OLNA Writing: Narrative Writing Techniques 2

Question 1

A student opens a story with: "The phone rang at 3 a.m. Nobody ever called at 3 a.m." Which technique is mainly being used?

Accepted Answer

A hook that creates suspense

Answer

An unusual, unsettling event at the start grabs the reader's attention and builds suspense.

Question 2

Which sentence best uses 'show, don't tell' to convey that a character is nervous?

Accepted Answer

Mia tapped her pencil, glanced at the clock, and wiped her damp palms on her jeans.

Answer

Physical actions let readers infer the emotion instead of being told it directly.

Question 3

In a narrative, what is the main purpose of the rising action?

Accepted Answer

To build tension through complications leading to the climax

Answer

Rising action develops conflict and tension that peak at the climax.

Question 4

A writer switches from 'I walked into the room' to 'She walked into the room' halfway through a paragraph about the same narrator. What is the error?

Accepted Answer

Inconsistent point of view

Answer

Shifting from first to third person for the same narrator breaks point-of-view consistency.

Question 5

Which ending is most effective for a short narrative about a character overcoming fear of swimming?

Accepted Answer

She finally dove in, and for the first time, the water felt like it was holding her up instead of pulling her down.

Answer

It resolves the conflict and reflects the character's change with vivid imagery.

OLNA - Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Practice Test