Short Story Test 1

Formal academic register

Elevated vocabulary, no first or second person pronouns (no I, me, you, us, etc.), no contractions

Informal register

Use of first or second person pronouns (I, me, you, us, etc.), contractions are allowed

Diction

A writer’s choice of words or word patterns

Context

Situational details that are necessary to understand or interpret a piece of text

Connotation

A word or phrase’s intended meaning based on context

Denotation

A word or phrase’s dictionary meaning; literal meaning

Character

An individual involved in the events of a story

Protagonist

The primary (main) character in a narrative, experiences the central conflict of the story, often (not always) the hero

Antagonist

The character or force that blocks the protagonist from achieving their goals, frequent source of conflict, often (not always) the villain

Static character

A character that does not change in any significant way over the course of the narrative

Dynamic character

A character that DOES change or develop in some significant way over the course of a narrative

Direct characterization

Information about a character’s traits explicitly conveyed by the narrator, “telling”

Indirect characterization

Information about a character’s traits implied by a narrator, “showing”

What form of characterization includes at least one part of the acronym STEAL?

Indirect characterization

What does the acronym STEAL stand for?

Speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks

Setting

Where and when a story takes place

Mood

The overall feeling, atmosphere, and environment of a story (emotional climate, environment, atmosphere)

Fraytag’s pyramid

A diagram used to describe the structure, relationship of actions, and events in a work of fiction

Exposition

The opening of a narrative; reveals initial setting, (some) characters, basic situation

Inciting incident

Event that sets off the events of the plot and often, introduces the primary conflict

Rising action

A series of complications related to the main conflict(s); increase of tension or uncertainty

Climax

Moment of greatest tension or uncertainty; the highest point of interest or moment of the greatest emotional intensity; often a turning point in the narrative

Falling action

The events that lead to the resolution; decrease in tension and lessening of complications

Resolution

The outcome or result of the complication created by the conflicts in a narrative