McPhee English
Study Guide
NAME: __________________
Short Stories
Honors English I
Literature: Be sure to study the following literary terms with special emphasis.
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Plot
Character
Irony
Point of View
Theme
Symbolism
Literary Terms: Below is a list of all the terms (including the ones above) that we have discussed
in relation to the stories we read. Be able to identify and define these terms. Also, be able to
apply these terms to the stories you’ve read.
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Plot
o Exposition
o Conflict
o Rising action
o Complication
o Climax
o Falling action
o Resolution
o Denouement
Chronology
o Flashback
o Flash-forward
Conflict
o External
Human vs human
Human vs nature
Human vs society
Human vs technology
o Internal
Human vs self
Foreshadowing
Suspense
Characterization
o Direct
o Indirect
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Characters
o flat and round
o static and dynamic
Tone
o diction
Setting
o imagery (images)
Atmosphere
o Mood
Irony
o verbal
o situational
o dramatic
Point of View
o First Person
o Omniscient
o Third Person Limited
o Third Person Objective
o Unreliable Narrator
Theme
o Subject
Symbol
Allusion
Short Story Unit – Study Guide
The test will be comprised of multiple choice, fill in the blank, identifying and short
answer. You will need to review the stories: “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The
Necklace,” “The Gift of the Magi,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” If you cannot find
your textbook, these stories can also be found online. This study guide is intended to help
guide you in studying. Not everything on the study guide will be on the test, and not
everything on the test is specifically mentioned in the study guide. Turning in a FULLY
COMPLETED study guide will earn you 5 extra credit points on the test. If you do not
have it FULLY COMPLETED, you will not receive any points; it is all or nothing. Also,
if you leave it at home on the day of the test you cannot receive the extra credit points.
This study guide must be turned in on the day of the test to receive the extra credit points.
McPhee English
Study Guide
NAME: __________________
1. Name a symbol from “The Necklace.” What does it represent?
2. Name a symbol from “The Gift of the Magi.” What does it represent?
3. Consider the number of references to money in the opening of “The Gift of the
Magi.” What is the author trying to draw attention to by this?
4. What is the real gift in “The Gift of the Magi?”
5. What is the mood of “The Cask of Amontillado?” How does the story’s setting
contribute to the mood?
6. What point of view is “The Cask of Amontillado” written in?
7. POV of “The Necklace:”
8. POV of “The Gift of the Magi:”
9. POV of “The Most Dangerous Game:”
10. List 3 uses of irony in “The Cask of Amontillado.”
11. List 3 uses of irony in “The Most Dangerous Game.”
12. What is the theme in “The Gift of the Magi?”
13. What is the theme in “The Most Dangerous Game?”
14. What is the theme in “The Necklace?”
15. Name the three traps that Rainsford sets and what happens as a result of each.
a. Trap One:
i. Result:
b. Trap Two:
i. Result:
c. Trap Three:
i. Result:
16. Draw a plot chart and label each part.