Name: _________________________________________
Date: _________________________________
Writing: Unit Pre-Test  Characters and Paragraphs
6B- _____
Directions: USE PENCIL. Write your answers on this pre-test.
I. Characters
A. Identifying Terms: Fill in the following blanks with the correct terms from our
notes.
1. A character is a(n) _____________________ (or animal) in a story.
2. _______________________ : a main character who is sometimes the “hero” of the story.
3. _______________________ : a person who challenges, attacks, or works against the
main character.
4. ___________________ ____________________________ ______________________ : a character who is
unique and interesting, often because he or she offers more than meets the eye.
5. __________________________ _____________________ : a predictable character who behaves
exactly as you’d expect; this character usually stands for a certain type, or
category, of people; this character lacks unique characteristics.
6. To interpret the personality a particular character, readers might consider the
four basic methods of characterization:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________
7. _____________________ : force that drives or pushes characters to behave as they do.
(over)
II. Paragraph Structure
A. Completing a Paragraph Outline: Fill in the following blanks with the correct
terms, brief definitions, and examples for the structure of a single persuasive
paragraph. Your answers should match the answers we discussed in class.
8. _____________________ _____________________ : The first sentence of a persuasive
paragraph. It includes 4 basic elements:
These elements include the following: _____________________;
_____________________; _____________________ _____________________; and
_____________________ .
Supporting Details: As a whole, they support your opinion.
Supporting details are made up of 3 elements in this order:
9. _____________________ : Define: ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
10. Length (with units): ___________________________
11. _____________________ : Define: ___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
12. Length (with units): ___________________________
13. _____________________ : Define: ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
14. Length (with units): ___________________________
15. Insight Statement: A _____________________ - to – _____________________ connection
that acts as a conclusion to your paragraph.
(over)
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16. An insight statement has 4 basic elements, in this order:

___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________

_________________________ - ________________________ ________________________
B. Sequencing and Labeling Paragraph Structure: Sequence, or put in order, the
following parts of a paragraph by writing the appropriate number (1-5) on the small
space provided next to each so that #1 names the part that goes first, and #5 names
the part that goes last. Then label each part of the paragraph on the space provided.
17. _____ Ultimately, Pony’s vulnerability and tenderness at the church illustrate
that sensitivity can be a powerful weapon in the fight for emotional survival because
with sensitivity people can rise like the sun above the darkness of violence and
moral decay.
18. _____________________________________________
19. _____ Observing this, Pony says to Johnny, “Nothing gold can stay,” quoting
Robert Frost’s poem by the same name. Johnny is stunned, so Pony recites the rest
of the poem, which alternates between the beauty of nature and the ways that this
beauty tends to fade.
20. _____________________________________________
21. _____ Ironically, even though Pony says he doesn’t understand the poem, he
lives out its message in many ways, in this case by finding poetry in nature, even
though he is a suspect in a murder case. He sees the deeper, more symbolic
meaning of the sun and equates it with the “golden” innocence of youth. Most of the
Greasers have submitted to violence and have sacrificed their innocence to survive.
On the contrary, by finding meaning in nature, Pony is true to himself and candidly
shows his sensitive side. In fact, Pony seems to personify innocence in this novel.
He embodies the question of Frost’s poem, Can goodness endure the forces of
decay? Granted, this poem suggests a loss of innocence. However, by stating Frost’s
words, Pony acts as a warning against the doom that almost certainly awaits his best
friends, if it doesn’t await Pony himself, as well.
22. _____________________________________________
(over)
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23. _____ Pony lives on the “wrong side of town,” where he and his gang, the
Greasers, struggle to stay tough against the Socs, a rival group of rich kids from the
nice side of town. When Pony and Johnny, his best friend, get caught up in a murder
case, they escape to a church in the country. There they have time to watch the
horizon as the sun rises over a valley of mist.
24. _____________________________________________
25. _____ Ponyboy, from The Outsiders by SE Hinton, is a sensitive character, even in
the face of danger.
26. _____________________________________________
III. Objective Tone
A. Recalling Your Notes: Fill in the blanks below with the appropriate terms. Use
the terms that we discussed in class.
To create objective tone, avoid references to the three “r” sounds:
27. __________________________________________
28. __________________________________________
29. __________________________________________
When choosing tone, a writer should consider both of the following factors:
30. __________________________________________
31. __________________________________________
(over)
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B. Choosing Tone: Look at the table below, which lists directions for assignments.
In the “Tone” column, write a check () under either “Objective” or “Subjective” to
indicate which tone you’d use for each assignment. Put a check in only one box.
Directions to Assignment
Tone
Objective
Subjective
32. Write a dictionary definition of a word.
33. Write a book blurb for the back of a friend’s book that
you loved. Sell it to possible buyers by raving about it.
34. Write a newspaper article in which you report on the
latest developments in the Middle East.
35. Write a persuasive paragraph for your teacher
describing what you have in common with a fictional
character.
36. Write a persuasive paragraph for your teacher
describing a fictional character with a character trait.
IV. Using Quotes
A. Notes on Using Quotes: Fill in the blanks below with the appropriate terms.
Use the terms that we discussed in class.
Tags:
37. A tag for a quote includes three elements:

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________
What to Quote:
38. You may quote either or the following:
__________________________ (conversation) or ________________________ (story-telling)
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