1. Brian is writing a narrative about the wood-carving contest he won over the summer. Which of the following strategies should Brian use to engage his readers’ attention?

A. Describe the tense moments before the winner is announced
B. Explain how amazing he felt when he finally won the contest
C. Introduce the contestants, judges, and other characters in the story
D. Unfold the sequence of events leading to the carving of his wood sculpture

2. Read the following passage, paying close attention to how the author establishes the context of the story:

The alarm broke Marshall from a deep sleep. That noise could mean only one thing—intruders. Out of bed in a flash, he sped down the corridor to the source of the alarm. Breathless but resolved, he readied his stun beam for whatever waited inside the transporter chamber.

What evidence from the passage would you select to support the idea that this story occurs in the distant future?

A. The intruders that set off the terrible noise
B. The alarm blaring at the end of the corridor
C. The fact that Marshall is afraid yet resolved
D. The stun beam and the transporter chamber

3. What is meant by a story’s context?

A. The narrator’s point of view
B. The background for the story’s action
C. The logical unfolding of events in a narrative
D. The way an author establishes the main characters

4. Kiara is polishing one of her short stories for a writing contest. She wants to be sure to hook her readers’ attention from the start so they will keep reading. The story begins with this paragraph:

It was the oldest oak on the property. Every autumn, its leaves were a stunning mix of red and orange hues. Its arms could easily bear the weight of ten men. And I hated that I was the one in charge of chopping it down.

Why does Kiara include the detail “I was the one in charge of chopping it down” in her story’s opening?

A. She uses it to introduce the narrator’s first-person point of view.
B. She uses it to introduce the main character and identify his or her job.
C. She uses it to establish the property and the old oak tree as the story’s context.
D. She uses it to describe important background information about the story’s narrator.

1. Brian should use strategy A: Describe the tense moments before the winner is announced to engage his readers’ attention. This will create anticipation and intrigue.

2. The evidence from the passage that supports the idea of the story occurring in the distant future is D. The stun beam and the transporter chamber.

3. A story’s context refers to B. The background for the story’s action. It encompasses the setting, time period, and circumstances surrounding the narrative.

4. Kiara includes the detail “I was the one in charge of chopping it down” in her story’s opening to B. Introduce the main character and identify his or her job. This detail sets up a conflict and piques interest.