English 10
Short Stories
Generic questions for provoking thought about fiction texts
Characters
 When were you able to confirm which character was the main one? How did the
author indicate that?
 Which characters are essential to the plot and why?
 Which character would you label as the protagonist/hero/heroine? Give reasons
with references to the text.
 How did the author introduce new characters?
 How did the author introduce the main character?
 How did X character develop/change during the story?
 Which minor character appears closest to the main character? Explain how you
came to this conclusion.
 Which character is most credible to you? What makes you think this?
 When did you feel as if you really understood the main character?
 Did any of the characters’ action or words seem out of keeping with their
 personality as you had perceived it?
 Which incident really enable you to get inside X’s head?
 What three traits epitomize the main character?
Setting
 How does the author establish the setting of time and place?
 How does the author signal changes to the setting of time or place?
 How important is the setting? Could the story have taken place at another time or
place? Why or why not?
 How does the setting affect what happens, how things happen, or how the
characters behave?
 What made the setting credible to you?
 Did the setting engender any strong connections with places you know or have
thought about?
 How does the setting set the mood for the piece?
Plot








How were the episodes/incidents linked?
Which episodes were essential?
Was this piece based on a problem/solution structure? If so, describe the problem
and the solution in your own words.
What made you go “aha!” as you confirmed your predictions as the plot unfolded?
Which incidents felt comfortable – where you felt you knew where the author was
leading you?
When were you surprised?
Are there any subplots? How do these support the plot?
Did the subplot influence your reading or your opinion of the story?
Mood
 How does the author set the mood?
 How does the author change the mood during the story?
 Does any one character add more to the mood of the story than others? Describe
your thoughts about this.
 How does the dialogue add to your understanding of the mood of this story?
Style








How would you describe the author’s style?
What makes the story easy/difficult to read? Which parts epitomized this?
In what ways does the text differ/reflect the author’s usual style?
How does the author maintain your interest?
What special techniques does the author employ to highlight characters or
episodes?
How would you describe the language?
Give three examples of phrases or sentences or word choice that you consider
reflect the author’s style.
Which aspects of the author’s use of language do you find most interesting /
difficult?
Your reading of this piece
 What did you learn about yourself as a reader?
 Give an example of an accurate prediction you made and one that you had to
amend to reflect where the author was taking you.
 Which aspects of the text made you feel comfortable about your predictions?
 What made this an easy/difficult read?
 Which parts did you read more slowly than others? What made you change your
pace?
 What have you learned from reading this text that might help you as a reader
and/or writer?
Focus
 How does the author let you know whether the intended focus is the topic, the
theme or the issue?
 What prompted the author to put these thoughts/ this information on paper in this
way?
 What do you think the author hoped you would take away from this story?
 What did the author want the readers to ask of themselves?
 What emphasis is the author giving to this theme/topic/issue?
 How does the author indicate what he/she deems to be the most important
message to the reader?
 Do you think the author wants to persuade, convince, explain, justify or entertain
the readers with this piece?