Short Story Terms Unit

Question 1

a brief work of fiction meant to be read in one sitting; 500-10,000 words

Answer 1

short story

Question 2

series of events in a story

Answer 2

plot

Question 3

problem in a story

Answer 3

conflict

Question 4

struggle between two opposing forces

Answer 4

external conflict

Question 5

struggle with himself

Answer 5

internal conflict

Question 6

people in a story

Answer 6

characters

Question 7

how the author develops the character, especially the main character

Answer 7

characterization

Question 8

What are the two types of characterization?

Answer 8

1. direct- author blatantly states

2. indirect- author drops hints

Question 9

central message or insight into life

Answer 9

theme

Question 10

What are the two types of theme?

Answer 10

1. stated

2. implied

Question 11

Vantage point from which the author tells the story

Answer 11

Point of view

Question 12

What are the two main points of view?

Answer 12

1st person- I, we

3rd person- he/she

Question 13

What are the two types of third person?

Answer 13

1. omniscient- knows all

2. limited- focuses on one character

Question 14

the time and place of the story’s action, involves the social, economical, cultural environment

Answer 14

setting

Question 15

the emotions a piece of writing makes a reader feel

Answer 15

mood

Question 16

the author’s attitude towards a subject

Answer 16

tone

Question 17

a contrast between expectation and reality

Answer 17

irony

Question 18

What are the three types of irony?

Answer 18

1. dramatic
2. verbal
3. situational

Question 19

What is dramatic irony?

Answer 19

contradiction between what audience knows and characters think

Question 20

What is verbal irony?

Answer 20

words suggest ideas different from what is meant

Question 21

What is situational irony?

Answer 21

events that occur contradict what is intended

Question 22

What is foreshadowing?

Answer 22

clues the writer puts in the story that hints at what is to come

Question 23

the use of an object, person, or event that stands for something more than itself

Answer 23

symbolism

Question 24

uncertainty or anxiety the reader feels about what is going to happen next in a story

Answer 24

suspense

Question 25

the present in the story in interrupted to go backward and tell what happened in an earlier time

Answer 25

flashback