Short Story Elements

Question 1

What is a short story?

Answer 1

A brief, imaginative narrative containing few characters, simple plot, a suit, and suspense which lead to a climax.

Question 2

What are the main elements of plot?

Answer 2

• Introduction
• Exposition
• Inciting Incident
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution

Question 3

What is the purpose of the narrative hook?

Answer 3

To grab the reader’s attention with a question or statement.

Question 4

Define conflict in a story.

Answer 4

What prevents the main character from getting what they want.

Question 5

What types of conflict exist in a narrative?

Answer 5

• Internal
• External

Question 6

What is the inciting incident?

Answer 6

The first major action in the story that sets the plot in motion.

Question 7

What is rising action?

Answer 7

The incidents which carry the plot along.

Question 8

What is foreshadowing?

Answer 8

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.

Question 9

What is a flashback?

Answer 9

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Question 10

What is the climax of a story?

Answer 10

The point of greatest tension or drama, which is the turning point of the narrative.

Question 11

What is falling action?

Answer 11

The part of the story that follows the climax and leads to the resolution.

Question 12

What is the resolution in a narrative?

Answer 12

The conclusion of the story where conflicts are resolved.

Question 13

Fill in the blank: The chain of events in a story is called the _______.

Answer 13

[plot]

Question 14

What is the climax in a story?

Answer 14

The highest point of interest in the story when characters solve their struggles

The climax is often associated with the highest point of emotions in the narrative and can be subjective in nature.

Question 15

What occurs during the falling action of a story?

Answer 15

The character completes the action of their decision

This phase follows the climax and leads towards the resolution.

Question 16

Define resolution in the context of a story.

Answer 16

The final work of a story’s conflict where all loose ends are tied up

This is the part of the narrative that concludes the story.

Question 17

What is the setting of a story?

Answer 17

The time and location where the action occurs

The setting helps create the mood and atmosphere of the text.

Question 18

What does atmosphere refer to in a literary context?

Answer 18

The feeling the setting evokes

Examples of atmosphere include mysterious, happy, or eerie feelings.

Question 19

Differentiate between mood and atmosphere.

Answer 19

Mood is the author’s emotional attitude toward the subject matter

Mood is not the mood of the characters but rather the overall feeling conveyed by the author.

Question 20

What are characters in a story?

Answer 20

Any personalities who are involved in the plot of the story

Typically, there are fewer than six characters in a short story, which may include people, animals, or fantasy characters.

Question 21

Who is the protagonist?

Answer 21

The good guy or hero in the story who is the main character we follow

The protagonist tries to solve the conflict within the narrative.

Question 22

Define the antagonist.

Answer 22

The bad guy or villain in the story who usually creates conflict for the main character

The antagonist opposes the protagonist’s goals.

Question 23

What are secondary characters?

Answer 23

Other characters who contribute to moving the plot but may not be involved with the central conflict

They add depth to the story without being the main focus.

Question 24

What are character traits?

Answer 24

Physical and personality traits revealed through:
* What the character does
* What the character says
* What other characters say or do about the character
* What the author states directly
* What the author infers

Character traits help to develop the character’s role in the story.

Question 25

What is the theme of a story?

Answer 25

The central idea about life that the story highlights

The theme is the main idea or message the author is conveying and determines the specific conflict.

Question 26

How does the theme relate to conflict?

Answer 26

It decides what side of the conflict the story represents and how the conflict is resolved

The theme addresses who wins and who loses in the narrative.

Question 27

True or False: The theme is the moral of the story.

Answer 27

False

The theme is not the same as the moral of the story; it is a broader concept.

Question 28

What does the theme indicate about a work of art?

Answer 28

It is the general subject matter of the work

The theme may contain a message that the author wishes to communicate.

Question 29

What is the climax in a story?

Answer 29

The highest point of interest in the story when characters solve their struggles

The climax is often associated with the highest point of emotions in the narrative and can be subjective in nature.

Question 30

What occurs during the falling action of a story?

Answer 30

The character completes the action of their decision

This phase follows the climax and leads towards the resolution.

Question 31

Define resolution in the context of a story.

Answer 31

The final work of a story’s conflict where all loose ends are tied up

This is the part of the narrative that concludes the story.

Question 32

What is the setting of a story?

Answer 32

The time and location where the action occurs

The setting helps create the mood and atmosphere of the text.

Question 33

What does atmosphere refer to in a literary context?

Answer 33

The feeling the setting evokes

Examples of atmosphere include mysterious, happy, or eerie feelings.

Question 34

Differentiate between mood and atmosphere.

Answer 34

Mood is the author’s emotional attitude toward the subject matter

Mood is not the mood of the characters but rather the overall feeling conveyed by the author.

Question 35

What are characters in a story?

Answer 35

Any personalities who are involved in the plot of the story

Typically, there are fewer than six characters in a short story, which may include people, animals, or fantasy characters.

Question 36

Who is the protagonist?

Answer 36

The good guy or hero in the story who is the main character we follow

The protagonist tries to solve the conflict within the narrative.

Question 37

Define the antagonist.

Answer 37

The bad guy or villain in the story who usually creates conflict for the main character

The antagonist opposes the protagonist’s goals.

Question 38

What are secondary characters?

Answer 38

Other characters who contribute to moving the plot but may not be involved with the central conflict

They add depth to the story without being the main focus.

Question 39

What are character traits?

Answer 39

Physical and personality traits revealed through:
* What the character does
* What the character says
* What other characters say or do about the character
* What the author states directly
* What the author infers

Character traits help to develop the character’s role in the story.

Question 40

What is the theme of a story?

Answer 40

The central idea about life that the story highlights

The theme is the main idea or message the author is conveying and determines the specific conflict.

Question 41

How does the theme relate to conflict?

Answer 41

It decides what side of the conflict the story represents and how the conflict is resolved

The theme addresses who wins and who loses in the narrative.

Question 42

True or False: The theme is the moral of the story.

Answer 42

False

The theme is not the same as the moral of the story; it is a broader concept.

Question 43

What does the theme indicate about a work of art?

Answer 43

It is the general subject matter of the work

The theme may contain a message that the author wishes to communicate.