Question

So let’s start with flatness. Characters in a fairy tale are always flat (whether Little Red Riding Hood, Stepmother, Hedgehog, or Beast.) In “The Rosebud,” we have a mother and two children, one identified only as “the youngest” and one discarded after the first sentence. Fairy-tale characters are silhouettes, mentioned simply because they are there. They are not given many emotions—perhaps one, such as happy or sad—and they are not in psychological conflict. . . . This absence of depth, this flatness, violates a technical rule writers are often taught in beginning writing classes: that a character’s psychological depth is crucial to a story. In a fairy tale, however, this flatness functions beautifully; it allows depth of response in the reader.

–“Fairy Tale Is Form, Form Is Fairy Tale,”
Kate Bernheimer

How does the writer effectively structure the body paragraph to develop the central idea that fairy tales are important? Check all that apply.

by presenting an effective thesis statement
by beginning with a topic related to the central idea
by defining the topic discussed
by providing examples related to the topic
by concluding the central idea

Answer 1

- beginning with a topic related to the central idea — yes (opens with “So let’s start with flatness,” a topic tied to the central idea)
- defining the topic discussed — yes (explains what “flatness” means for fairy‑tale characters)
- providing examples related to the topic — yes (names Little Red Riding Hood, Stepmother, etc., and cites “The Rosebud”)
- concluding the central idea — yes (ends by stating flatness “allows depth of response in the reader”)

Not checked: presenting an effective thesis statement (the paragraph has a clear topic sentence and supporting development, but it does not serve as the essay’s overall thesis).