Keystone preparation

Author’s purpose

the reason why an author writes a text

figurative language

tools used to compare an idea to another in a unique and interesting way which makes it easy to visualize

purpose of figurative language

A better way to communicate an abstract idea that can’t be understood easily and it helps show emotion and form mental images and draw readers into the work

fiction vs nonfiction

Fiction is created from imagination while nonfiction is from real facts

Purpose of Personification

to give non human things human-like characteristics in order to provide a more in-depth understanding of such elements for the reader

Purpose of Similie

To compare two things to make more sense to the reader in terms of similarity

Purpose of Metaphor

to compare in terms of absolute to express how alike one thing is to another by saying that it IS something else.

Purpose of Hyperbole

To exaggerate a point the author is trying to make to a certain degree, to emphasize tone and create dramatics

Purpose of Imagery

to emphasize the setting to describe the scene, using the five senses

Satire

* a joke
* use to highlight comedy/humor AND social activism
* satire is use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice or folly
* poking fun in order to provide humor while criticizing the object to evoke change

Purpose of Satire

used to criticize a topic without making it obvious

Purpose of Flashback

used to promote current motivations, clarify a character’s history and give details about the character

Purpose of Dialect

a character’s unique way of speaking used to illustrate their background, origin, or social class. brings the character to life.

Purpose of Algory

a story, poem, or picture used to reveal a hidden meaning and express complex ideas in a simple manner.

Purpose of Foreshadowing

ensures plot development and allows readers to predict what happens next

Purpose of Irony

used to enhance the story and keep it dynamic. It is an unexpected turn of events.

Purpose of Allusion

it is used to increase reader’s understand of the story by referencing something that is well known.

Purpose of Symbolism

symbolism is used by authors to express underlying concepts, themes, ideas, in a way that is easier to understand.

Keystone Exam: Constructed Response Grading

* CCARS - Complete, clear, accurate, relevant, specific
* Include 2 pieces of evidence from the passage
* prompt always asks 2 things
* ANSWER THE PROMPT

Main Idea

* central point the author wants to communicate
* most important thought or concept that reader should take away
* key information the author wants you to know

How to find the Main Idea

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* pay attention to repeated details
* Ask who or whom the writing is about
* “What does the author want me to know about this topic?”
* ask yourself what the characters are learning
* authors often tell you the main idea in the intro or conclusion
* look for reversal transitions.. words like but, otherwise, however…

Main idea vs Theme

The main idea is what the book is mostly about. The theme is the message, lesson, or moral of a book

Connotation

* cultural aspect, formal or not formal
* the feeling a word evokes / the way a word feels
* help understand the tone

Denotation

* Dictionary definition

Affix

One or more letters occurring as a bound form attached to the beginning, end, or base of a word and serving to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form

Allegory

A form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning may have moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas such as charity, greed, or envy.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event

Analysis

The process or result of identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one another

Antonym

A word that is the opposite in meaning to another word

Argument/position

The position or claim the author establishes. Arguments should be supported with valid evidence and reasoning and balanced by the inclusion of counterarguments that illustrate opposing viewpoints

Bias

The subtle presence of a positive or negative approach toward a topic

Biography

A written account of another person's life

Character

A person, animal or inanimate object portrayed in a literary work

Characterization

The method an author uses to reveal characters and their various traits and personalities

Climax

The turning point in a narrative; the moment when the conflict is at its most intense. Typically, the structure of stories, novels, and plays is one of rising action, in which tension builds to the climax

Compare/Contrast

Place together characters, situations, or ideas to show common and/or differing features in literary selections

Conflict/Problem

A struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions

Context clues

Words and phrases in a sentence, paragraph, and/or whole text, which help reason out the meaning of an unfamiliar word

Cultural Significance

The generally accepted importance of a work representing a given culture

Defense of a claim

Support provided to mark an assertion as reasonable

dialect

A variety of a language distinct from the standard variety in pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary

dialogue

In its widest sense, dialogue is simply conversation between characters or speakers in a literary work; in its most restricted sense, it refers specifically to the speech of characters in a drama

diction

An author’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning and tone

differentiate

Distinguish, tell apart, and recognize differences between two or more items

drama

\: The genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage; a work to be performed by actors on stage, radio, or television; play

dramatic script

The written text of a play, which includes the dialogue between characters, stage directions and often other expository information.

draw conclusion

To make a judgment or decision based on reasoning rather than direct or implicit statement.

Rhyming patterns

Type of poetry structure where the end of words have the same sound.

meter

describes the rhythm in a poem. Combination of number of beats and arrangement of syllables

Prose

without lines and breaks associated in poetry

Stanza

a group of lines in a poem. they separate ideas

Syntax

The way word order works in grammatical structures

free verse

A style of poetry that is up to the creator and doesn’t have to rhyme or follow a strict structure.

sonnet

A 14-line poem written with iambic pantameter

ballad

A poem with stanzas that tell a story and rhyme on lines 2 and 4 of the stanza.

heroic couplet

pair of rhyming lines in a heroic poem that shows themes of heroism within a larger poem

Elements of Fiction

Elements of Nonfiction

Evaluate

Explain

Explicit

Exposition

Fact

Falling Action

Fiction

Figurative Language

First Person

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