Short Story Exam Review Game
A study of literary devices
Rules and Procedures
• Each team picks a first player.
• That player writes his/her answer to the question on
the dry erase board.
• He/She then holds the dry erase board above his/her
head.
• The first person to raise his/her board with the correct
answer wins a point for that team.
• Teammates can give the player suggestions; however,
this must be done quietly. Teachers’ voices should
always be able to be heard.
• Play rotates around the table to the right.
• Everyone must participate.
Breaking the rules will result in the loss of team points.
Would the following character be
major or minor?
Kate’s friend Patrick
Minor character
Which type of characterization is
displayed below?
Ed Johnson scratched his head in confusion as the
sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine
performance diagnostic computer. The old
mechanic hated modern electronics, preferring
the old days when all he needed was a stack of
manuals and a good set of tools.
Direct characterization.
Which is not a point of view that we studied in
class?
– First person
– Second person
– Third person limited
– Third person objective
Second person
Which type of conflict is displayed
below, internal or external?
“His hands never quite make it to Melvin. In a
move of pure poetry, Priscilla has Monk in a
hammerlock. His neck’s popping like gunfire,
and his head’s bowed under the immense
weight of her forearm.” – “Priscilla and the
Wimps
External conflict
Which type of characterization is
displayed below?
“That Ed Johnson,” said Anderson, watching the old
mechanic scratch his head in confusion as the
sales rep explained Dralco’s newest engine
performance diagnostic computer. “He hasn’t got
a clue about modern electronics. Give him a good
set of tools and a stack of yellowing manuals with
a carburetor needing repair, and he’d be happy as
a hungry frog in a fly-field.”
Indirect characterization
What is the following an example of?
Sarcasm.
Verbal irony
From which point of view is the
following told?
The girl walked up the quiet hillside.
In the top of the maple tree, the cardinal tipped his
head back and drew breath to sing. A dead branch
cracked on the ground below the bird's perch.
The man stepped on the branch and rattled the
blades of grass as he moved behind the tree. He
watched the girl come up the hillside toward him.
Her gaze shifted quickly and warily from one
shadowy area high on the slope to another, and she
shuddered.
Third person objective
How would we classify the following
character?
We know that Murphy has bad luck. He offers
us many examples. We also get to see what
he thinks during the time he is practicing with
Tiffany as well as what happens at and after
the performance.
Round character
What do we call the following?
The beginning of a story when we learn
information about characters, setting and the
basic situation?
exposition
From which point of view is the
following told?
As she walked up the hill, she realized that the
atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no
sound from the cardinal who she so often heard
singing from the top of the maple tree. She
thought she saw a shadow move high up on the
slope, but when she looked again it was gone.
Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent
threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud creeping
over the sun.
Third person limited
What do we call the following?
The series of added conflicts that increases the
suspense in a story.
Rising action or complication
What is the following an example of?
In a piece of literature or drama, when
something happens that you do not expect to
happen.
Situational irony
Which type of conflict is displayed
below, internal or external?
In “What’s the Worst that Could Happen,”
Murphy Murphy had a difficult time admitting
that he had a crush on Tiffany.
Internal Conflict
What do we call the following?
The point in the story where the fate of the
main character is determined.
Climax
How would you classify the following
character?
No one really knows much about Melvin. We do
know that he gets bullied by Monk and the
Kobras, but we don’t know much beyond that.
Flat and/or static
Would the following character be
major or minor?
Monk Klutter
Major character
What is the following an example of?
In literature and drama, when the audience
knows something that a character or
characters do not know.
Dramatic irony
Who is the protagonist in “Squid Girl?”
Sierra
Would the following character be
major or minor?
Kate the Great
Major character
Who is the antagonist in “Priscilla and the
Wimps?”
Monk Klutter
The author’s attitude toward his subject matter
is called _________________.
Tone
How would we classify this character?
After his conversations with his father about his
dad’s involvement in Viet Nam, Terry realizes
that there is a reason for his dad’s behavior
and that he does not need to be embarrassed
by his dad’s actions any longer.
Dynamic character
The emotions or feelings associated with a word
is called its ____________.
Connotation
A word’s dictionary definition is called its
_________________.
Denotation
The message about life conveyed in a literary
work is called _____________.
Theme
From which point of view is the
following passage told?
As I walked up the hill, I realized that the
atmosphere was just too quiet. There was no
sound from the cardinal who was nearly always
singing from the top of the maple tree. I thought I
saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but
when I looked again it was gone. Still, I shuddered
as I felt a silent threat pass over me like a cloud
over the sun.
First person
What do we call the following?
When the conflict is finally resolved.
Resolution
Would the following character be
major or minor?
Terry’s mother
Minor character
From which point of view is the
following told?
As the girl walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too
quiet.
The cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing, but just as the first
note passed his beak he heard the crack of a dead branch far below his perch high
in the maple tree. Startled, he looked down, cocking his head to one side and
watching with great interest while the man rattled the blades of grass as he tried
to hide himself behind the tree.
As the man saw her start up the hill, he moved quickly into the shelter of the
huge old maple tree. If she saw him now, everything would be ruined.
She thought she saw a shadow move high up on the slope, but when she
looked again it was gone.
The man thought if he could stay hidden until she came within range, she'd
have to talk to him. Wouldn't she?
The girl shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass over her. It felt like a cloud
creeping over the sun.
Third person omniscient
If a reader doesn’t know the definition of a
word, what can that reader do to guess at a
definition?
Use context clues
What do we call the following?
The action that immediately follows the climax.
The falling action
About the test…
• You may use any notes/handouts you have as
resources on this exam.
• You need to be organized – there won’t be time
to look.
• Since this is an open-note test, you may not take
more than one class period to take the test.
• This presentation with a list of terms as the last
slide are available on the blue team homework
page.
Literary terms
• Characters
– Direct/indirect
characterization
– Protagonist/antagonist
– Major/minor
– Flat/round
– Static/ dynamic
• Plot diagram and all of its
parts
• Connotation and
denotation
• Conflict – external and
internal
• Irony
– Situational
– Dramatic
– Verbal
• Tone
• Theme
• Point of view
– First person
– Third person limited,
objective, omniscient