3: Fiction

Question 1

a story invented by the author, not true (short stories, fables, vignettes, plays, novellas, novels)

Answer 1

fiction

Question 2

individuals (people, animals, etc.) in a story

Answer 2

characters

Question 3

a character that does not play an important role in a story (only one or two distinct traits, little description)

Answer 3

flat character

Question 4

a stereotypical character with a concept easily recognizable to readers (ex. mad scientist, evil stepmother)

Answer 4

stock character

Question 5

a character that plays an important, often lead role in a story - complex, dimensional, well-developed

Answer 5

round character

Question 6

a character that stays the same throughout a story, does not show significant change or development

Answer 6

static character

Question 7

a character that shows significant change and development, gains insight over the course of a story - impacts their beliefs, attitudes, actions

Answer 7

dynamic character

Question 8

where and when a story takes place (surroundings, time of day, weather, time of year, historical period, location)

Answer 8

setting

Question 9

the order of events in a story

Answer 9

plot

Question 10

model used to identify the usual structure of a plot - exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement

Answer 10

Freytag’s Pyramid

Question 11

introduction to the characters, time/setting, and problem of a story

Answer 11

exposition

Question 12

point in a plot where an inciting incident occurs that the main character(s) must address, begins the story - gradually becomes more complex through unfolding of events

Answer 12

rising action

Question 13

event in a plot with the greatest intensity and uncertainty, in which the main problem of the story is contended with - turning point of the story

Answer 13

climax

Question 14

events in a plot that unfold after the climax, may elicit an emotional response from the reader

Answer 14

falling action

Question 15

AKA conclusion - point in a plot following the falling action that provides closure to the story, ties up loose ends

Answer 15

denouement

Question 16

a struggle between two entities in a story - usually protagonist vs. antagonist

Answer 16

conflict

Question 17

the main character of a story

Answer 17

protagonist

Question 18

an adversary of the main character of a story - often the “villain”

Answer 18

antagonist

Question 19

point of view in which one of the story’s characters narrates and gives their account of the story

Answer 19

first-person

Question 20

point of view in which the narrator is not a character in the story

Answer 20

third-person

Question 21

point of view in which the third-person narrator only knows the thoughts of one character

Answer 21

third-person limited

Question 22

point of view in which the third-person narrator has an unlimited ability to describe the thoughts of various characters

Answer 22

third-person omniscient

Question 23

underlying truth / message that is being conveyed in a story (coming of age, good vs. evil, beating the odds, etc.)

Answer 23

theme

Question 24

a verb that simply connects two parts of a sentence together, without detail (“Sally is in Central Park”) - is, are, was, were, be, am, been

Answer 24

linking verb

Question 25

a verb that identifies what the subject in the sentence is doing, moves characters from scene to scene (“Sally limped through Central Park”)

Answer 25

action verb

Question 26

a verb that depicts a character’s thinking through simple terms (thinks, knows, understands, realizes, believes, imagines, etc.) - should be avoided

Answer 26

thought verb

Question 27

words that describe verbs, adjectives, etc. - usually end in “-ly” - precise action verbs should be used instead

Answer 27

adverbs

Question 28

a narrator that cannot be trusted to present the story accurately or with credibility as their view of the events is skewed - may be due to mental health or devious/antisocial nature - character flaws are revealed/hinted towards somehow

Answer 28

unreliable narrator

Question 29

a narrator that also has their own distinct view of the events, but is attempting to tell it in an accurate, impartial way

Answer 29

reliable narrator

Question 30

a narrator that is innocent / inexperienced and lacks certain knowledge or understanding about the events - may be due to age (young child, senile elder) or narrator’s lack of experience in a certain environment/culture

Answer 30

naive narrator

Question 31

a narrator who is simply a witness to the story and presents the events in a factual manner - do not interject their conscious thoughts or opinions

Answer 31

detached observer