Setting Practice

Why is the setting important in a story?

• Because my teacher said it was important

• It tells us the ending.

• It helps us visualize what the land and characters look like in a story.

If the passage below were set in a snowy park where children were playing, what could you infer?

• Lena might have been gently hit by a snowball.

• Lena might be lost.

• Lena might be playing a boardgame or card game.

• Lena might be talking to herself.

What can you infer about the setting based on the passage below?

• The story is set in a place where the weather is always mild and pleasant.

• The story is set near a river that sometimes floods.

• The story is set on a farm where only very rich people can afford to live.

• The story is set on a farm where there are sometimes cyclones.

Anne stared through the glass at the intense colors of the newly blooming flowers and green budding trees.

"Anne, we still have ten minutes. Focus," Mrs. Lau said before launching into another equation. Ten minutes seemed like an eternity. Anne waited impatiently for the last bell to ring so she could race home.

• The setting is a classroom at the end of the school day during the spring time.

• The setting is a classroom at the beginning of the school day in the fall.

• The setting is a classroom in the middle of the school day during the winter.

What mood does the setting of the passage create?

• hopeful

• easygoing

• tense

• confused

It had been rough traveling so far. The rain had been relentless, flooding our tents. The wagon's wheels were constantly stuck in deep ruts of mud. Mosquitoes attacked us day and night. I longed for home—a roof over my head, a warm fire for toasting my feet, protection from the elements.

What detail tells you this passage's setting is sometime in the past?

• The rain had been relentless

• The wagon's wheels were constantly stuck

• A roof over my head

• Mosquitos attacked us day and night

Which detail suggests that this story is set in a bustling city?

• The sun gleamed over the endless cornfields.

• The biting winter air ripped through my thin jacket.

• Hundreds of people hurried down the sidewalks between the monstrous buildings.

• We all tumbled out of the car and sprinted toward the crowded beach.

A story’s mood is its general atmosphere or overall feeling. The mood of a story can be energetic, nervous, peaceful or many other feeling words.

Which of the following settings suggest a tense and nervous mood?

• A city playground full of laughing, playing children and parents.

• A long line of people waiting for a few concert tickets.

• A stream running through a quiet, isolated forest.

• An empty mall parking lot early on a Sunday morning.

How do you know what the setting of a story is? Sometimes, a narrator will tell you where and when the story occurs right away. Often, though, you’ll have to look for clues to determine the setting. Try to find words or phrases that tell you what it looks like or sounds like where the characters are. Characters can also give clues about the setting. Be sure that your inferences about the setting are backed up by evidence from the text.
Read the following passage:
As Maribelle hurried down the street, the wind swept the snow along the sidewalk and hid her footsteps, so that it looked as if no one had passed. Above her, the cold, silent skyscrapers of the city loomed. The whole block was eerily silent in the snowstorm, and she pulled her coat tightly around her. Maribelle had only moved here a few months before. She came because she wanted to be a singer. But right now, she was frightened.
Which detail from the passage indicate the setting?

• “Above her, the cold, silent skyscrapers of the city loomed.”
  

• “Maribelle had only moved here a few months before.”
  

• But right now, she was frightened.

• “She came because she wanted to be a singer.”
  

Which one of these is NOT an element of setting

• Time

• Place

• Conflict

• Mood