Standard 3.6
Analyze and trace an author’s development of time sequence,
including the use of complex literary devices (e.g.,
foreshadowing, flashback).
Flashback
and Foreshadowing
Number of Questions
The literary response and analysis
section of the CAHSEE contains 20
multiple choice questions.
There are two questions on the
CAHSEE regarding your
understanding of Standard 3.6.
Purpose
 Identifying flashbacks and foreshadowing
helps you understand the sequence of
events in the story.
 Flashbacks add information to the story.
 Foreshadowing helps the reader anticipate
what might be coming.
Order of Events
Most stories are told in a certain order.
 Sequential order
 Chronological (time) order
Writers use these strategies to tell a story.
Clues to Sequences
These words give you clues that the text is being told in
chronological (time) order:
First
Next
Then
Last
Finally
Flashback
Sometimes authors need to tell you
about events that happened before the
story begins. To not confuse you, the
author might stop the story to give you
information about characters, events
or conflicts in the past. When the
author does this, it is called a
flashback.
Identifying a Flashback
You can tell you’re reading a flashback when
the scene changes and the story flashes
back to the past.
 Sometimes an entire chapter in story is a
flashback.
 There may be more than one flashback within
a story.
 Authors often give you clues, such as:
“It all started when…”
“That brings us to today…”
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a warning or hint
about an event that may happen in
the future of the story.
Identify Foreshadowing
 Look for incidents that happen early
on in the story that might relate to a
character.
 Look for clues which suggest what
might happen next.
NOTE: A famous playwright wrote that
if you put a gun onstage in Act I, you
must use it by Act II.
What might that mean?
Example
You’re reading a story and it’s set in an old
house. The family is sitting at the table
eating dinner when suddenly the lights go
off and on without anyone touching the
switch. The family goes on eating dinner
and eventually they forget about the
incident with the lights.
What might the incident foreshadow?
Making a Guess
The incident with the lights foreshadows
something bad that will happen in the
story.