Literature follows some of the same conventions as nonfiction, but it also differs in important ways. For example, most science and social science writing uses third person, while fiction may use a first-person narrator.
Fiction can be structured in many different ways. When you read a passage, it helps to ask yourself these questions:
If the passage contains dialogue, keep track of who is speaking. One simple method is to label characters by their first initials and follow the conversation line by line so you’re always clear on who says what. This matters even more when the writer leaves out dialogue tags such as “he said” or “she replied.”
Here’s an example:
The following passage is from A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Lucy Manette is being questioned in court during Charles Darnay’s trial for treason.
Which statement provides the best summary of the passage? a. Lucy Manette clarifies a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she explains what she saw while also saying that she couldn’t be sure about certain details.
b. Lucy Manette clarifies a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she responds with specific descriptions of the two men and their obvious hostility towards Charles Darnay.
c. Lucy Manette is asked to clarify a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she responds with a detailed description of the treasonous papers they looked at together.
d. Lucy Manette is interrupted during her testimony about Charles Darnay and responds by insisting on the accuracy of her testimony.
e. Lucy Manette describes how the two French gentlemen were thrown off the boat for inciting Charles Darnay to commit treason.
Answer: a. Lucy Manette clarifies a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she explains what she saw while also saying that she couldn’t be sure about certain details is correct because Lucy clarifies that Charles Darnay did not board the ship alone, says that she saw two men looking at some papers with him, and explains that she couldn’t hear what they said clearly.
b. Lucy Manette clarifies a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she responds with specific descriptions of the two men and their obvious hostility towards Charles Darnay is incorrect because Lucy gives no details about the men other than that they were French. She also does not say they were hostile toward Darnay.
c. Lucy Manette is asked to clarify a point about the prisoner’s arrival on board, and she responds with a detailed description of the treasonous papers they looked at together is incorrect because Lucy never sees what the papers say.
d. Lucy Manette is interrupted during her testimony about Charles Darnay and responds by insisting on the accuracy of her testimony is incorrect because no one challenges her testimony or suggests that it isn’t true.
e. Lucy Manette describes how the two French gentlemen were thrown off the boat for inciting Charles Darnay to commit treason is incorrect because the French gentlemen are not thrown off the ship; they leave voluntarily.
First-person narratives use the personal pronouns I, me, my, and mine to show that the story is told from one character’s point of view.
Second person narratives are less common than first or third person narratives. They use pronouns such as you and your to show that the narrator is speaking directly to the reader.
Third person narratives use third person pronouns such as he, she, it, one, and they. A limited third person narrative is told from the point of view of a character who does not know what other characters are thinking or feeling. An omniscient (or “all-knowing”) third person narrative is told by a narrator who knows everything about all of the characters.
Many literary passages on the test spend a lot of time describing either the setting or a character’s personality and perspective. Often, the passage centers on a change - an “old idea, new idea” structure. The change might be in the character’s circumstances, or it might be a realization that leads to new thoughts and reactions.
Here’s an example:
The following passage is from Cranford, by Elizabeth Gaskell, found at Project Gutenberg.
Which statement provides the best summary of the passage?
a. Captain Brown’s openness about his finances offends the women of Cranford, who plan to shun him completely, but they came to like him in spite of themselves.
b. Captain Brown annoys the ladies of Cranford by blaring his opinion of their finances in the streets.
c. The ladies of Cranford despise the poor, blame them for their poverty, and bitterly oppose helping them.
d. The passage explains that the ladies of Cranford deplore references to money, refuse to call on Captain Brown, and believe that “Death was as true and common as poverty.”
e. The ladies of Cranford are excited when a new man comes to town but are disappointed to learn that he is not as wealthy as they had been led to believe.
Answer: a. Captain Brown’s openness about his finances offends the women of Cranford, who plan to shun him completely, but they came to like him in spite of themselves. is correct because it explains that Captain Brown openly admits he is a half-pay military officer, shows that this openness leads the women to decide not to socialize with him, and ends by saying they call on him anyway.
b. Captain Brown annoys the ladies of Cranford by blaring his opinion of their finances in the streets is incorrect because the passage says he loudly announces his own poverty, not theirs.
c. The ladies of Cranford despise the poor, blame them for their poverty, and bitterly oppose helping them is incorrect. The passage focuses on what the women consider polite conversation, not on blaming poor people or refusing to help them.
d. The passage explains that the “ladies of Cranford” deplore references to money, refuse to call on Captain Brown, and believe that “Death was as true and common as poverty” is incorrect because the comparison to death is used to show that both topics are considered impolite to discuss openly.
e. The ladies of Cranford are excited when a new man comes to town but are disappointed to learn that he is not as wealthy as they had been led to believe is incorrect because the women are described as dismayed, not excited, by the arrival of a man in their community.
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