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English 20-1

English 20-1 · Worksheets

How a story is built

Ten questions of mixed difficulty, covering Story. Print it, or work through it on screen — the answer key starts on its own page.

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How a story is built

English 20-1 · maddyhelps.com

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Circle the best answer for each question. Show your work in the space provided.

  1. The conflict of a story is

    1. a) the ending of the story
    2. b) the narrator's point of view
    3. c) the setting in which it takes place
    4. d) the struggle that drives the plot forward

  2. A foil is a character who

    1. a) opposes the protagonist physically
    2. b) narrates the story
    3. c) contrasts with another and so highlights that character's qualities
    4. d) appears only once

  3. A flashback most often functions to

    1. a) confuse the reader deliberately
    2. b) end the story
    3. c) slow the story down for no particular reason
    4. d) supply earlier information that explains a character's present behaviour

  4. An internal conflict is one in which a character struggles

    1. a) against society
    2. b) against nature
    3. c) against another character
    4. d) against something within themselves

  5. Indirect characterization means the reader learns about a character through

    1. a) a direct statement from the narrator about their personality
    2. b) the character's actions, speech and effect on others
    3. c) a physical description in the opening paragraph
    4. d) the title of the story

  6. A story told in first person uses

    1. a) you, addressing the reader
    2. b) he, she and they, with access to every mind
    3. c) I and we, from inside one character's experience
    4. d) no pronouns at all

  7. The climax of a story is

    1. a) the final sentence
    2. b) the point of greatest tension, where the conflict turns
    3. c) the introduction of the setting
    4. d) the opening situation

  8. Setting contributes most to a story when it

    1. a) is mentioned in the first paragraph
    2. b) is described in vivid detail
    3. c) shapes what the characters can do, believe or become
    4. d) is a real place

  9. A third-person limited narrator

    1. a) knows the thoughts of every character
    2. b) is a character in the story
    3. c) follows one character's thoughts while using he, she or they
    4. d) knows no character's thoughts

  10. A dynamic character differs from a static one in that a dynamic character

    1. a) appears in more scenes
    2. b) undergoes a significant internal change over the course of the story
    3. c) moves between several settings
    4. d) speaks more dialogue

Answer key · How a story is built

English 20-1 · maddyhelps.com

  1. d) the struggle that drives the plot forward — Without a struggle there is no story, only a sequence of events. Naming the conflict precisely — who wants what, and what is in the way — is usually the fastest route into a text.
  2. c) contrasts with another and so highlights that character's qualities — A foil need not be an enemy — a cautious friend beside a reckless protagonist is a foil. The contrast is what makes the other character's qualities visible.
  3. d) supply earlier information that explains a character's present behaviour — The useful question is always why it appears where it does. A flashback placed just before a decision usually tells you what is really driving that decision.
  4. d) against something within themselves — Character versus self covers doubt, guilt, temptation and divided loyalty. The other three are external, and many good stories run an internal and an external conflict at once.
  5. b) the character's actions, speech and effect on others — Showing rather than telling. It is usually stronger evidence in an essay too, because an action can be quoted and interpreted while a label can only be repeated.
  6. c) I and we, from inside one character's experience — First person gives immediacy and limits you to what that character knows, notices and is willing to admit. Both the access and the limit are things a writer chooses on purpose.
  7. b) the point of greatest tension, where the conflict turns — The climax is where the outcome is decided, not necessarily where the action is loudest. What follows is falling action and resolution.
  8. c) shapes what the characters can do, believe or become — Setting includes time, place and social conditions. If moving the story somewhere else would change nothing, the setting is scenery; if it would break the story, the setting is doing work.
  9. c) follows one character's thoughts while using he, she or they — It combines the outside view of third person with the restricted knowledge of first. Omniscient narration moves freely between minds, and objective narration stays outside all of them.
  10. b) undergoes a significant internal change over the course of the story — The change has to be in understanding, values or self, not merely in circumstances. Showing what caused it is usually a better essay than showing that it happened.