GED Reasoning Through Language Arts
Literary Elements
Fiction questions ask about the machinery of a story: who is telling it, what the people in it want, and what the descriptions are doing. Every element exists to create an effect, and the questions almost always ask about the effect.
The words first
- narrator / point of view
- who tells the story: a character (first person, "I") or an outside voice (third person)
- characterization
- how a person is revealed — through what they do, say, and think
- setting
- when and where, and the mood that time-and-place creates
- theme
- the underlying message about life — bigger than the plot
- figurative language
- comparisons not meant literally: metaphor, simile, personification
The method
SHOW vs TELL — how characterization works
telling: Marcus was generous.
showing: Marcus slid his last sandwich across the table
without a word.
The test asks: "what does this ACTION reveal?"
POINT OF VIEW — what each can know
first person ("I") → only what the narrator sees and thinks;
can be biased or wrong
third limited → inside ONE character's head
third omniscient → inside everyone's head
THEME — plot vs message
plot: A farmer sells his land and regrets it.
theme: What we own matters less than what we belong to.
Worked all the way through
The problem
"Rosa counted the coins twice, slid three back across the counter, and walked out with the smaller loaf." What does this reveal about Rosa?
- Step 1 — List only the actions.Counts coins twice. Returns three coins. Chooses the smaller loaf.
- Step 2 — Ask what state of affairs makes those actions make sense.Counting twice = every coin matters. Taking the smaller loaf = she cannot afford the bigger one.
- Step 3 — Name what is revealed, not stated.Rosa has very little money and is careful with it. The author showed poverty without the word "poor."
On the board
counted the coins twice
every coin matters
slid three back
cannot spend them all
took the smaller loaf
settling for less
revealed: careful, and poor
shown, never told
Answer
Rosa is short of money and careful with what she has
A second one, in a different form
"The house watched them leave with dark, empty windows." What device is this, and what is its effect?
a house cannot watch
human action given to an object
device: personification
effect: the emptiness feels sad, alive
mood-setting
Answer
Personification — it makes the abandoned house feel mournful
The usual mistake
Confusing theme with plot, or metaphor with simile.
Check yourself
For any what-does-this-reveal question, ask: what would have to be true about this person for these exact actions to make sense? That true thing is the answer.
Practice it
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