Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1: READING FOR MEANING
Course: Ged Test Prep
Subject: English Languages Art Rla
Chapter: Chapter 1 Reading For Meaning
A passage consists of five major elements: events, plots, characters, settings, and ideas. These elements work together to create a meaningful narrative that will actively engage the readers and convey a message. Understanding these elements is important because it helps a reader to comprehend and interpret the literary text effectively.
Events
When you come across the word event, you might picture many occasions such as a football game, a music concert and many more. The activities that occur in such occasions are called events. Therefore, an event is an incident that occurs within a particular place at a particular time.
In a story, a series of events can occur between one state and another. For example, a story about a character striving to achieve his or her goals may begin by presenting events that show the challenges faced by the character until he succeeds.
When responding to a passage, you will be provided with events from the passage, and you will be required to arrange them in the order in which they occur in the passage.
Steps to follow when arranging events in an orderly manner as they occur in the passage.
- Read the passage carefully while noting down the key events.
- Review the provided events.
- Read the passage for the second time. This time try to locate where each event is presented in the passage. Look for chronological sequence words such as next, after, before, then, in the end, and lastly. These words signal a transition from one event to the next hence enabling you understand the order of events.
- Note the location of each provided event within the passage, specifying the paragraph and sentence where each event is outlined. For example, indicate the exact position within the text where each event occurs.
- Arrange the events in the order in which they occur in the passage. Start with the earliest event and proceed sequentially until you reach the last event.
NOTE:
Cause and effect: Consider cause and effect relationships between events. If one event is directly caused by the other, ensure to identify the causative event as occurring first.
Plot
Plot refers to the sequence of events within a literary text. It encompasses how the author arranges events from the beginning to the end to develop the main idea. It is manifested through the actions, traits, and attitudes of the main characters of the story.
A very common plot structure moves from the opening (exposition) through action, conflict, climax to the ending, or resolution.
- Exposition
The exposition is the background information in the story. It includes everything the author believes you should know about the setting, characters and the events of the story.
- The inciting incident
Is an event or something that starts the conflict in a story.
- Rising action
The rising action is made up of key events that happen between the inciting incident and the climax. The events happening at this stage often affect the main character of the story
- The climax
The climax describes the most intense part of the story. This point marks a pivotal moment in the story, where the text can take a turn for the better or for the worse.
- Falling action
The falling action describes the important events that happen the climax and the resolution.
- Resolution/ Denouement
The resolution describes how the story ends or how the conflict is resolved. The story doesn’t always tell you exactly what happens in the end, but it does come to a resolution leaving the reader with an understanding of what has happened.
Characters
Characters are individuals or entities that propel their actions throughout the story. Characters can be based on real people, animals, cartoons, and fantastical people, such as wizards or superheroes. They develop the plot of a story through their actions, dialogue, and relationships. There are three major types of characters:
- Protagonist – The protagonist is the main character in the story with a conflict to resolve. The protagonist usually possess positive traits.
- Antagonist –The antagonist is a character within a story who creates obstacles for the protagonist. Moreover, the antagonist is typically the source of the conflict and is often characterized by possessing negative traits.
- Supporting characters – Are characters who are not the main focus in the story. They can be good or bad. They help in reinforcing the narrative that exist between the protagonist and the antagonist.
Character traits
Character traits are a combination of different qualities that define a character, such as thoughts, feelings, personality, character’s physical appearance and the choices they make. They are often portrayed using descriptive adjectives.
Now let’s practice trying to find some character traits in this text.
Alison got home from school and immediately began doing her homework. He did not even take a break until he was completely finished. Alison often wanted to do her homework during lunchtime at school because she enjoyed it so much.
From this excerpt, we can gather some character traits about Alison such as:
- Hardworking- Alison’s immediate engagement in his homework after school indicates a hardworking trait.
- Determined- Alison's commitment to finishing her homework without taking a break suggests determination.
Setting
The setting refers to the background in which a story takes place. When examining how setting contributes to a story, consider the following aspects:
- Place: This is the location where the story is taking place. The location can hold symbolic meaning or it can provide a physical context for the characters and plot to exist within.
- Time: This is the time in which the events of the story take place. Whether it is historical period, time of day, year, month, or even the future, the time setting provides readers with important context for understanding how events unfold within the passage/ story.
- Weather conditions: It is the current weather in the story. It can be rainy, sunny, stormy, foggy etc.?
- Social conditions: What is the daily life of the characters? This aspect provide insight into the daily life of the characters, including their routines, occupations, and interactions with others.
- Mood or atmosphere: What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it cheerful, somber, suspenseful, etc.?
The setting helps to set the mood, influence how characters behave, affect dialogues, foreshadow events and reflect the society in which the character lives in.
When responding to a passage, you may be asked to describe the setting of the given passage or story. In this case, be as specific as the author is. Specify the geographical location and the time when the story takes place.