Unit 7 Lesson 3: Structure and Plot

Question 1

chronological order

Answer 1

when events in a plot are told in sequence or in the order they happened in time

Question 2

parallel plot

Answer 2

a story structure in which multiple plot lines take place at the same time

Question 2

structure

Answer 2

how the events in a story are organized

Question 3

flashback

Answer 3

a scene that interrupts the main story to tell about something that happened earlier, often to provide background

Question 3

The author’s choices in structuring a story with parallel plots may have several effects on the overall narrative.

Answer 3

• to introduce tension and build suspense by pulling the reader’s focus away from the main plot line
• to draw readers more deeply into the story as they track the details of the different plots
• to enrich or complicate the author’s message or theme

Question 4

mood

Answer 4

the underlying feeling in a literary text or how the piece makes the reader feel

Question 5

Efffects of pacing

Answer 5

They may increase the pacing by writing short sentences and dialogue, or they may decelerate with long, detailed paragraphs of description or reflection. These manipulations of time complicate the story and its meaning, ramp up the tension, and make readers pay attention.