DTW GED PREP

The setting of a story is where and when it takes place. Sometimes the author tells you directly; other times you have to figure it out by noticing the details—like the weather, the environment, or what people are doing.

The setting is more than just background. It can:

• Shape the story’s events (plot)
• Influence how characters act or feel
• Help reveal the story’s message or theme

Example: To Build a Fire by Jack London

The man flung a look back along the way he had come. The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice were as many feet of snow. It was all pure white, rolling in gentle undulations where the ice-jams of the freeze-up had formed. North and south, as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken white, save for a dark hairline that curved and twisted from around the spruce-covered island to the south, and that curved and twisted away into the north, where it disappeared behind another spruce-covered island. This dark hairline was the trail— the main trail—that led south five hundred miles to the Chilcoot Pass, Dyea, and salt water; and that led north seventy miles to Dawson, and still on to the north a thousand miles to Nulato, and finally to St. Michael on Bering Sea, a thousand miles and a half thousand more.

    But all this—the mysterious, far reaching hairline trail, the absence of sun from the sky, the tremendous cold, and the strangeness and weirdness of it all—made no impression on the man. It was not because he was long used to it. He was a newcomer in the land, a cheechako, and this was his first winter. The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in things, not in the significances. Fifty degrees below zero meant eighty-odd degrees of frost. Such fact impressed him as being cold and uncomfortable, and that was all. It did not lead him to meditate on his frailty as a creature of temperature, and upon man’s frailty in general, able only to live within certain narrow limits of heat and cold; and from there on it did not lead him to the conjectural field of immortality and man’s place in the universe. Fifty degrees below zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the use of mittens, ear flaps, warm moccasins, and thick socks. Fifty degrees below zero was to him just precisely fifty degrees below zero. That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head.

 How does the setting influence the story?

 A.   It explains why the man is alone.

 B.   It tells when the story takes place.

 C.   It helps to define the man’s character.

 D.   It determines what will happen next.

 When reading this passage, you almost have the feeling that the setting is another character. The interaction between the setting and the man gives the author a way to vividly define the man’s character (choice C). Choice A is incorrect. There is nothing in the setting that explains why the man is alone. Choice B is also incorrect. Nothing in the setting tells you when the story takes place. Choice D is also incorrect because the setting provides no hint about what will happen next

Understanding Character and Narrator Viewpoint

Every character—and the narrator, if one exists—sees events through their own perspective. These viewpoints are shaped by the characters’ personalities, experiences, desires, and emotions. Understanding a character’s or narrator’s point of view helps you:

• Analyze their motivations
• Predict how they will act
• Understand the theme of the story

 Example 1: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Widow Douglas took me in like her own son and said she was going to “civilize” me. But living in her house was tough—she was always so proper and serious. I couldn’t stand it. So I ran off, put on my old ragged clothes, and lived the free life again. That’s when I felt satisfied.

Then my friend Tom Sawyer came looking for me. He said he was starting a gang of robbers and I could join—if I agreed to go back to the widow and behave properly. So I went back.

The widow cried when she saw me and called me a “poor lost lamb,” and a bunch of other names too—but she meant well. She dressed me in new clothes again, and I just kept sweating and felt all stiff and uncomfortable. Then everything started up again. She’d ring a bell for supper, and I had to show up right on time. I couldn’t just dig in and eat—I had to wait for her to bow her head and mumble something about the food. And there wasn’t anything wrong with the food—except that everything was cooked separately. I liked food better when it all mixed together in a big pot. It tasted better that way.

Question:

What does the narrator’s point of view reveal about his values?

A. He’s a lonely boy who wants adults to take care of him.
B. He enjoys taking risks and living dangerously.
C. He prefers to live freely and make his own choices.
D. He feels ashamed that he can’t live up to the widow’s expectations.

Answer:

✔ Correct Answer: C. He prefers to live freely and make his own choices.

The narrator (Huckleberry Finn) clearly values freedom and dislikes being told what to do. He says he felt “free and satisfied” only when he ran away and wore his old clothes. He complains about the rules at the widow’s house—how he had to show up at a certain time, wear fancy clothes, and wait for her prayers before eating. Although he respects the widow, he doesn’t want to live by her rules. The strongest evidence shows that Huck wants to live life on his terms, not anyone else’s.

• Choice A is incorrect because Huck doesn’t seem to want more adult care—he runs away from it.
• Choice B might sound reasonable since he talks about a “gang of robbers,” but it’s really just childish fun.
• Choice D is off because Huck never says he feels guilty. He just feels uncomfortable.

📗 Example 2: The Sheik

The voice came from the shadows at the far end of the garden. The man’s singing was slow and smooth, and the final verse faded away gently into the quiet night.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then Diana leaned back with a soft sigh. “That’s The Kashmiri Song. It reminds me of India. I heard someone sing it in Kashmir last year, but not like this. What a voice!”

Arbuthnot looked at her with surprise. He noticed the excitement in her voice and the light in her expression.
“You say you’re not emotional,” he said almost angrily, “but that singer clearly moved you. How do you explain that?”

“Liking beautiful things isn’t emotion,” she replied with a smile. “Music, art, nature—all of that appeals to me. But that’s not emotion. I just like beautiful things better than ugly ones. That’s why I enjoy nice clothes, too.”

“You’re the best-dressed woman in Biskra,” he said. “Doesn’t that show some feminine feeling?”

“Not really,” Diana said. “Even men care about clothes. I like to choose colors that match my terrible hair, but honestly, my dressmaker has it easier than my brother’s tailor.”

She paused, hoping the singer was still nearby, but she only heard a cicada chirping. She turned toward the sound. “Listen to that! What a cheerful little guy. I always listen for them when I reach Port Said. They remind me of the East.”

“Annoying little pests,” Arbuthnot muttered.

“They’re going to be my friends for the next four weeks,” Diana said. “You have no idea what this trip means to me. I love wild places. My happiest times were camping in America and India. But the desert—more than anything—I’ve always wanted to see it. This month will be pure happiness for me.”

Question:

What does the passage show about Diana’s attitude toward the desert?

A. She finds it boring.
B. She is scared of it.
C. She thinks it’s unattractive.
D. She feels excited and joyful about it.

Answer:

✔ Correct Answer: D. She feels excited and joyful about it.

Diana clearly expresses excitement about the trip to the desert. She says, “This month will be pure happiness for me,” and talks about how much she loves wild places like America and India. She even says she’s always wanted the desert more than any other place. These lines show how much she looks forward to the trip and sees it as a dream come true.

• Choice A is wrong because Diana never sounds bored—in fact, she’s energized.
• Choice B is incorrect because she doesn’t express fear at all.
• Choice C is incorrect because she describes the desert and the East with affection and beauty.