect

• Cause: an event, action, or feeling that produces a result

• Effect: the result that is produced.

ASK QUESTIONS AS YOU READ TO ANALYSIZE CAUSE AND EFFECT…..

1. What happened?2. Why did it happen?3. What happens as a result?

Question 4

• Sue was trying hard not to be noticed. She kept quiet and tip-toed around. She kept looking at everyone through the corner of her eye, trying to determine if anyone was watching her. By not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into the one person she wanted the most to avoid!

What causes Sue to bump into someone?a) She was on tip-toesb) She was not paying attention to where she was goingc) The person crept up on her

Answer

B) She was not paying attention.

CONFLICT

• Conflict – struggle between opposing forces – forms the basis of a story

• External conflict – main character struggles against an outside force: another character, expectations of society, nature, etc

• Internal conflict – a character in conflict with him/her self: fear, jealousy, pride

• Resolved at the Climax of the story

Question 5

• How would a person with an internal conflict feel?a) afraidb) cold c) happy

A hurricane is approaching a small ship. What type of conflict is this?

d) internale) external

Answer

A) afraid (happy does not produce a conflict!)

B) external

IRONY

• Verbal Irony – what you say does not match what you really mean: “I don’t mind being short,” said Mary, while wearing 3” heels.

• Situational irony – when the ending is a surprise and unexpected: “After making fun of home alarms, Mark’s house was burglarized.”

Question 6• Courtney ran to the door. In the week since she had last seen Michael,

she had changed. When Michael, arguably the most popular boy at school, had first asked her out, Courtney had been astonished. With her wild, frizzy hair and exotic clothes, she looked nothing like the girls in Michael’s social group. But now she had cut and straightened her hair and was wearing a trendy outfit borrowed from the school’s fashion expert. Courtney threw open the door. Michael was so shocked that he took two steps back. Who had kidnapped the funny girl with the unusual looks—the girl he was interested in—and replaced her with this clone of a teen model?

• What happens that creates situational irony?• A. Michael is upset at Courtney’s changes.• B. Michael does not know what to think about Courtney’s changes.• C. Michael is confused about Courtney’s changes.• D. Michael is delighted with Courtney’s changes

Answer

A) Michael is upset at Courtney’s changes

(she expected him to be excited)

SETTING

•WHEN and WHERE

• an important element to the story – as important as any character

QUESTION 7

The supermarket was very crowded with anticipation. People were rushing in to buy charcoal for barbeques, family get-togethers, and beach parties.

What can you infer is the setting for this selection?a) A weekend in the fallb) The Fourth of July in the suburbsc) A birthday celebration in a big city

ANSWER

B) The Fourth of July in the suburbs

INFERENCES

• An EDUCATED guess, based on what you have already read.

• PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS!!!• Use your prior knowledge of how events

really happen to make predictions.

******SIMILAR TO MAKING A PREDICTION….

QUESTION 8

“A tall, slender man, a package clutched tightly by his side, slipped from shadow to shadow. Once a dog barked, and the man’s black suit merged into the blackness of a wall.”

What can you infer from this selection?a) The man is tired and wants to get home.b) The man is angry and seeking revenge.c) The man is frightened and trying to escape

ANSWER

C) the man is frightened and trying to escape