Cambridge Primary Checkpoint 0844 · Topic 1 of 10

Reading fiction

Understanding stories: characters, setting, plot and the choices an author makes to interest the reader.

📌 Key points

The setting is where and when a story happens. Authors often use the senses (sight, sound, smell) to describe it.
The plot is the order of events, usually: opening, build-up, problem, climax and resolution (ending).
You learn about characters from what they say, do and think, and how other characters react to them.
Stories are written in the first person (I, we) or the third person (he, she, they).
The narrator is the voice telling the story. A first-person narrator is usually a character in the story.
Authors choose words carefully to create a mood (atmosphere), such as tense, calm or spooky.
Short sentences can build tension or speed. Longer sentences can slow the pace and add description.
When you answer a question, give your idea and back it up with a short quotation from the text.

Read: 'Maya crept along the dark corridor. A floorboard creaked. She froze, her heart thumping like a drum.'
How does the author create tension?

Look at sentence length: 'A floorboard creaked.' is short and sudden.
Look at word choices: 'crept' and 'froze' show Maya is nervous and trying to be quiet.
Look at the simile: 'her heart thumping like a drum' shows how scared she is.
Answer: short sentences, careful verbs ('crept', 'froze') and a simile about her heart make the reader feel nervous too.

💡 Test tip

Always back up your answer with evidence: a word or short phrase from the text in quotation marks.

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