Question

Every story has a plot, or series of connected events. Fairy tales often use linear plot
development. In linear plot development, the story’s events have a clear beginning and follow
one another in a straight line through time. A conflict is introduced, and worsens as events
progress, but is resolved in the end.
DIRECTIONS: Read the story. Then, answer the questions.
1 Once upon a time, there was a young man named Ethan who wanted to go to a fair many
miles from his family’s farm. He had saved three coins and begged his mother to allow
him to go. She gave him permission, but she also gave him a warning. “Be careful at the
fair. Most people are kind and honest,” she told him, “but some people will try to trick you
out of your money.” Ethan was so excited about attending the fair that he paid little
attention to his mother’s words.
2 At the fair, Ethan was dazzled by the large numbers of people and by the rows of
beautifully decorated stands with items for sale. He bought a book of stories with
wonderful drawings—and he still had two coins left to spend! Then he came upon an
undecorated stand. The only items on display were small, plain, wooden boxes. Ethan
was curious and asked about them. The stand’s mysterious owner explained that the
boxes were special. If you wrote a wish on a piece of paper, put it in the box, and buried
the box, your wish would come true in five years. “Really? How much?” Ethan asked.
“Just two coins,” said the man. Ethan gladly handed over his two coins and chose one of
the boxes. Once home, Ethan wrote a wish on a piece of paper and buried the box.
3 Five years passed, but Ethan’s wish had not come true. He had no castle, no riches, and
no princess. He thought back those five years and heard his mother’s words: “Be careful
at the fair. ... some people will try to trick you out of your money.” She had been right. The
box had been an ordinary box, and the mysterious man was long gone.
1. In which paragraph of the story is the conflict introduced? What is the main conflict?
2. Does the story have a linear plot? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

1. The conflict is introduced in paragraph 2 — when Ethan finds the mysterious stand and buys the “wish” box. (Paragraph 1 foreshadows the problem with the mother’s warning, but the actual conflict — the trick — begins in paragraph 2.) The main conflict is that Ethan is deceived: he wants a wish to come true but is tricked into buying a worthless box, so his desire for riches/happiness is blocked by the trickster (external conflict).

2. Yes. The story has a linear plot: events unfold in chronological order with a clear beginning (Ethan wants to go to the fair and is warned), a middle where the inciting incident and worsening of the problem occur (he buys and buries the box), and an end that resolves the conflict (five years pass and he learns the box was a scam). The events follow one another in a straight line through time.