UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING FICTION
1.
Who is the protagonist? What are the conflicts?
2. How does the author reveal character?
3.
What motivates the characters?
4.
Are the characters flat or round, static or dynamic? Is a character a stock character? If the
character grows, in what way/how does he/she grow?
5.
What is the setting in time and place? How do you know? Is the setting essential to the story?
6.
State the central idea or theme of the poem in a sentence.
7.
What point of view does the story use? Who tells the story? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable?
How do you know?
8.
Does the story employ any symbols? If so, do the symbols carry o merely reinforce the meaning of
the story?
9.
Does the story employ fantasy?
10.
Does the story employ humor?
11.
What are the characteristics of the author’s style?
12.
What is the significance of the title?
13.
What is the central purpose of the story?
14.
Criticize and evaluate the story.
Students need to be aware of all unfamiliar vocabulary they encounter in the assigned reading.
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Keep a running notebook or electronic document of unfamiliar words as they are encountered.
Note the page and line of each recorded word for easy reference.
At the end of a scene, story, or book, consult a dictionary to learn the definition(s),
pronunciation(s), and usage (if given) of the word.