English 9 Short Stories

TEST primer

If you can confidently (and correctly!) answer these questions without looking at your notes, you should be OK for the test.

 
  1. What are the four major components of the short story? List and define each.
    2.
  2. What are literary devices? Define the five we’ve discussed.
    3.
  3. What are the four methods a writer can use to present and develop a character?
    4.
  4. For EACH of the eight stories we’ve read, identify TWO literary devices and explain how they improve the reading experience.
    5.
  5. What are the stages of a short story plot?
    6.
  6. Noted Russian writer Anton Chekhov once said, "If you are going to take time to describe a gun hanging on the wall, it absolutely must go off by the end of the story." What did he mean by this?
  7. What are the components that define setting?
    8.
  8. Read the short story "The Street That Got Mislaid" by Patrick Waddington and answer the following questions:
    9.

a. Why did the people of Green Bottle Street stop paying taxes?

b. Why was Marc so disturbed at finding the old index card?

c. Why didn't Marc report finding the card to his superiors?

d. How does the author develop the character of Marc Girondin in the early stages of the story? Why is this important to the ending of the story?

e. What literary devices were used in this story? How were they successful in creating an impression on the reader?

 

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