Fiction Test – Study Guide
The test will be a combination of true/false, multiple choice, short answer and essay.
Please be sure to bring scantron 882E to take your test.
Please be familiar with the following:
Elements of Fiction (definitions and examples of )
Character (round, flat, etc)
Point of View (1st, 3rd person, objective, omniscient, etc)
Setting (geographic location, historical setting)
Mood (tense, playful, etc)
Theme (survival, family unity, nonconformity)
Symbol (rose, yellow wallpaper, etc)
Plot (chronological order, flashbacks, etc)
How the elements of fiction are illustrated in the following
A Rose for Emily – Faulkner
Everyday Use – Walker
A Very old Man with Enormous Wings – Marquez
A & P – Updike
Yellow Wallpaper – Gilman
The Lottery – Jackson
Literary Theories
Heroic Archetypes
Fiction Test Essay: Please write 2-3 paragraphs where you specifically explain and discuss the
topic for your annotated bibliography. Please bring this portion typed up and in the MLA
format.
Sample Test Questions
1. What does the quilt in Everyday Use symbolize?
a. Cultural Identity
b. Love and sacrifice
c. Family Heritage
d. Conformity and non-conformity
e. None of the above
2. What does Dee change her name to? What is the significance of her name
change?
a. Wangero; she is married
b. Wangero; leaving behind the oppression of the past
c. Wangero; rebellion against her family’s traditions
d. Both b and c
3. Point of view is
a. 1st or third person
b. what the story’s purpose is
c. the vantage point from which events are presented
d. both a and c
e. both a and b
4. What did townspeople discover upstairs in her house after Emily’s
death?_____________
a. Her father’s body and her gray hair on his bed
b. Homer Barron’s Body and her gray hair on a pillow
c. Both a and b
d. Emily and Tobe’s love child
5. “I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course… my stomach kind of fell
as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” indicates that
Sammie feels what about his actions
a. Regret
b. Happiness
c. Frustration
d. Anger
Short Story Questions
The Yellow Wallpaper
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The narrator of the story is told not to _______________________-because of her medical
condition.
Where does the primary action of the story take place?____________________
The name of the narrator’s child is ______________.
____________________is the protagonist of the story and ______________is the antagonist
of the story.
Is there a resolution in the story? If so, briefly describe.
The Yellow Wallpaper is presented in what kind of order
The narrator is a _________________ character.
What are the geographic, physical and historic setting of The Yellow Wallpaper?
Use three words to describe the mood or atmosphere of The Yellow Wallpaper. How does it
relate to the overall theme of the story
What are some symbols in the story? What do you think their significance is and how do
they relate the overall themes of the story?
Some say that this story is a statement on male and female relationships. Do you agree or
disagree…please explain why.
A Rose For Emily
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Briefly describe the plot of the story
What is the narrator of A Rose for Emily? ________________________
Who is the protagonist of the story? Who is the antagonist of A Rose for Emily?
List and then describe the significance of at least 3 symbols of the story.
What is the theme of the story?
Some say that this story is a statement about the positive and negative aspects of the Old
South. Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer with examples from the story.
What are the geographical, historical and physical settings of A Rose for Emily? What is
significant about the way Faulkner describes each?
A Very Old Man with Enormous wings
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Briefly describe what happens in A Very Old Man with Enormous wings?
Why do you think the old man/angel stays and doesn’t try to escape?
What is the setting of the story? Does this have any particular significance?
Name at least one theme of the story
Describe at least two of the angel/old man’s encounters with other characters in the story.
Is the priest justified in how he treats him? Provide proof for your answer
Describe at least 3 symbols in the story.
Everyday Use
 Name and briefly describe the three main characters in “Everyday Use.” Who is the narrator
of the story?
 What is the story’s setting? Why is this significant to the story’s overall theme?
 What does the quilt symbolize to Maggie, Dee and the Mother?
 How does her mother respond to Dee’s name change?
 “Everyday Use” is known for its rich symbolism. Without the exception of the quilt, list and
explain the significance of at least 3 other symbols in the story.
 What are the conflicts in the story? Which one seems most central to the story?
 Briefly describe the plot of Everyday Use
 What is the climax of Everyday Use?
 What is the mood of Everyday Use?
 What is the theme of Everyday Use?
The Lottery
 Summarize the setting of The Lottery. What is ironic about the setting of the story in
relation to its plot?
 What is the plot of the story?
 Who are the main characters of the story?
 What is the significance of the ritual of The Lottery?
 What are instances of foreshadowing in The Lottery?
 What are at least 3 symbols in the story?
 What are the themes of the story?
 Why do you think the town accepted the rituals of The Lottery?
A and P
 Sammie from “A and P” does what at the end of the story?
 Why do you think he takes this action?
 Name at least three symbols in “A and P.”
 What state and time period are A and P set in? Is this significant?
 Sammie from A and P is considered a _______________character.
 What might the 3 teenaged girls in the story represent?
 What is the significance of the title of the short story?
 What do you think the theme of the story is ?