Valley Forge Middle School
Mr. Hopkins
English 8
Test Description/Format: This test will ask you to demonstrate your understanding of the unit on Short
Stories and the foundations of a story. The format will include a combination of multiple choice,
matching, fill in the blank, and short answer questions. The total points for the test will be between 80
and 100.
The information below outlines the stories covered with the foundations of story terms studied in each
specific story. You will be asked questions specifically about each story as well as the foundations
studied within them, so it is important to be able to APPLY your understanding of the terms to the
stories.
I.
"Being Mean." Gary Soto.
Summary- This story is a memoir-type short story where Gary Soto, the narrator, describes his chaotic
childhood in Fresno, California by recounting some of the interesting activities his siblings and the
Molina children engaged in!
Terms StudiedSetting: The environment created by the author in which the story takes place.
*You must know the specific types of setting from your notes!
Tone: an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.
Mood: evoking certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions.
Personification: the giving of human qualities to something non-human.
Simile: a comparison between two things using “like” or “as”.
Metaphor: a comparison between two unrelated things.
Onomatopoeia: A word that expresses a sound.
Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words in a sentence or
phrase.
II.
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Summary- One of the great classics in American literature, Connell's story takes you on the adventure of
Sanger Rainsford as he plays a "most dangerous game" of hunter and huntee with the devilish General
Zaroff and his side-kick, Ivan. Rainsford learns quite a bit about his ideas regarding hunting, human
nature and fear through his experiences!
Terms StudiedCharacter: any person, animal, or figure represented in a literary work.
*Be able to identify and distinguish between a PROTAGONIST AND AN ANTAGONIST.
Characterization: the way an author shares information about a character.
*Be able to identify and distinguish between DIRECT AND INDIRECT characterization.
Author's Style: the way an author uses language, sentence structure, grammar, and word choice
within their writing.
Conflict: the competition between characters or forces within a text.
*Make sure you understand the difference between INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL conflict.
Foreshadow: a way of indicating or hinting at what will come later in a text by providing clues.
Inference: using evidence from a text to reach a logical conclusion.
III.
"The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs
Summary- A twisted tale of suspense that highlights the use of moral lesson in a literary work. The
story revolves around the moral lesson- be careful what you wish for. As this unfolds, the reader is
introduced to tragedy within the lives of the main characters.
Terms StudiedPlot: the sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause
and effect.
Plot Diagram:
*you must know all of the specific points of the diagram as well as…inciting incident and denouement
IV.
"The Haunted Spacesuit" by Arthur C. Clarke
Summary- this is a great short story that keeps you riveted to the words from start to finish! A man is
forced to solve a technical problem while working in outer space and in doing so comes face to face with
fear and death. However, the story brings the reader an interesting twist at the end!
Terms StudiedIrony: a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is
different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a
different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the
appearance and the reality.
Special Note:
You will need to be able to identify Setting, Character and Plot within this story.