Literary Elements

Question 1

setting

Answer 1

the time, place, social conditions, and atmosphere in which a story takes place

Question 2

plot

Answer 2

how events unfold in a story

Question 3

conflict

Answer 3

the tension between characters or events that forces a story’s plot to unfold

Question 4

character

Answer 4

the person in a work of fiction

Question 5

point of view

Answer 5

the angle from which the story is told.

Example: First person narrator uses the words “I” and “my” when describing events.

Question 6

theme

Answer 6

a central insight or main idea that the author is trying to convey through a story
Examples: “Believe in yourself.”
“Things are not always what they appear to be.”

Question 7

5 parts of the setting

Answer 7

1. place
2. time
3. weather
4. social conditions
5. mood or atmosphere

Question 8

5 parts of the plot

Answer 8

1. introduction
2. rising action
3. climax
4. falling action
5. denouement

Question 9

denouement

Answer 9

the final outcome or untangling of events in the story

Question 10

3 parts of the climax of a story

Answer 10

a. The main character receives new information.
b. The main character accepts this information but does not necessarily agree with it.
c. The main character acts on this information and makes a choice.

Question 11

2 types of conflict

Answer 11

1. external

2. internal

Question 12

4 kinds of conflict

Answer 12

1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Circumstances
3. Man vs. Society
4. Man vs. Himself

Question 13

character

Answer 13

1. The person in a work of fiction.

2. The characteristics of a person (or “traits”)

Question 14

protagonist

Answer 14

the main character

Question 15

antagonist

Answer 15

character who opposes the main character

Question 16

4 kinds of characterizations

Answer 16

1. His or her physical appearance
2. What he or she says, thinks, feels, and dreams
3. What he or she does or does not do
4. What others say about him or her and how others react to him or her

Question 17

3 forms of characters

Answer 17

1. Individual – They have round, many-sided, and complex personalities.
2. Developing – They have dynamic, many-sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by
   the end of the story.
3. Static – This character is often stereotypical. He or she has one or two characteristics that never
   change and are emphasized. (i.e. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, or cruel stepmother)

Question 18

4 kinds of Point of View

Answer 18

1. Innocent Eye
2. Stream of Consciousness
3. First Person
4. Omniscient Narrator

Question 19

stream of consciousness narration

Answer 19

the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all his or her thoughts and reactions

Question 20

omniscient narrator

Answer 20

The author tells the story in the third person, using pronouns like she, he, they, or it.