Tag: writing

Questions Related to writing

Fill in the blank with a suitable option:

While writing an exposition, one must ______________________ . 

story and its elements writing english

  1. reveal the plot of the story

  2. use as few words as possible to reveal background information

  3. only reveal information that is connected to the characters

  4. None of the above

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information or a backstory of a character or plot.

Option B: One must write an exposition in few words. An exposition is an introduction or a backstory, and if it goes into too much detail, the reader would get lost in the past and lose track of the present story. Hence option B is correct.
Options A and C: An exposition introduces the plot, and does not reveal the plot. The latter would be a form of summary to the story.
Also, an exposition can be based on character, setting or plot. It's not necessary that it must only be connected to the characters.
Hence options A and C are wrong.
Option D is wrong because the answer lies in B.

Select the best exposition to introduce the given:

A war took place a few years ago and many houses lay in ruins because of it. 

story and its elements writing english

  1. The houses lay in ruins because of the war in the past.

  2. The scars of the war were still evident: houses were but fragile blocks of brick.

  3. The war destroyed many houses, causing them to lay in ruins.

  4. Long ago, there was a war. It destroyed many houses.

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information or a backstory of a character or plot.

Option B: This sentence: 'the scars of the war', followed by the description of the houses 'houses were but fragile blocks of brick' is an introduction to the given line 'a war took place a few years ago...'
Hence this is the best exposition that can give a proper background to a war and its resulting ruins.
So, option B is correct.
Options A, C and D: These sentences repeat the same thing that's already given in the question 'A war took place...' There's no background given by these options. They aren't suitable expositions as they don't describe the scene or explain the line, but repeat the same line again.
Hence options A, C and D are wrong.

Which option(s) best identifies the use of exposition in literature?

story and its elements writing english

  1. To show a contrast

  2. To express conflicting ideas

  3. To reveal background information

  4. To remove unwanted information

Show answer
Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Option C: An exposition is 'a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory'.

In literature, it's a literary device that introduces background information about events, settings, characters or other elements of a work to the reader. Hence option C is correct.
Options A, B and D: These options do not describe what an exposition is. Hence options A, B and D are wrong.

In what forms may exposition be used in a story?

story and its elements writing english

  1. Through dialogue

  2. Through narration of facts

  3. Through a prologue

  4. All the above

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

An exposition can be used in various forms:

Dialogue: Characters talking to each other is one way of revealing background information, when they're describing past events or incidents in their conversation.

Narration of facts: Between scenes, the writer can add facts to story for revealing more information about the characters and setting.

Backstory/prologue: Some stories or books have a 'prologue' before the first chapter or scene, to lay out the background information and the events that brought the main character where he is in the start of the story.


Hence option D 'all of the above' is correct.
Options A, B and C are, individually, incorrect.

What kind of literary device is the following:

"A long time ago, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a king and queen who wished for a child."

story and its elements writing english

  1. Satire

  2. Imagery

  3. Exposition

  4. Personification

Show answer
Correct Option: C
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information or a backstory of a character or plot.

Option C: The given sentence 'a long time ago...' is an introductory sentence that begins a story. It sets the background for the plot. Hence, option C is correct.
Option A: Satire is the use of humour or irony to ridicule someone's vices.
Option B: 'Imagery' is the 'visually descriptive or figurative language' that makes a scene more vivid and live to a reader.
Option D: Personification is adds human characteristics to objects, to bring it to life.
These literary devices are not reflected in the given sentence. Hence options A, B and D are wrong.

Identify the best way to reveal the given information in an exposition:

He is respected by all. 

story and its elements writing english

  1. There was no-one who did not acknowledge him with a nod or a bow of the head as he walked by.

  2. Everyone respected him.

  3. "I know him. He is a well-respected man."

  4. Once upon a time, there was a man who was respected by everyone.

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information or a backstory of a character or plot.

An exposition describes a scene, character or plot and hence reveals more information about it.
Hence, it would be best to 'show' a scene' rather than simply 'telling' what happened.
Option A describes a character by saying that 'there was nobody who did not acknowledge his presence'. This concludes to the main point that 'he' is respected by all.
Hence option A is correct.
Options B, C and D simply repeat the line 'he is respected by all'. It does not show 'how'. Hence these aren't suitable expositions and options B, C and D are wrong.

Choose the best option to complete the sentence:

While writing an exposition, one should ____________________.

story and its elements writing english

  1. only use dialogue

  2. use short phrases and sentences

  3. use a single sentence

  4. 'show' instead of 'telling'

Show answer
Correct Option: D
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information or a backstory of a character or plot.

Option D: An exposition describes a scene, character or plot and hence reveals more information about it.
Hence, it would be best to 'show' a scene' rather than simply 'telling' what happened.
For example, instead of just saying 'I love chocolate' one can say 'I would smack my lips over any food item with chocolate in it'. Hence option D is correct.
Option A: Dialogue is one of the ways of writing an exposition, but not the only way.
Option B: Using short phrases and sentences isn't a necessity while writing an exposition.
Option C: A single sentence may not always be sufficient to introduce a character or plot. Sometimes it may require a few pages, like in a prologue.
Hence options A, B and C are wrong.

What kind of literary device is the following:

Once upon a time, there were three bears. There was a Daddy Bear, who was very big, a Mama Bear, who was middle-sized, and a Baby Bear, who was very small.

story and its elements writing english

  1. Exposition

  2. Euphemism

  3. Metaphor

  4. Anecdote

Show answer
Correct Option: A
Explanation:

An exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about a character, an event or a setting.

Option A: The given lines give background information about a story revolving three bears. Hence it's an exposition and option A is correct.
Option B: A euphemism is a polite expression that replaces a more harsh or offensive one.
Option C: A metaphor is a figure of speech that refers to similarities between unrelated things.
Option D: An anecdote is a short or interesting story about an incident or person.
Options B, C and D do not reflect in the given lines. Hence options B, C and D are wrong.

Which of the following passages from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an example of exposition?

story and its elements writing english

  1. And then the chair was facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream. He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor.

  2. Harry was used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing this in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention. They did it in groups today; Harry, Ron, and Hermione went first; they leaned casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slide sideways through it and as they did so, platform nine and three-quarters materialized in front of them.

  3. There were rocks littering the lake bottom. He dived and snatched up a particularly jagged one and returned to the statue. He began to hack at the ropes binding Ron, and after several minutes hard work, they broke apart. Ron floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom, drifting a little in the ebb of the water.

  4. All of the above

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

An exposition introduces background information about events, settings and characters in a story.

An exposition helps the reader understand the story better, by describing a person or a scene.
Option B: This paragraph describes a scene where the character Harry, Ron and Hermione walk through platform nine and three-quarters. Hence this is an example of an exposition and option B is correct.
Options A and C: These passages contain significant plot actions 'Frank Bryce...was dead before he hit the floor' and 'Ron floated above the lake bottom...'
Expositions do not reveal plot actions, hence options A and C are wrong.
Option D is wrong because A and C are also wrong.

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word:


A narrative answers the question ___________

story and its elements writing english

  1. Who did it?

  2. What happened?

  3. What went wrong?

  4. How do you do this?

Show answer
Correct Option: B
Explanation:

A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events. It gives us a vivid description of the formation and execution of the points that join events together. Rest of the information we need to decipher from the narrative. So, Option B is correct. The other options are incorrect as the readers or the audience tend to find the answers from the narrative themselves.