1. Reading Skill: Cause and Effect
A cause is an event, an action, or a situation that produces a result. An effect is the result produced. To better follow a story, analyze causes and effects as you read, determining which earlier events lead to which later events. Many stories are chains of cause and effect, in which one event leads to the next.
To analyze causes and effects, reflect on key details that the writer spends time explaining or describing. For example, a writer’s description of a dangerous coastline prepares you to understand the cause-and-effect relationships leading to the sinking of a ship.
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2. Reading Skill: Cause and Effect
A cause is an event, an action, or a situation that makes something happen. An effect is the event that results. To analyze cause and effect, determine which events cause which effects.
Reread passages to determine whether some events in a sequence are the reason that other events happen.
Look for cause-and-effect terms such as because, as a result, for that reason, and so on.
As you read, use a sequence of events chart like the one below to record connections between causes and effects.
Using the Strategy: Sequence Chart
As you read, use a sequence chart like the one below to record connections between causes and effects.
Cause
Cause/Effect
Effect
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3. Literary Analysis: Author’s Purpose
An author’s purpose is his or her main reason for writing.
An author may seek to inform, explain, persuade, describe, or entertain. He or she may also have more than one purpose.
If an author’s primary purpose is to inform or persuade, the author presents a thesis—the main point or argument about the subject. To explain and prove the thesis, the author supplies support: evidence, facts, and other details confirming the thesis.
Another way authors achieve purpose is through their style—their use of language. Word choice, sentence length, and complexity contribute to an author's style.
As you read, look for ways in which the authors achieve their purposes.
Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc, or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

4. Literary Analysis: Conflict and Resolution
The conflict in a short story is a struggle between two forces. Conflict usually drives the plot of a story.
In an external conflict, a character struggles against an outside force, such as an element of nature or another character.
In an internal conflict, a character struggles with his or her own opposing desires, beliefs, or needs.
In many stories, the conflict intensifies until one force wins and a resolution of the conflict occurs. To build interest in a story’s conflict, writers may hint at events to come or “stretch out” episodes that lead up to a crucial moment. In these ways, they create suspense, a rising curiosity or anxiety in readers.
Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc, or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

5. Literary Analysis: Conflict and Resolution
The conflict in a short story is a struggle between two forces. Conflict usually drives the plot of a story.
In an external conflict, a character struggles against an outside force, such as an element of nature or another character.
In an internal conflict, a character struggles with his or her own opposing desires, beliefs, or needs.
In many stories, the conflict intensifies until one force wins and a resolution of the conflict occurs. To build interest in a story’s conflict, writers may hint at events to come or “stretch out” episodes that lead up to a crucial moment. In these ways, they create suspense, a rising curiosity or anxiety in readers.
Copyright © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc, or its affiliates. All rights reserved.