How Plot Orders Events: Short Fiction - AP English Literature and Composition
- What is a circular plot structure?
- The narrative ends where it began, returning to an initial state. Creates closure by echoing the opening situation.
- What is a parallel plot structure?
- Two or more plotlines develop side by side, often intersecting. Allows comparison or contrast between storylines.
- What is a frame narrative as a plot structure?
- An outer story encloses an inner story being told. Creates layers of narration and perspective.
- What is the primary analytical task when describing how plot orders events?
- Explain how sequence choices shape meaning, tension, and character. Analyze how temporal arrangement creates literary effects.
- Identify the plot-order device: an older narrator recounts earlier childhood events.
- Retrospective narration organized through flashback. Memory structures the narrative's temporal shifts.
- What is foreshadowing as it relates to the ordering of events?
- Early details hint at later developments in the plot. Plants clues that gain significance when events unfold.
- What is pacing, and how does it affect the ordering of events?
- The speed of narration; it expands or compresses event time. Controls reader experience by varying narrative tempo.
- Which plot-order choice best describes: Chapter 1 shows the aftermath, then earlier causes?
- Non-linear order using analepsis (flashback) after an opening scene. Effect-before-cause structure creates mystery.
- What is a scene in plot pacing and event ordering?
- Detailed narration where story time and discourse time feel close. Slows pace to emphasize dramatic moments through detail.
- What is a flashforward (prolepsis) in plot structure?
- A shift to events that will occur later than the present action. Jumps ahead to create anticipation or dramatic irony.
- What is a frame narrative as an ordering device?
- An outer story encloses and organizes an inner story. Creates layers of meaning through nested narratives.
- Identify the pacing choice: three years are covered in one paragraph of narration.
- Summary. Compresses extended time into brief narration.
- What is a time gap (ellipsis) as a plot-order technique?
- The narrative omits intervening time and resumes later. Skips unimportant events to maintain narrative momentum.
- What is a time jump (ellipsis) in plot order?
- A deliberate skip over an interval of story time. Omits unimportant events to maintain narrative momentum.
- What is a subplot in relation to overall plot order?
- A secondary plotline interwoven with the main plot. Enriches main plot through thematic echoes or contrasts.
- What is non-linear plot order in a narrative?
- Events are presented out of time sequence for effect. Disrupts chronology to create suspense or thematic connections.
- What is in medias res as an opening plot strategy?
- The narrative begins in the middle of the action. Plunges readers into conflict, then fills in background.
- Identify the plot-order device: chapter one shows the aftermath, then returns to earlier causes.
- In medias res. Opens with consequences before revealing causes.
- Identify the pacing choice: a single argument is narrated moment-by-moment with dialogue.
- Scene. Real-time narration emphasizes dramatic intensity.
- What is pacing as it relates to ordering and presenting events?
- The narrative speed created by how much time is given to events. Controls reader engagement through temporal manipulation.
- What is a flashback in plot structure?
- A shift to earlier events that occurred before the present action. Interrupts forward momentum to provide backstory or context.
- What is a parallel plot structure (dual plotlines) in event ordering?
- Two plotlines run alongside each other, often converging later. Develops contrast or comparison between storylines.
- What is a summary in plot pacing and event ordering?
- Condensed narration that covers a long span quickly. Accelerates narrative by compressing extended time periods.
- Identify the plot-order term: the narrator summarizes years in one paragraph.
- Time compression (summary) that accelerates pacing. Condenses extended time to maintain forward movement.
- Which plot-order term fits: alternating chapters follow two characters at the same time?
- Parallel plotlines with intercut (alternating) chronology. Simultaneous events shown sequentially for comparison.
- What is a subplot in relation to the main plot's event sequence?
- A secondary chain of events that intersects with the main plot. Enriches main plot through related but distinct events.
- Identify the plot-order term: the story pauses to depict a moment in slow detail.
- Time expansion (scene) that slows pacing. Stretches brief moments to emphasize significance.
- What is foreshadowing in relation to plot ordering?
- Early cues that anticipate later events or outcomes. Plants hints that gain significance retrospectively.
- What is an episodic plot structure?
- A sequence of loosely connected episodes rather than one arc. Each episode stands alone while contributing to the whole.
- Identify the plot-order device: the narrator pauses action to recount childhood events.
- Flashback. Past events interrupt present to provide context.
- Identify the plot-order device: the story repeatedly alternates between two characters' timelines.
- Parallel plot structure. Simultaneous storylines create comparison or tension.
- What is a nonlinear "braided" or interwoven plot structure?
- Alternating strands of events are intercut to build meaning. Weaves multiple timelines to reveal connections gradually.
- What is a flashforward (prolepsis) as a plot-order device?
- A shift to later events to foreshadow or reframe outcomes. Jumps ahead to create anticipation or dramatic irony.
- What is chronological plot order in a narrative?
- Events are presented in the order they occur in time. Linear progression follows cause-and-effect naturally.