Short Story “Big Quiz” Study Guide
Eng 2 / Schaeffer
Fall 2012
Short stories covered:
“Stop the Sun” by Gary Paulson
“Chixculub” by T.C. Boyle
“Fingers” by Gary Gildner
“Ambush,” “Friends,” and “Stockings” by Tim O’Brien
“The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas” by Reginald McKnight
For the quiz, you will need to be able to: 1) recall factual details; 2) identify the use of literary terms in the
stories; and 3) answer short-answer essay questions about the larger themes and Essential Questions in the
stories.
Please familiarize yourself with these terms and be able to both define them and identify them in works of
fiction.
1.
Conflict – when two opposing forces are present
2.
Metaphor – a comparison of two things without using “like” or “as”
3.
Simile – a comparison of two things using “like” or “as”
4.
Personification – when a non-human being is given human characteristics
5.
Dynamic Character – a character who undergoes a significant change by the story’s end
6.
Static Character -- a character who does not change throughout a story.
7.
Setting – the time, place and physical details in which a story occurs
8.
Magical Thinking – having a mindset that is apart from rational, scientific thought
9.
Direct Characterization – how a character is defined by what is explicitly, directly stated
10.
Indirect Characterization – how a character is defined by their words and actions
Test Review:
1. What is the central conflict in each of the short stories?
“Stop the Sun”
“The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas”
“Chixculub”
2. Choose three characters from these stories and write an explanation (2 sentences) about how they engage
in magical thinking.
Character 1:
Character 2:
Character 3:
3. In “Stop the Sun,” how does Terry’s direct characterization differ from her indirect characterization? (In
other words, what do we learn about her from her actions that we don’t learn from what the narrator tells
us?)
4. In “Chixculub,” how is the setting used to amplify or emphasize the conflict in the story? Give specific
details.
5. Pick TWO of these characters and describe how they could be considered dynamic characters:
Clinton (“Texas”)
/
Ted (“Chixculub”)
/
Terry (“Stop the Sun”)