ELA Praxis Flashcards
What is the difference between topic and main idea?
Topic = the subject of a text (what the text is all about; can be deduced by a single word)
Main idea = the most important point being made by the author (Requires a complete sentence to be expressed)
In most nonfiction writing, the topic and the main idea will be stated directly.
What are supporting details?
Smaller pieces of evidence that provide backing for the main point. Most commonly found in informative and persuasive texts.
What is Author’s Purpose?
1) To inform
2) To Entertain
3) To persuade
How can you identify Author’s Purpose?
Look at organization
1) Section headings in bold font points to an informative text (not always applicable)
1) Informative texts usually has a clear main idea in the beginning.
2) Claim and provided with arguments to support claim - persuade
3) Telling of a story without pushing a particular point or deliver information - purpose is most likely to entertain.
Describe the characteristics of an informational text
1) Written to educate and enlighten readers. 2) Almost always nonfiction.
3) Deliver information in the most comprehensible way - structure is clear. Has thesis statement in the beginning.
4) May use colorful language, but emphasis is on clarity and precision. Facts and figures; rarely opinion based.
5) Has an even tone.
Describe the characteristics of persuasive writing
Tries to persuade or convince the reader to a certain opinion.
1) Opinion is presented as fact.
2) Emotional language - appeal to sympathy or morale.
3) Colorful or evocative language
4) Unfair explanation of opposing positions if they’re mentioned at all.
Describe the characteristics of entertaining writing
May be fictional or nonfictional.
1) May describe real or imagined people, places, and events.
2) Often narratives or poems.
3) Colorful language that engages the imagination and the emotions - often uses figurative language that evokes images and uses analogies.
4) Tends to show more of author’s personality than other text types.
Describe the characteristics of descriptive texts
Almost all writing is descriptive in that they describe events, ideas, or people.
Some texts are more concerned with description. Focuses on a particular subject and attempts to depict the subject in a way that will be clear to readers. Contains many adjectives and adverbs. A descriptive text fails when it is unclear to the reader.
A descriptive text will be informative and may be persuasive and entertaining as well.
How and why do authors use expressive language?
Expressive and bold language, like describing a personal situation or great pain or happiness. Author may use expressions like “I felt” and “I sense”
Is often used to persuade readers - readers must therefore maintain detachment in order to evaluate the strength of the author’s argument.
What is an expository passage?
Nonfiction; usually centers around a simple, easily defined topic. Aims to inform and enlighten readers. Often includes organization words (first, second, next, for example). Keeps the reader oriented in the text.
Not always about an interest, so it focuses on clarity and comprehensibility.
What is a narrative passage?
Can be fiction or nonfiction.
Elements of a narrative passage (that it must have):
1) have a plot (series of events)
2) Characters (people, animals, or inanimate objects)
3) Figurative language - stimulates the imagination of the reader (making comparisons and observations, using metaphors)
What is a technical passage?
Written to describe a complex object or process. Common in medical and technological fields. Clear order, clear headings and subheadings. Will often use numbers and letters to section the text; looks like an outline sometimes rather than prose. The amount of jargon or difficult vocabulary will vary depending on target audience.
Describe a chronological text structure
The author presents information in the order that it happened. Biographies are often written chronologically.
Describe a cause and effect text structure
A cause is an act or event that makes something happen, and an effect is the thing that happens as a result of the cause. Some terms make the relationship explicit: Consequently, therefore, this leads to. Sometimes it’s expressed in the sentence components (He was late and missed the meeting).
Desribe the value of sequencing a text/knowledge of sequences
Readers must be able to identify a text’s sequence, or the order in which things happen. If the sequence is very important to the author, the text is indicated with signal words (first, then, next..). Sometimes texts do not always proceed in an orderly sequence from first to last.
What are common genres in Prose Fiction?
A) Mystery
B) Science Fiction
C) Fantasy
D) Realistic Fiction
E) Historical Fiction
F) Literary Nonfiction
Describe the prose fiction genre - Mystery
Stories with plots that follow a protagonist as they work to solve an unexplained situation, such as murder, disappearance, or robbery. Protagonists may be amateurs or hired professionals who solve the mystery despite lack of experience and resources. Allows the reader to solve the mystery with the protagonist. The Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are examples
Describe the prose fiction genre - Science Fiction
Based on the manipulation and exaggeration of real scientific discoveries and processes. These works are speculative and frequently depict a world where scientific discoveries and society have progressed beyond the point reached at the time of the work’s creation. Often depicted in a distant location or time, allowing for dramatic advancements and conveniences they often depict. Dune, written by Frank Herbert, is an example.
Describe the prose fiction genre - Fantasy
Features imaginary creatures and supernatural abilities, but often take place in settings that resemble real places and cultures in history. Usually follows a gifted protagonist from humble beginnings as they embark on a quest, journey, or adventure. Encounters mystical beings and personally challenging obstacles. Personal growth, good vs. bad, and the value of the journey. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien is an example.
Describe the prose fiction genre - Realistic fiction
Describes fictional narratives that include events and characters that do not exist, but could appear in reality. The events and characters may be depicted in real places. Realistic fiction contains no far-fetched or impossible elements and presents situations that can or do occur in real life. Wonder by R.J. Palacio is an example
Describe the prose fiction genre - Historical fiction
Works that take place in the past and model their setting after real historical cultures, societies, and time periods. May include real historical figures and events, but not always.
Must be fully informed by the period and location they are set in, meaning both the major and minor details of the work must be historically compatible with the work’s setting. Examples: Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and Kathryn Stockett’s The help
Describe the prose fiction genre - Literary nonfiction
Nonfiction narratives that presents true facts and events in a way that entertains readers and displays creativity. Also called creative nonfiction - may resemble fiction in its style and flow, but the truth of the events it describes sets it apart from fictional literature. Biographies are considered literary nonfiction if they appear to employ creativity in their writing. Example: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
What is Realism?
Realism is the post civil war literary movement between 1865-1900.
A literary form with the goal of representing reality as faithfully as possible.
A reaction against the sentimentality and extreme emotionalism during the Romantic Literary movement, which championed feelings and emotional expression.
Focuses on immediacy of time and place, specific actions of the characters, and justifiable consequences of those actions. Writing in vernacular (conversational language), using specific dialects, and placing an emphasis on character rather than the plot. Often addresses ethical issues. Often concentrated on the middle classes of author’s society. Examples: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
What is Satire?
Uses sarcasm, irony, and humor as social criticism to lampoon human folly. Satire often involves creating situations or ideas that deliberately exaggerate reality to appear ridiculous to illuminate flawed behavior. A modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.