Plot Events

You must tell us what happens in the story. Please describe these items: background, inciting action, rising action, crisis, falling action, resolution. This is what each means:

Below are 17 questions. You must answer each. Both the question and answer must be on your page. Copy each question. Paste it on your "Plot Event" page. Answer the question. Answers must be complete sentences. This is worth 17 points.

Background (also called exposition):

1. Where does the story take place? (On a farm, on a ship, in a city, in multiple locations, in a forest, etc.)

2. When does the story take place: now; in the future; during the '90s, '80s, '70s; during the 19th century; in medieval times; during the American Revolution; etc.?

3. Who is the story about? These are the primary characters, what each like, their age, and (most importantly) the way in which the characters are connected to each other.

4. The exposition tells the reader what a normal day is like for the primary characters.

Inciting Action (the main problem of the story is introduced):

5. Something happens to the main character that is not normal--what is it? Please tell us what strange thing happens that creates a big problem for the main character.

Rising Action (the problem gets worse, hero learns more about the problem, new characters are introduced):

6. How does the problem intensify?

7. What new characters are added to the story?

8. How do new characters help or hurt with solving the problem?

9. What new things about the problem does our hero learn?

Crisis (our hero confronts the main problem and solves it):

10. How does the main problem of the story get solved; Same thing: how does the main problem in the story go away?

Falling Action (the natural consequences of the choice that the hero used to solve the problem):

11. The hero solved the problem; the hero did solve the problem, but the way that the hero solved the problem had its own consequences. What were those consequences?

12. What was the result, the effect, the consequence of the way in which the hero solved the problem (Hint: with many stories, the consequence will likely be positive. With some stories, the consequence is actually negative--yes, the problem was solved, but the hero is greatly hurt.)

Resolution (the story is over and life returns to normal):

13. What do the primary characters learn from their experience?

14. How are the primary characters different at the end of the story than they were at the beginning of the story?

15. How does the relationship (the connection) that the characters have with each other change?

  1. book cover information
  2. information about the author
  3. a list and description of the characters in the book
  4. important events in the plot
  5. answers to critical questions
  6. your opinion of the book.