Guided Practice
Learn
This lesson provides guided practice in applying literary analysis skills. You will work through texts step-by-step, learning how to identify and analyze literary elements and themes in context.
Close Reading
Close reading is the careful, sustained interpretation of a text that focuses on significant details to develop a deep, precise understanding. It involves multiple readings, each with a specific analytical purpose.
Close Reading Strategies
| Strategy | What to Do | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| First Read: Comprehension | Read for general understanding without stopping | Establishes context before detailed analysis |
| Second Read: Annotation | Mark literary devices, key words, questions | Identifies patterns and important details |
| Third Read: Analysis | Focus on how elements create meaning | Develops interpretive insights |
Annotation Symbols
- Underline - Key phrases, important statements
- Circle - Repeated words, unfamiliar vocabulary
- Box - Literary devices (metaphor, simile, etc.)
- ! (exclamation) - Surprising or significant moments
- ? (question mark) - Confusing passages or questions
- Arrows - Connections between parts of the text
Connecting Evidence to Claims
Strong literary analysis follows this pattern:
- Claim: State your analytical point
- Context: Introduce the evidence (who, when, where)
- Evidence: Quote or paraphrase the text
- Explanation: Analyze how the evidence supports your claim
SAT/ACT Connection
Close reading skills are essential for the SAT and ACT. These tests require you to find evidence for claims, analyze author's purpose, and understand how text elements work together. Practice annotating passages under timed conditions.
Examples
Work through these guided examples to see literary analysis in action.
Example 1: Analyzing Character Development
Passage: "At the start of summer, James avoided everyone at camp, eating alone and scowling at anyone who approached. But on the last day, he stood at the bus, hugging Marcus and promising to write. 'You're the first real friend I've ever had,' he admitted, his voice cracking."
Analysis Process:
1. Identify the change: James transforms from isolated ("avoided everyone," "scowling") to connected ("hugging," "promising to write").
2. Find specific evidence: The contrast between "eating alone" and calling Marcus "the first real friend" shows his emotional growth.
3. Analyze the language: "His voice cracking" reveals vulnerability - he's not just making friends but becoming emotionally open.
Claim: James's transformation from isolation to genuine connection demonstrates how meaningful relationships can break down emotional walls.
Example 2: Tracing a Symbol
Passage excerpts:
Beginning: "The old clock in grandmother's kitchen had stopped at 3:47, the moment she left for the hospital."
Middle: "Elena wound the clock but couldn't bring herself to reset it."
End: "On the anniversary, Elena finally moved the hands forward. It was time."
Symbol: The stopped clock
What it represents: Grief, frozen time, inability to move forward
How it develops:
- Beginning: The stopped moment marks trauma
- Middle: Elena's inability to reset it shows she's stuck in grief
- End: Moving it forward symbolizes acceptance and healing
Thematic connection: The clock symbolizes how grief can freeze us in time, and healing means finding the courage to move forward while honoring the past.
Example 3: Developing Interpretive Questions
Passage: "The mayor smiled and shook hands with the factory owner, never once looking at the workers lined up behind the fence."
Factual question (has one answer): Who did the mayor shake hands with? (The factory owner)
Interpretive questions (require analysis):
- Why might the author include the detail about the mayor not looking at the workers?
- What does the fence symbolize in this scene?
- How does the word "lined up" suggest the workers' status?
- What is the author suggesting about power relationships through this scene?
Key insight: Interpretive questions focus on "how," "why," and "what does this suggest" rather than "who," "what," or "when."
Example 4: Annotated Close Reading
Passage with annotations:
"The garden had [become wild] - roses [strangling] the fence, vines [conquering] the paths grandmother once walked daily. Nature had [reclaimed] what grief had [abandoned]."
Annotated observations:
- [become wild] - signals neglect, loss of control
- [strangling], [conquering] - violent verbs suggest nature as aggressive force
- [reclaimed], [abandoned] - contrast between nature's activity and human inactivity
Analysis: The author uses personification and violent imagery to show how grief has caused the narrator to abandon care for the garden. The contrast between nature "reclaiming" and humans "abandoning" suggests that grief can make us retreat from life, allowing what we once nurtured to become unrecognizable.
Example 5: Building Evidence to Claim
Claim: In this story, the author uses weather to reflect the protagonist's emotional state.
Weak evidence integration: "It was raining. Maria was sad." (Summary, no analysis)
Strong evidence integration: When Maria learns of her father's illness, the author describes how "the sky darkened to the color of bruises, and rain began to fall in sheets" (15). This pathetic fallacy - giving nature human emotions - externalizes Maria's internal pain, suggesting that her world has literally grown darker with this news. The simile comparing the sky to "bruises" connects the weather to physical injury, emphasizing the visceral impact of emotional trauma.
Practice
Apply what you have learned with these practice exercises.
1. The first step in close reading should be:
A) Annotating every sentence B) Reading completely for general understanding C) Looking up all unfamiliar words D) Writing your thesis
2. Which is an interpretive question rather than a factual question?
A) Where does the story take place? B) What is the protagonist's name? C) Why does the author use water imagery throughout? D) When was this novel published?
3. When connecting evidence to a claim, you should:
A) Let the quote speak for itself B) Explain how the evidence supports your point C) Use as many quotes as possible D) Only use long block quotes
4. Annotation is most effective when you:
A) Underline every sentence B) Mark specific patterns and questions C) Only note vocabulary words D) Wait until after discussing the text
5. The difference between summary and analysis is:
A) Summary is longer B) Analysis explains meaning; summary tells what happens C) They are the same thing D) Analysis only uses quotes
6. When you notice a word or image repeated in a text, you should:
A) Ignore it as redundancy B) Consider its symbolic or thematic significance C) Assume the author made a mistake D) Only note the first instance
7. A shift in a literary text (in tone, setting, or perspective) often signals:
A) A printing error B) Important development in meaning C) Poor writing D) Nothing significant
8. To develop an analytical claim, you should:
A) State a fact from the text B) Make an arguable interpretation about meaning C) Summarize the plot D) Give your personal opinion unrelated to the text
9. Context for a quotation should include:
A) The page number only B) Who is speaking and the situation C) Your opinion of the quote D) A summary of the entire book
10. Multiple readings of a text are valuable because:
A) Each reading can focus on different analytical purposes B) You might forget the plot C) The first reading doesn't count D) Teachers require it
Click to reveal answers
- B) Reading completely for general understanding - Comprehension comes before analysis.
- C) Why does the author use water imagery throughout? - This requires interpretation and can have multiple valid answers.
- B) Explain how the evidence supports your point - Evidence requires analysis to be meaningful.
- B) Mark specific patterns and questions - Selective, purposeful annotation is most useful.
- B) Analysis explains meaning; summary tells what happens - Analysis interprets; summary restates.
- B) Consider its symbolic or thematic significance - Repetition usually signals importance.
- B) Important development in meaning - Shifts often mark key moments for analysis.
- B) Make an arguable interpretation about meaning - Claims should be analytical, not just factual.
- B) Who is speaking and the situation - Context helps readers understand the evidence.
- A) Each reading can focus on different analytical purposes - Layered reading deepens understanding.
Check Your Understanding
Test yourself with these 10 questions.
1. What is the first step in close reading a literary passage?
Show Answer
Read the passage completely without stopping, then re-read while annotating key details, literary devices, and questions that arise.
2. When annotating for literary elements, what should you mark?
Show Answer
Mark figurative language, repeated words or images, character descriptions, setting details, dialogue tags, and any shifts in tone or perspective.
3. How do you connect textual evidence to an analytical claim?
Show Answer
State your claim, introduce the evidence with context, quote or paraphrase the specific text, then explain how the evidence supports your interpretation.
4. What makes an interpretive question different from a factual question?
Show Answer
An interpretive question requires analysis and can have multiple valid answers supported by evidence, while a factual question has one correct answer found directly in the text.
5. Why is it important to note shifts in a literary text?
Show Answer
Shifts in tone, perspective, setting, or time often signal important developments in theme, character, or conflict and are frequently the focus of analytical questions.
6. What is the difference between summary and analysis?
Show Answer
Summary restates what happens in the text, while analysis explains how the text creates meaning, why the author made certain choices, and what those choices reveal.
7. How should you approach unfamiliar vocabulary in a literary passage?
Show Answer
Use context clues from surrounding sentences, consider the word's connotation based on the passage's tone, and look for root words or word parts you recognize.
8. What role does setting play in literary analysis?
Show Answer
Setting establishes mood and atmosphere, reflects or contrasts with characters' internal states, provides historical/social context, and can function symbolically.
9. How do you identify the most important evidence in a passage?
Show Answer
Look for moments of change, conflict, revelation, or decision; repeated elements; passages with dense figurative language; and dialogue that reveals character or theme.
10. What should your analytical claim always include?
Show Answer
An analytical claim should identify the literary element or technique, make an interpretive statement about its effect or meaning, and be specific enough to argue with textual evidence.
Next Steps
- Review any concepts that felt challenging
- Practice annotating a text on your own
- Move on to Lesson 4: Text Analysis