1ST SIX WEEKS READING BENCHMARK STUDY GUIDE
 Test: Friday September 12, 2008
**You will be responsible for knowing these terms as wells as reading
passages and answering questions about these terms.**
Elements of Fiction:
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
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Theme
Setting
Characters
Conflict –
o Internal conflict
o External conflict
 Plot
 Plot Line- Know all parts and their functions. Be able to apply to a story.
Forms of Fiction:
 Historical
 Realistic
 Science
 Fantasy
 Folktale/Folklore
Suffixes: know what each means and how they are used
 ly
 ology
Predicting Outcomes: be able to predict the outcome and find clues
within a story that lead you to your predictions
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**Read the following passage and see if you can identify the theme,
setting, conflict(s), plot, and describe the characters.
The swimming champion dove into the water gracefully. The other young
people on the beach watched with admiration as she swam swiftly through the water.
No one spoke to her as she emerged from the ocean, however. Many had tried to
talk to her before. Some had asked advice about swimming, but she quickly said she
was too busy to bother with amateur swimmers. She knew she had only one goal – to be
on the next U.S. Olympic Team. That left no time to waste on other people. She knew
she didn’t need them anyway.
The beach was already crowded when she arrived the next morning. She
dove into the water and swam out past the waves. Then, suddenly, a twinge in
her leg sent panic throughout her body. A leg cramp! The muscle tightened and pain
seared through her. Unable to swim, she shouted loudly for help.
Many swimmers came swiftly. The strongest reached her first and helped her to
shore.
“Thank you,” she gasped as she stretched out weakly on the hot sand. And she
thought to herself, “ I guess I need other people more than I thought.”
Theme: You always need other people
Setting: Time-present day
Place – beach
Duration – two days
Characters: Swimming champion – rude, indifferent, self-centered
Conflict: External – swimming champion didn’t have time for others
Internal – She realizes she needs to change and needs other people
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Hope and Dave were playing a game of checkers. Their parents were out for the
evening. The wind had been howling for several minutes. They heard the tornado siren
go off. But before they could scramble down the basement stairs, the lights went out.
The next thing Dave knew, his sister was screaming. In the dim light, Dave saw that a
beam had fallen from the ceiling and trapped Hope.
1. What will probably happen next?
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2. What led you to this conclusion?
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