Analyse short stories
Key notes:
🔍 Identify the Elements of a Short Story
- Characters – Who are the people or animals in the story?
- Setting – Where and when does the story take place?
- Plot – What happens in the story? (Beginning, middle, and end)
- Conflict – What is the main problem or challenge?
- Resolution – How is the problem solved?
🧠Understand the Theme
- What is the main message or lesson of the story?
- Ask: What is the author trying to teach us?
🗣️ Look at the Point of View
- First person – A character tells the story using “I” or “we.”
- Third person – A narrator tells the story using “he,” “she,” or “they.”
🎠Describe the Characters
- What are the characters’ personalities, actions, and feelings?
- Do they change during the story? How?
🧱 Examine the Structure
- Does the story have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
- Is there a climax – the most exciting or important part?
✨ Look for Figurative Language
- Similes, metaphors, personification, etc.
- What effect do these have on the story?
🧾 Summarize the Story
- Retell the story using your own words, focusing on key details.
🗨️ Support with Evidence
- When answering questions or making points, quote from the story to support your ideas.
Learn with an example
Read the story.
The Test
Ahmet was working in the virtual collaboration studio when a hologram of a tall woman in blue robes suddenly appeared. ‘Attention, Peer Learning Group 226,’ the woman said. ‘The United Education Federation requires that you take your PUP test on 15 August. Thank you.’ Then she vanished. Ahmet and the other students looked at each other, their eyes wide.
‘We knew it was coming,’ Sarita said, ‘but that’s next week!’ She balled her hands into nervous fists.Â
‘What are we even supposed to study?’ Bill said. ‘No one will tell us anything about it.’
Ahmet nodded thoughtfully.
Their teacher, Mr Jay, appeared in the room. ‘Hey, 226ers! I know you must be surprised by the PUP test. Don’t worry. We won’t be holding regular lessons. You’ll have the next few days to prepare.’
‘How?’ Sarita asked.
‘However you want,’ replied Mr Jay. The students looked confused. ‘I will monitor your studying, but that’s all I can say. Any other questions before we finish for the day?’
Ahmet had a lot of questions, but he shook his head. He wasn’t going to get answers from Mr Jay. He knew the Ed Fed was extremely secretive about the PUP test.
That night, Ahmet couldn’t sleep. Should he study? But what? His mind kept running over the mystery of the PUP test. He got up and put on his learning suit and goggles.
‘Computer,’ he said, ‘tell me about the PUP test.’
‘I’m sorry, you don’t have permission,’ a robotic voice answered. Well, it was worth a try.
‘Computer, show me speeches by the Minister of Education from the last ten years.’ A selection of videos popped up around Ahmet. He touched the oldest one, and it began to play.
A large man in blue robes appeared: ‘We must meet a new challenge. We must help students cultivate not only academic skills but also the best habits and dispositions . . .’
The next morning, Ahmet, Bill and Sarita met in the collaboration studio. Mr Jay was waiting for them. ‘Morning, 226ers! What are you planning on doing today?’ asked Mr Jay. ‘Have you given it any thought?’
‘What’s the point?’ Bill said. ‘No one will tell me anything.’
‘My sister said I should study,’ said Sarita.
‘Study what?’ asked Bill.
‘She wouldn’t say,’ Sarita replied. ‘But I think I’m going to review last year’s algebra modules. I didn’t really get them.’
‘Makes sense,’ Mr Jay nodded. ‘Bill?’
Bill threw up his hands. ‘I can’t take this! I’m going to the exercise facility to run.’
‘You can do that,’ Mr Jay said. Then he turned to Ahmet. ‘Ahmet? I saw you logged on last night to do some research.’
Ahmet smiled. ‘Yeah, I will probably do more of that today.’
‘Okay, 226ers. Thanks for the check-in. I’ll be back.’ Mr Jay’s hologram disappeared.
Sarita and Bill turned to Ahmet. ‘Research?’
‘The test,’ Ahmet said. ‘I mean—what do we know?’
‘Just that our future study modules and careers will be based on our test results,’ said Bill.
‘And no one will tell us what to study,’ said Sarita.
Ahmet nodded. ‘It’s almost as if we’re supposed to be stressing out.’ Suddenly, an idea dawned on him. ‘I think I know what the test is on.’
For the next week, Ahmet investigated his theory, telling Bill and Sarita what he learned. Bill continued exercising. Sarita studied. And every morning, Mr Jay quizzed them about their plans that day.
On 15 August, Ahmet was the last one to take the test. When he finished, Bill and Sarita were waiting for him.
‘We were right!’ exclaimed Sarita.
‘Well, Ahmet was right,’ said Bill. ‘I still can’t believe it wasn’t an academic test. But it makes sense—they already have plenty of that information from our modules.’
‘Personality Under Pressure,’ said Ahmet, mimicking Mr Jay’s voice. ‘He told me that I’ll be studying to be a detective!’
Based on the first paragraph, when does this story take place?
- in the present
- in the future
- in the past
Look at the following text from the first paragraph. It tells you that the story takes place sometime in the future.
Ahmet was working in the virtual collaboration studio when a hologram of a tall woman in blue robes suddenly appeared. ‘Attention, Peer Learning Group 226,’ the woman said. ‘The United Education Federation requires that you take your PUP test on 15 August. Thank you.’ Then she vanished. Ahmet and the other students looked at each other, their eyes wide.
Ahmet is in a ‘virtual collaboration studio’ with his fellow students, and a hologram appears to announce the upcoming PUP test. This technology suggests that the story takes place in the future.
Read the story.
A Change in the Weather
Sam looked up from the trail and noticed the glimmer of sky through the trees to his left. He breathed in the clean, cool air and felt his heart swell. He stopped for a minute to take in the view.
He was ahead of the group. Dara, the guide, had said he could lead the way. He wondered how far behind the others were. Then Sam heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw Anushree catching up to him. She was singing to herself, shattering the tranquil silence.
‘Wow, I love autumn hiking! It’s so pretty. And no mosquitoes,’ she said.
‘Too cold for mosquitoes,’ Sam replied matter-of-factly. ‘It’s going to get really cold above the tree line. You sure you’re ready for that?’
‘Yep, I have all my winter gear in my backpack.’
‘I hope so,’ Sam muttered under his breath. He spotted a trail marker and headed for it.
About an hour later, Sam and Anushree reached the top of the mountain, where they were supposed to wait. They had been scrambling over rocks and boulders for the past half an hour, concentrating on the trail markers. Anushree took off her backpack with a happy sigh. They waited. After a while, a few snowflakes began to fall, and grey clouds gathered to the west. Sam looked out at the view.
‘That’s weird. They must be really far behind,’ said Anushree. She squinted back down the trail, but there was no one coming.
Then a gust of cold wind and snow rushed over them.
Sam was a little uneasy. Maybe he shouldn’t have hiked so fast, he realised. He put on his hat, gloves and waterproof trousers. Then he checked his phone. There was no signal. He looked at Anushree. ‘Do you have signal?’
Anushree shook her head. ‘Maybe they stopped for lunch.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s go ahead and eat.’
Sam and Anushree found a rock and hunched beside it to avoid the wind. Sam ate quickly, barely tasting his sandwich. By the time he was done, his hands were numb from the cold. The sky was getting dark. He checked his phone again, but to no avail. It was getting late.
Then they heard Dara’s voice in the distance. She was calling them. ‘Sam! Anushree!’
Sam looked down the trail and saw Dara waving.
‘Come down!’ she yelled. ‘Be careful!’
The rocks and boulders were slippery and treacherous. Sam and Anushree climbed down slowly. Sam was shaking, and his legs felt like jelly by the time they reached Dara.
‘So, there’s a storm on the way,’ said Dara. ‘I sent the rest of the group back down the mountain with Mrs Santos a little while ago. You were too far ahead! It’s too dangerous to hike in this, so we’ll head to a rangers’ cabin.’
Anushree and Sam followed Dara. Sam couldn’t help but think he was to blame for the whole predicament. By the time they got to the cabin, it was snowing hard. They entered the cabin and shed their backpacks. The cabin was cold and dark, but they were out of the storm.
‘Brrr!’ Dara said, clapping her hands together. Then she nodded towards the fireplace. ‘Let’s get this fire going!’ Sam and Anushree started carrying logs in from outside.
Sam put down an armload of logs while Dara lit the lanterns in the cabin. It was bright and warm now.
Anushree was calmly humming to herself as she started to unpack her bag. Sam looked at her in disbelief. His own hands were shaking and his heart was racing.
She smiled at him. ‘Do you want to play blackjack or Crazy Eights? I brought cards.’
Sam felt himself relax. ‘Yeah, okay. Blackjack,’ Sam said. ‘It was a good idea to bring playing cards,’ he added.
Based on the second, third and fourth paragraphs, how does Sam feel when Anushree catches up to him?
- He is impressed.
- He is excited.
- He is annoyed.
Look at the following text from the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth paragraphs. It tells you that Sam is annoyed that Anushree caught up to him.
Then Sam heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw Anushree catching up to him. She was singing to herself, shattering the tranquil silence.
‘Wow, I love autumn hiking! It’s so pretty. And no mosquitoes,’ she said.
‘Too cold for mosquitoes,’ Sam replied matter-of-factly. ‘It’s going to get really cold above the tree line. You sure you’re ready for that?’
‘Yep, I have all my winter gear in my backpack.’
‘I hope so,’ Sam muttered under his breath. He spotted a trail marker and headed for it.
Let’s practice!
Read the story.
The Test
Ahmet was working in the virtual collaboration studio when a hologram of a tall woman in blue robes suddenly appeared. ‘Attention, Peer Learning Group 226,’ the woman said. ‘The United Education Federation requires that you take your PUP test on 15 August. Thank you.’ Then she vanished. Ahmet and the other students looked at each other, their eyes wide.
‘We knew it was coming,’ Sarita said, ‘but that’s next week!’ She balled her hands into nervous fists.
‘What are we even supposed to study?’ Bill said. ‘No one will tell us anything about it.’
Ahmet nodded thoughtfully.
Their teacher, Mr Jay, appeared in the room. ‘Hey, 226ers! I know you must be surprised by the PUP test. Don’t worry. We won’t be holding regular lessons. You’ll have the next few days to prepare.’
‘How?’ Sarita asked.
‘However you want,’ replied Mr Jay. The students looked confused. ‘I will monitor your studying, but that’s all I can say. Any other questions before we finish for the day?’
Ahmet had a lot of questions, but he shook his head. He wasn’t going to get answers from Mr Jay. He knew the Ed Fed was extremely secretive about the PUP test.
That night, Ahmet couldn’t sleep. Should he study? But what? His mind kept running over the mystery of the PUP test. He got up and put on his learning suit and goggles.
‘Computer,’ he said, ‘tell me about the PUP test.’
‘I’m sorry, you don’t have permission,’ a robotic voice answered. Well, it was worth a try.
‘Computer, show me speeches by the Minister of Education from the last ten years.’ A selection of videos popped up around Ahmet. He touched the oldest one, and it began to play.
A large man in blue robes appeared: ‘We must meet a new challenge. We must help students cultivate not only academic skills but also the best habits and dispositions . . .’
The next morning, Ahmet, Bill and Sarita met in the collaboration studio. Mr Jay was waiting for them. ‘Morning, 226ers! What are you planning on doing today?’ asked Mr Jay. ‘Have you given it any thought?’
‘What’s the point?’ Bill said. ‘No one will tell me anything.’
‘My sister said I should study,’ said Sarita.
‘Study what?’ asked Bill.
‘She wouldn’t say,’ Sarita replied. ‘But I think I’m going to review last year’s algebra modules. I didn’t really get them.’
‘Makes sense,’ Mr Jay nodded. ‘Bill?’
Bill threw up his hands. ‘I can’t take this! I’m going to the exercise facility to run.’
‘You can do that,’ Mr Jay said. Then he turned to Ahmet. ‘Ahmet? I saw you logged on last night to do some research.’
Ahmet smiled. ‘Yeah, I will probably do more of that today.’
‘Okay, 226ers. Thanks for the check-in. I’ll be back.’ Mr Jay’s hologram disappeared.
Sarita and Bill turned to Ahmet. ‘Research?’
‘The test,’ Ahmet said. ‘I mean—what do we know?’
‘Just that our future study modules and careers will be based on our test results,’ said Bill.
‘And no one will tell us what to study,’ said Sarita.
Ahmet nodded. ‘It’s almost as if we’re supposed to be stressing out.’ Suddenly, an idea dawned on him. ‘I think I know what the test is on.’
For the next week, Ahmet investigated his theory, telling Bill and Sarita what he learned. Bill continued exercising. Sarita studied. And every morning, Mr Jay quizzed them about their plans that day.
On 15 August, Ahmet was the last one to take the test. When he finished, Bill and Sarita were waiting for him.
‘We were right!’ exclaimed Sarita.
‘Well, Ahmet was right,’ said Bill. ‘I still can’t believe it wasn’t an academic test. But it makes sense—they already have plenty of that information from our modules.’
‘Personality Under Pressure,’ said Ahmet, mimicking Mr Jay’s voice. ‘He told me that I’ll be studying to be a detective!’