NJSLA Analyzing Literary Texts 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A story's narrator describes events without revealing any character's inner thoughts, only reporting dialogue and actions. Which narrative point of view is this?
- First-person limited
- Third-person omniscient
- Third-person objective (Correct answer)
- Second-person
Correct answer: Third-person objective
Third-person objective presents only observable actions and dialogue, never entering any character's mind.
Question 2: In a poem, the speaker compares grief to 'a heavy stone carried in the chest.' What literary device is this?
- Simile
- Metaphor (Correct answer)
- Personification
- Hyperbole
Correct answer: Metaphor
A metaphor directly equates two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as.'
Question 3: Which element of plot introduces the main characters and setting before the central conflict is established?
- Climax
- Falling action
- Exposition (Correct answer)
- Resolution
Correct answer: Exposition
The exposition is the opening section that provides background information about characters, setting, and situation.
Question 4: An author repeatedly uses the word 'cold' to describe a character's home, voice, and personality. This technique of using one word across multiple contexts is best described as:
- Foreshadowing
- Extended metaphor
- Motif (Correct answer)
- Allusion
Correct answer: Motif
A motif is a recurring element — image, word, or idea — that develops and reinforces a theme throughout a text.
Question 5: A character in a novel holds rigid, traditional beliefs but gradually opens her mind after befriending someone from a different background. This character is best classified as:
- A static character
- A flat character
- A dynamic character (Correct answer)
- An antagonist
Correct answer: A dynamic character
A dynamic character undergoes significant internal change during the course of the story.
Question 6: Which of the following best defines 'tone' in a literary text?
- The sequence of events in the plot
- The author's attitude toward the subject or audience as conveyed through word choice (Correct answer)
- The central message the author wants readers to take away
- The setting's emotional effect on the reader
Correct answer: The author's attitude toward the subject or audience as conveyed through word choice
Tone reflects the author's attitude and is communicated through diction, syntax, and stylistic choices.
Question 7: A short story ends with the protagonist returning home only to discover everything has changed. This moment, where the conflict reaches its highest tension and turns toward resolution, is called the:
- Rising action
- Climax (Correct answer)
- Denouement
- Inciting incident
Correct answer: Climax
The climax is the turning point of greatest tension in the story, after which events move toward resolution.
NJSLA Analyzing Literary Texts 2
A story's narrator describes events without revealing any character's inner thoughts, only reporting dialogue and actions.
Which narrative point of view is this?