Elements of a Story

The definition of "Character" is....

• The people in the story 
• The people mentioned in the story 
• A person's personality 

The sequence of events in a story or novel is called the ________. 

• action
• conflict 
• setting
• plot 

The main idea, or message, in a literary work is the

• setting
• plot
• conflict
• theme

True or false: One way that setting impacts the story is by affecting the characters.

• True
• False

Alex shut the lid to his laptop with a loud clap.  Some of the people sitting at the tables near him looked up from their books and gave him annoyed looks.  Alex realized that he had disturbed them and held up his hand apologetically.  The librarian turned toward him and shushed him loudly, perhaps louder than the noise that he had made.  Alex put the laptop in his bag and began walking toward the door.  He held his head down low.
Which of the following choices is evidence that the setting is a library?

• He held his head down low.
• Alex shut the lid to his laptop with a loud clap
• Alex realized that he had disturbed them and held up his hand apologetically. 
• The librarian turned toward him and shushed him loudly, perhaps louder than the noise that he had made.

What is the setting of the passage below?
One summer day, Randolph the Bright slept alone in his room in the castle at Reddington. The light of the morning seeped slowly through his curtains. Randolph blinked against the day, smiling as his dream came to a peaceful conclusion. 

• winter in a train station of a busy city
• a hospital in the future
• a summer morning in a castle
• a grocery store in the 1980's

In the passage below, what can you infer about Randolph using clues from the setting?
One summer day, Randolph the Bright slept alone in his room in the castle at Reddington. The light of the morning seeped slowly through his curtains. Randolph blinked against the day, smiling as his dream came to a peaceful conclusion.

• Randolph is a mean person.
• Randolph is a prince or king. 
• Randolph has an older sister. 
• The setting doesn't give me any clues about Randolph. 

The best definition of theme is...

• The lesson the author is teaching. 
• The message the author is sending.
• A word that summarizes the story.
• The character's main problem.

In the passage below, what  can you infer about the setting of the story?
When the men reached Oregon, they stepped out of their wagons and embraced. The journey was long and dangerous, but they made it. Soon, their families would follow their trail in their own wagons, leaving their homes in the East to meet them in this brand new land: the West. 

• The story might take place on a different planet. 
• The story might take place in the past. 
• The story might take place in a desert. 
• We can't make any inferences about the setting from this passage. 

Which of these would be a good example of theme in a story?

• math is difficult
• if you steal, something bad will happen to you
• pets make people happy
• respect for others