NJSLA Narrative Writing Task 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student wants to show rather than tell that her character is nervous before a big game. Which sentence best achieves this?
- She kept bouncing her knee and checking the clock every few seconds. (Correct answer)
- She was very nervous about the upcoming game.
- She did not feel good about what was going to happen.
- She had a lot of feelings inside her body.
Correct answer: She kept bouncing her knee and checking the clock every few seconds.
Showing nervousness through specific physical actions (bouncing knee, checking clock) is more vivid than simply stating the emotion.
Question 2: In a narrative, what is the primary purpose of rising action?
- To build tension and develop complications that lead to the climax. (Correct answer)
- To introduce the main character's backstory in detail.
- To resolve all conflicts and wrap up the story.
- To describe the setting in as much detail as possible.
Correct answer: To build tension and develop complications that lead to the climax.
Rising action builds suspense and intensifies conflict, driving the story toward its climax.
Question 3: Which transition word would best signal a shift to a different time period in a personal narrative?
- Meanwhile (Correct answer)
- Therefore
- In contrast
- As a result
Correct answer: Meanwhile
'Meanwhile' indicates a simultaneous or shifted time frame, making it ideal for moving between time periods in a narrative.
Question 4: A writer ends every paragraph with the same character 'learning a lesson.' What is the main weakness of this approach?
- It feels repetitive and makes the narrative's theme too heavy-handed. (Correct answer)
- It ensures the reader understands the moral of the story.
- It provides a clear structure that NJSLA scorers prefer.
- It helps the writer stay focused on a single message.
Correct answer: It feels repetitive and makes the narrative's theme too heavy-handed.
Repeating explicit lesson statements throughout a narrative becomes monotonous and reduces the impact of the story's theme.
Question 5: Which narrative technique is used in the sentence: 'The old house groaned as the storm approached, as if warning them to leave'?
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Flashback
- Foreshadowing
- Hyperbole
Correct answer: Personification
Giving the house human qualities (groaning, warning) is personification, a figurative language technique common in narrative writing.
Question 6: When writing an NJSLA narrative based on a provided stimulus text, what should a student do first?
- Read the stimulus carefully and identify key characters, events, and themes. (Correct answer)
- Begin writing the story immediately to maximize time.
- Copy relevant sentences from the stimulus into the response.
- Outline all five acts of a dramatic structure.
Correct answer: Read the stimulus carefully and identify key characters, events, and themes.
Careful reading of the stimulus is essential so the narrative response accurately reflects and extends the provided material.
Question 7: A narrative has an exciting climax but ends abruptly with 'And then everything was fine.' What is the main problem with this conclusion?
- It fails to show how the character changed or resolve the conflict satisfactorily. (Correct answer)
- It is too short to count as a full conclusion.
- It uses the word 'and' to start a sentence.
- It does not include a moral lesson for the reader.
Correct answer: It fails to show how the character changed or resolve the conflict satisfactorily.
An abrupt, vague ending does not demonstrate the character's growth or tie up the story's conflict in a meaningful way.
NJSLA Narrative Writing Task 2
A student wants to show rather than tell that her character is nervous before a big game.
Which sentence best achieves this?